《Starborn: Origin of the Stars》 Glossary

Characters

Robin Tulward

A pale young man, with black hair - short but not trimmed - a black bearded chin, green eyes and a small scar above his right brow. Robin loved his little technics-projects and tinkering with every interesting machine he found, but social interactions aren''t his forte.

Timothy Reed

While Robin often hung out with Timothy, it was only online when they met for gaming or flying in the simulator. He wasn¡¯t even living on Rucasur but was part of some science team stationed on Ruca I, later on Ruca II.

Patience unknown

Robin''s colleague, a blue-haired bomb with a way too short fuse. Doing some semi-professional fighting. Boxing since she was 18 years old.

Jim Dasbro

Robins boss. A huge, bearded man. Jim looked like a bear from the ancient stories of Earth, just without all the fur. His arms resembled trunks and his brown hair hung ruffled over his slightly silver glowing eyes. A manifestation of his mutation, a Class C - Metal Affinity. What exactly it does, depends mostly on the user. In this case, Jim created some skills that support his work with different, often quite complex, materials needed to build modern technologies.

Niu Alaris (Happy)

The woman reached only up to Robin''s shoulders, maybe 1,50m tall, had long silver hair and wore a white racing suit. Despite her youthful demeanor, he estimated she was in her early 30s like him. The sole daughter of a prominent family and burdened with lots of political responsibilities. The Alaris family was in the real estate business and her parents had high hopes for their daughter. They planned her educational journey and early on prepared her for taking over a branch in the Mereus Cluster. When Niu grew up however, she showed no interest in this field of work at all. She liked the big spaceships her family owned and always dreamed of becoming a pilot. Robin got the feeling that her happy mood was more of a mask she used to hide herself from the world around.

Landom Walzor

A man in his 50s, wearing the formal attire of Seka Security, white trousers, blue jacket and a blue cap. The crest of Rucasur on his arms identifies him as middle ranked governmental personnel.

SideChars

Gangs

Galaxies, Systems, Planets & Moons

Cities

Seka

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Beakrath

Races

Human

Ommih

Starborne

Wuranger

Mohait

Keeper

Vanguard / Servants

Drel

Cetro

Eltaran

G-Anomalies

*The ones that are already mentioned to be upgradeable by the UAS, are marked. Class S Class A Class B Class C Class D Class E

Ships and other vehicles

Manufacturers

Drones

CTVs

PTVs

Planetary Ships

Interplanetary Ships

Intergalactic Ships

Technologies

For Propulsion

For Energy

Weapons and Shields

Chapter 01 - Robin Tulward A huge explosion tore through the dark void of space. The shields of a big spaceship flashed brightly while they fought against the raging flames. Two more energy projectiles, fired from another ship, shot forward and threatened to tear the fragile defenses apart. A young man sat in the cockpit of a small fighter and observed the epic battle. His little vessel shook with each detonation and when one of the ships finally lost all its shields, a loud, dull explosion could be heard. ¡°Really? Sounds in the depths of space? Come on, at least put some effort into this!¡± Robin complained while the movie was interrupted for the advertisement of some new racing ship. ¡°...with its new Ion-2 thrusters it''s one of the fastest ships in its class! Do you want to start a racing career or just like speeding over the plains of Ruca II? Today is your chance! Find your nearest Apex ship dealer today and get a 2% reduced interest rate for the¡­¡± ¡°As if we don¡¯t have other stuff to worry about - racing on Ruca II? Sure thing, just let me grab my stuff!¡± With a sigh, Robin turned off the screen and walked over to the kitchen. While he waited for the food-generator to make his breakfast, he took a look at the digital clock on the wall. ¡°07:10, Mondays suck¡­but I¡¯ve to hurry up a little bit.¡± After a long night of tinkering with his newest projects, the time to work came way too early. A beep made him aware that his food was ready. Robin happily recognized it as some kind of cereal with a milk-substitute and took the bowl from the big machine. The food-generator was definitely a blessing. He got it just a few weeks ago from a lottery - who knew that you could really win stuff there? It was quite the good model and produced decent food, all while needing only the standard refill packs. Besides the kitchen, which was cleaned up and well sorted, even with the generator using up almost all the available space, the rest of the flat was more reminiscent of a workshop. The gray couch in the living room was packed with boards, cables and tools, as was the small table, the two green chairs and most of the floor. The door to the bedroom was open just enough to see a big messy bed, peppered with notepads and other devices. ¡°Reminder: Train departs in 20 minutes!¡± A neutral, monotone voice announced. ¡°Thanks Hess!¡± Robin answered, still in the middle of his breakfast. Quickly he put the bowl aside and reached for the bag next to the door. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, see you later, Hess!¡± He announced and left. Just before the door closed, he heard the standard reply from the system ¡°Home clear, starting surveillance mode¡± and reminded himself once more, to take a deeper look at the module. It definitely should be possible to modify it in a way that its answers would become more diverse, more fluid in its speech. Preferable with a nice sounding voice of a woman. ¡®Yep, definitely a project worth investing some time into¡­ again.¡¯ He thought with a flinch. After he took the elevator and moved down the 31 floors to the deserted main hall of the complex, Robin came to a stop at the autonomous security station. To both sides of the exit were cameras and lots of different sensors. Mostly identity checks, but also some to prevent spreading of contagious infections and stuff. A display to his right showed his details:
Name Robin Tulward
Race Human
Homeworld Rucasur
Age 32
G-Anomaly Class E - Minor Energy Senses
Job Technocrafter at Jim¡¯s Broken Wing
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The details came together with a photo of a pale young man, with black hair that was short but not trimmed, a black bearded chin, green eyes and a small scar above his right brow. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. Like every morning, what a surprise!¡± Robin exclaimed without much enthusiasm and pressed his thumb on the scanner next to the screen. The terminal gave a short beep. ¡°Identity confirmed. Have a good day, citizen!¡± With that, the door opened and he walked out into the lively city. Even this early in the morning, the street was already full of people that hurried along and many PTVs and CTVs that rushed around. The People Transportation Vehicles, PTVs, were mostly autonomous driving cars owned by rich pricks or used for taxi services. They could only drive on the special streets throughout the city and weren¡¯t able to fly, in turn they were much faster than most of the transportation models that allowed low altitude flights. The Cargo Transportation Vehicles were the backbone of planetwide economics and brought goods from one end of the city to the other - sometimes even to neighboring ones. For most people in Seka, the capital of Rucasur, owning a car or ship was stuff from pretty pink dreams. Not that the living conditions for the majority were bad or that there were many problems with poverty. At least not as far as Robin was aware. Sure, Seka also has its slums, like every other big city, but mostly public transportation was good enough for all needs, so buying a private vehicle was just unnecessary. ¡®At least, if one does not want to go racing on Ruca II¡­¡¯ Robin thought, as he observed the crowded street. Clearing his head, he hurried to the nearby train station and passed some checkpoints again. He had to wait for the train to arrive along with hundreds of other people who were on their way to work. At least they were all standing in orderly lines in front of the nine entry points. There was another one further up, where the front of the train would come to a stop. Only a handful of individuals were waiting there, all well dressed and often marked with a logo from some big company or the government. ¡°We are jealous of these people, because some lucky encounter got them a good job or they hit the jackpot with their G-Anomaly. But believe me, as we are looking towards the train¡¯s first class, they are chasing their dreams of leaving all this behind and traveling by PTV. We always want more.¡± The man behind Robin tried to start some sociological-shit conversation after he caught him looking at the VIP entry. ¡°Sure, yeah.¡± Robin shut the attempt short, before the Ommih could really get into it. It was definitely too early for him to have such a conversation¡­ and to be honest, there probably will never be a good time! The man seemed to get the message and looked for someone else he could bother. Ommihs do look like your average human, but without any hair and two little antennas instead. They were known to be very open minded, friendly and social. It¡¯s said that their gene-anomalies often awaken powers aligned to the mind, like enhanced empathy or even telepathy. When humanity met them, a hundred something years ago, it didn¡¯t take long for them to mingle into human society. Their home planet is just two galaxy-jumps away and today they can be found on a lot of human planets. As the borders of the Civilized Territories, the former region of the Starborn¡¯s empire, weren¡¯t as safe as they used to be, the Ommih officially joined the United Alliance of Stars, UAS, not too long ago. Pirate raids and skirmishes with local rogue factions were increasingly overshadowed by bloody assaults of hostile races that started to stir after decades of feeble truce. Realizing that he was still staring at the man, Robin quickly turned back to wait for the train, which shot in with a high pitched whistling, just half a minute later. After he got a seat, Robin turned on his Interface and took a look at the latest news about the Starborn. Chapter 02 - The Starborn The Starborn - the biggest slap in the face of humanity since even the librarians can remember. Robin loved everything about them, every little piece that was known - which, by all means, was not much. But that made this topic only more interesting for him. Some thousand years ago, precisely in 2284, humans began to explore the stars. New technologies allowed mankind to go further than ever before - and not just with some satellites or drones. Humans became travelers among the stars. It¡¯s said that in the old days, mankind had one burning question: Are we alone in the wide cosmos? Sometime after the era of star-traveling began, this question was answered, much to anyone¡¯s surprise with a quite resounding ¡®Yes, we are alone!¡¯. Even with all the exploration, no one could find any proof of other civilizations out there. Space was just that: wide, cold and empty. Religion and churches had the time of their lives. Humanity, created by god alone and ruler of all other creations! There were even some shifts in the power dynamics between churches and governments, which resulted in less traveling among the stars and more focus on Earth, the Cradle of Humanity. That all changed in 2467, when a small science outpost on the moon installed a new kind of radio-station and caught a signal that seemed to be an emergency message. While the message could not be deciphered, its origin could be traced back. So, Earth sent The Contact, a spaceship specifically built for such a situation, to a desolate moon of a long-explored and forgotten planet in the system. Their findings would change everything. The first shock came to the religions: The Contact found an old, ruined laboratory. Books had to be rewritten: We are not alone, there are other species out in the cosmos! Scientists flooded the place and researched every little piece of data, technology and material they could find. That took some time, but ultimately a truth was unveiled, one that shook all of humanity: The Starborn, an ancient race of humanoids, ruled whole galaxy-wide empires with thousands of different races and cultures. They stood at the peak of the stars and had no equals. They had bodies, vastly more powerful and enhanced than mankind could even begin to understand. Their minds could rival the best computer systems Earth had to offer and they had a never-ending thirst for knowledge. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. One day, unknown circumstances led one of their kind into hiding from the empire, to build the laboratory The Contact was investigating. We have no names, not even a concrete feeling for the timescale, but ultimately, proof was found that this researcher of the Starborn was doing forbidden experiments, in an attempt to create a new glorious race, one that could rival the Starborn itself. There were tons of experiments and data, but in the end, he failed. All he managed to produce was a reduced, primitive version of the Starborn that did not match any of his set criteria. But as the new race showed at least some kind of self-awareness, he didn¡¯t kill off his few samples, but brought them to an inhabitable planet in this otherwise empty galaxy. Fear grew among mankind, while their best scientists tried to salvage some DNA samples from the laboratory. Only a few days later, they got sad certainty - Earth is not the Cradle of Humanity, but the playground for a failed experiment! This revelation hit the people quite hard and led to some unrest and even rebellions against the churches and governments. It took Earth more than three decades to calm down and for humanity to find a new, collective goal to work for. United, with a purpose and loads of new technologies at hand, the humans redoubled their effort to travel the stars: Onwards, out of their godforsaken galaxy, to prove themselves worthy among the other races and claw their way all to the top of the food chain. ¡®¡¯Tch¡­¡¯ Robin scoffed as he thought about mankind¡¯s history. ¡®We¡¯re fools, clinging to outworn beliefs of superiority that stem from a time where we couldn¡¯t even leave Earth.¡¯ He chuckled, ¡®The Starborn are long gone, their empire fell apart millennials ago and new races have emerged to rule. We should use our resources to explore the wonders of the universe and not for haggling over political influence and technologies of others.¡¯ Dissatisfied, he closed his Interface after confirming that there were no new discoveries related to the Starborn. While mankind happily accepted the fact that the Starborn suddenly vanished from the known galaxies a long time ago and now tried to take their spot, Robin was more interested in the hidden story of this mysterious race. Why did they leave? Where did they go? Why are there nearly no traces left? He really wanted to travel among the stars some day. After his life planning was messed up early on, Robin worked hard towards a job as technocrafter. His mutation was a great asset for this, but in the end, it will not even lead him to leave this planet. That¡¯s why he used his time to make proper preparations. He got a piloting license a few years ago and was close to finishing the construction of his very own ship. While only designed for planetary flights, he will use it as reference for his qualifications, when he finally applies for a job on one of the intergalactic ships of the UAS. From there on, his own journey truly will begin! With those blissful thoughts in mind, Robin left the train and made his way to Jim¡¯s Broken Wing. Chapter 03 - Jim’s Broken Wing When Robin walked over to his workplace, he once again marveled at the sight of the huge industrial buildings left and right to the street. The office blocks and living complexes that reached high into the clouds, back in his district, were gone and made space for huge warehouse-like buildings, only five to ten stories tall, but up to 300 meters wide and some more than 1.000 meters in length. At least that was what Jim always told him. Hard to guess how far some workshops and facilities reached, if you are not inside to take measure. After 20 minutes Robin arrived at his destination and stood before a small, red building. Roughly 30 meters wide and not in the best condition, even for this district. Its logo, a single white wing in front of a starry black background, was engraved in a metal plating that hung loose and crooked to the side. He waited in front of the closed workshop for a few moments, like an unwelcome uncle on holidays, but the door remained shut. When nothing happened for some time, he sighed as he realized that the damn door was broken again. ¡°Why the hell doesn¡¯t Jim get his shit together and replace this old thing?¡± Robin grumbled and closed his eyes. With a little bit of concentration, he tapped into his mutated genes and started to feel for the energy that pulsed through the door between the opening mechanism and the motion sensor. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s the relay again.¡± He mumbled when a mental image of the door¡¯s circuits began to form in his head with blue lines representing the energy flow. There was a black spot, where the energy should go through for the door to open. If he just could move some of the lingering electricity from the grid over there, it should activate the relay. Keeping his eyes shut, Robin tried to grab some energy¡­ nothing. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s better if I give it a gentle push¡­¡¯ nothing. ¡®Perhaps I have to pull from the other side of the black spot¡­¡¯ nothing. ¡®Or if I¡­¡¯ A sudden, loud bang spooked the shit out of him. With a start Robin opened his eyes and saw the door swinging inwards, still wobbling from the kick the woman next to him had given it. Taking down her foot, Patience shook her head and scowled. ¡°Hey mate, why do you just stand there and look like a lost puppy, again?¡± Throwing her hands in the air in exasperation, she entered the workshop and continued her rant. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Just get Jim to buy us a new door. I don¡¯t have time for this shit!¡± ¡°Good morning to you, too!¡± Robin said after he followed her inside and closed the mistreated door. ¡°Yeah, fuck you!¡± She answered, ¡°You know, what you are trying there will never work, right? If you could manipulate energy to such an extent, you wouldn¡¯t work here - your mutation would be graded Class B at least, maybe even A, and the government would put a leash on you - to prevent you from stumbling into one of their facilities without having a key.¡± Robin ignored her remark and switched the topic ¡°How was your weekend? Did you kick some ass?¡± ¡°I tried and failed gloriously¡± Patience went along, ¡°I was matched with the guy, who later won the championship, in the preliminary round.¡± ¡°Did you at least give him a good beating, before he sent you packing?¡± Robin asked, glancing at the many scratches and the little red bump at her forehead. ¡°He was a Class D - Strengthened Muscles¡­¡± ¡°Ouhh¡­ bad match up, sorry pal!¡± He realized that Patience¡¯s last few days must have been pretty rough and decided to avoid the topic for now. ¡®You don¡¯t poke a sleeping Burlag with a stick!¡¯ Together they walked over to the little office on the right side to get their assignments for today. Thinking about that blue-haired bomb with a way too short fuse, he suppressed a chuckle. ¡®What were her parents thinking when they named her Patience? Was probably more like a wish than a statement.¡¯ Putting his hand on one of the terminals, he checked in for the day and got all his jobs loaded into his Neuro-Chip. Implanted directly under the bones of his skull and connected to the brain it worked as a second memory to store data. This data was cold, it wasn¡¯t possible to imprint experiences with feelings and all that, only neutral data and information. However, this allowed almost every citizen of the UAS to save important stuff in no time, while also being able to directly exchange such stored data. Only the capacity was a limiting factor, as Neuro-Chips still have a quite small memory. ¡®So, let¡¯s see. What¡¯s on the list today?¡¯ Ruffling a little bit through the newly added todo list, Robin found three new assignments and one old, still standing request. ¡®It seems like I¡¯ll have to repair two CTVs and make an analysis of some broken device of an old Earth spaceship. Ah yeah, and then there is this stupid request for accompaniment in the Wuranger-Exhibition.¡¯ The Wuranger were an old race that went extinct roughly 1500 years ago. Many people loved to see their quite beautiful crafts and technology, as they had been some kind of wood-aligned elemental-humanoids. It¡¯s said that they had a lot of influence after the disappearance of the Starborn and defended their position for quite some time, before they ultimately fell under the combined attack of multiple other races. The UAS had learned a lot from their remnants about the state of the universe in the time after the Starborn had disappeared. For Robin, and most other technocrafters, Wuranger remains are really boring to analyze. Their technology was some crazy voodoo shit, completely based on natural materials and has long lost all traces of energy. It¡¯s not reproducible, there is not much to learn for modern tech and, to be honest, if he wanted to see some pretty flowers, Robin could visit one of Seka¡¯s many green areas and parks. There were lots of good replicas over there. Chapter 04 - Getting Work Done After he left the office, Robin went over to one of the CTVs. It was an old model, looked pretty worn and did not exude much confidence in its reliability. Robin grabbed the attached datapad and skimmed over the information. ¡°A Tuba 102, occasionally losing power in the outlet at the front left¡± He read the report. ¡°Damn, 21 years of service! Old boy, you¡¯ve more than earned your retirement already.¡± The box-shaped vehicle was double the size of a modern PTV, still small for a cargo transport. It was built for short distances only, with a small battery and a cheap plasma repulsor. Robin began to study the structural design, after he called up the blueprint on a nearby screen. ¡°Pretty rugged build.¡± He mused, ¡°Corax may be a little bit more expensive than other manufacturers of industrial ships, but at least you get some solid stuff for your money.¡± ¡°Patience!¡± Robin called, ¡°Let''s get started with this one here.¡± ¡°Is this old-timer still loaded?¡± She asked and walked over to inspect the CTV. ¡°Yeah, it should have some food packages. Give me a moment, I¡¯ll open the cargo area.¡± First Robin had to link his tablet to the dataport at the side of the vehicle, then wait a short moment for a connection, before he was able to start maintenance mode and send an open command. With a low hissing sound, a hatch at the end of the vehicle opened. Eyeing the many crates in its hold and taking stock, Robin shrugged, ¡°There you go, all yours¡±. He observed Patience unloading dozens of big crates and boxes, each with a weight of 80kg and more, without the need for an exo-suit or anything. It was a sight that amazed him each time. ¡®Enhanced Strength is really neat. Her mutation is only Class D, I wonder what it would look like in Class C. Could she carry two crates at once?¡¯ Robin mused lost in thoughts and began to daydream of a strong looking woman with long, blue hair in tight sport suits that lifted heavy weights in a gym. Sweat dripped from her face and slowly flowed down her neck... ¡°Whatcha lookin¡¯ at, Rob?¡± Patience growled and tore him back to reality. ¡°Huh? Nothing, just thought about work n¡¯ stuff!¡± He said and tried to hide his slightly red face. ¡°Sure¡­ Now stop staring and get this one done.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m on it!¡± Robin nodded and sent the command to power up the CTV. When the repulsor began to hum quietly, the outlets started to glow with a gentle blue light. After he made sure Patience had taken out the last box and left for some other vehicle further in the back of the workshop, he began to gradually raise the output, until the vents had enough power to lift the CTV off the floor for a few centimeters. Immediately Robin could see the fluctuations at the front, resulting in an unhealthy-looking tilt of the whole vehicle. Closing his eyes, Robin tapped into his mutated genes again and felt for the energy in the CTV. Soon, a mental image of the affected parts in the front, as well as the power lines to the plasma repulsor began to form. He could see and even feel the flow of the bright blue plasma waves, created by the repulsor and flowing through the pipes towards the outlets. After exiting the outlets, they produced enough boost to lift the vehicle and through tilting the vents, the whole thing could be set in motion. In the power line to the front left outlet, Robin could see a small anomaly. With each wave of plasma that passed by, some of the energy leaked out of the pipe and dispersed harmlessly in the air. The slightly low pressure from the gas, that worked as medium for the plasma, confirmed his suspicion. ¡°Huh, a broken pipe. Not really a surprise with such an old model.¡± Robin mumbled after he easily identified the problem. While most standard maintenance tech would also have found the damaged parts quickly, Energy Senses were faster and more versatile. If the problem was a little bit trickier, most workshops would be happy to have someone like Robin at hand. Unfortunately, his mutation was only categorized as Class E, as it is just some minor sensory skill. For a job at a big manufacturer or some prestigious workshop, it would have to be Class D - Energy Senses. There were even less people with that kind of mutation, but from what he read online, Robin knew that they could create those mental pictures much faster and the higher version also came with an extra skill that was like an echo-pulse, which could instantly create some kind of snapshot in one¡¯s mind. Pretty awesome mutation, sadly out of his reach. Like most mutations, his Minor Energy Senses weren¡¯t upgradeable. Robin stopped his probing, shut down the CTV, disconnected his cable and went over to one of the shelves with spare parts to look for a compatible power line. He rummaged through a few drawers, quickly found a matching one and returned to his patient. Using the lifting platform, he then raised the vehicle to be able to access it from below and began to change the broken cable. ¡°Upgrading our mutations¡­¡± Robin muttered as he worked on the replacement, ¡°The government is telling the tale about mankind taking one more step towards the top. One step further towards our rightful place as the supreme in the universe.¡± He finished up the CTV and continued his soliloquizing, ¡°Our G-Anomalies don¡¯t have anything to do with whatever the fuck humans have earned. We salvaged this tech after endless research of the remains from the hidden laboratory and are now taking the credit for the achievements of others. The ability to upgrade some of the mutations came from a deal with the Ommih, in exchange for their admission in the UAS. They didn¡¯t even provide the source of this tech.¡± Robin put some notes in the datapad, together with his report and checked this job from his list. ¡°At least we did evolve the gene tech on our own and are still working on further improvements, so maybe even my mutation can be advanced someday.¡± Moving over to the next CTV, time flew by and Robin finished up his other jobs an hour before the workshop closed up. Checking out at the terminal in the office, Robin did not leave but went deeper into the building. In the back he found his own special project. In a corner of the big hall, illuminated only by dimmed lights, stood a small, sleek ship. Chapter 05 - Melody II The Melody II, Robin''s pride and joy. The ship was a custom-made planetary ship for atmospheric flights. While it wasn¡¯t the fastest one out there or came with much comfort, it still was his symbol for freedom. He had worked on this project for more than three years already and it was nearly time for her first flight. With the chassis of an old Apex Bunga as the basis, the black ship was roughly 3 by 10 meters in size, with a height of 2 meters. The rear proudly showed two big plasma thrusters, hopefully able to push the ship to a cruising speed of 230m/s, maybe up to 400m/s in a straight line under some strain. From the transparent cockpit on, the front narrowed to a streamlined 2-meter-wide line. Two winglets, also black, were extending to each side. The bigger ones towards the rear and the smaller ones at front. Built for two passengers and with a 250 kg payload cargo hold, this ship was made for planetary travel, smaller errands and comes in handy, when one needs to¡­ get away quickly. ¡°Hey Rob, how is it going? Is she still not fledged yet?¡± A rumbling voice came from behind, just as Robin booted the ship¡¯s systems. ¡°Jim! I didn¡¯t think you would come over today.¡± He greeted the workshop¡¯s namesake and owner, ¡°She still needs some calibrations and probably a new control unit for the front nozzles. You don¡¯t happen to have one in those pockets of yours, do you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. Can¡¯t help you with that buddy.¡± The huge, bearded man shook his head. Jim looked like a bear from the ancient stories of Earth, just without all the fur. His arms resembled trunks and his brown hair hung ruffled over his eyes that always had a slightly silvery glow. A manifestation of his mutation, a Class C - Metal Affinity. What this G-Anomaly exactly does depends mostly on the user. In this case, Jim created some skills that were supporting his work with different and often quite complex materials and alloys he needed to build modern technologies. Also, Jim was old already. Not ancient or anything, but Robin suspected he had at least cracked the 100 years mark. With mankind¡¯s achievements in medicine and gene manipulation, the average person could easily live up to 150 years. ¡°Jim, the fucking door¡­¡± Robin started, but the man cut him short. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll get a new one - at some point.¡± Robin threw him a questioning glance but decided to switch topics for now. ¡°So, how did the meetings go? Got us some new clients?¡± He asked. ¡°Actually, I do think so, yes. With you working here and finally enough recommendations from our customers, I got the guys from Privateers on the hook.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Uh? Not bad! They are into planetary transportation services for wealthy folks, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, so no more fooling around in the workshop!¡± Jim nodded with a grin. ¡°Fooling my ass¡­¡± Robin scowled, ¡°Better get that door changed and while your''re at it, also fix the shop¡¯s sign. Looks like the house of a beggar from the outside.¡± ¡°Hmhm¡± Jim agreed, his mind clearly somewhere else. ¡°What is it?¡± Robin became suspicious. ¡°Have you seen the pending job offer for accompaniment in the Wuranger-exhibition?¡± Jim asked sheepishly. ¡°What? No! No, definitely not.¡± Robin instantly denied. ¡°Rob¡­¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not going to babysit some dude while he is looking at dead plants. The payment sucks and it¡¯s on the other side of the city.¡± Robin exclaimed, ¡°Why are you even bringing that up? It¡¯s an open contract and not assigned to the workshop.¡± ¡°Well, yes - the contract is an open one, since a few weeks already to be precise¡­¡± Jim began. ¡°See? No technocrafter is interested in this shit. Pretty clear message, I would say!¡± Robin interrupted again. ¡°The request comes from a client of the Privateers. I may or may not have mentioned that you would be happy to take it?¡± Jim threw him an apologetic look, ¡°As a special service in favor of our future cooperation, so to say.¡± ¡°Seriously? That''s a low blow man! Do you stock up the payout or do I have to cover the overhead costs all on my own?¡± Clearly unhappy, Robin kicked some tools over the floor. ¡°Ah, you know I can¡¯t do that¡­¡± The huge man said and scratched his head. ¡°...¡± Taking a look at Melody II in contemplation, he continued ¡°...but I just remember that there was a broken control unit in the Tuba 102 over there. Probably forgot to write it in the report. I¡¯ll go and fix that immediately.¡± With a sheepish grin, Jim hurried back to the office. Robin watched him for a moment as he fled and then sighed. ¡°Well, fine.¡± he finally conceded and walked back to the CTV with the once fluctuating vents. ¡°Then it¡¯s better if I hurry up and replace the broken unit.¡± After dismantling the old control unit and installing a new one, he added the needed spare parts to the customer¡¯s bill and shuffled back to his own ship. Checking the clock, he decided that it was time to go home. He stored his recently acquired control unit on a rusty shelf and made his way to the train station. Back at home, Robin once more enjoyed the benefits of the high-quality food generator, while he opened the Interface and accepted the pending request. After taking a shower, he hit the bed. The next day he found a message from the Privateer¡¯s client. The Ommih, Mr. Ragweed, made an appointment for the end of the week, so there was still some time to pass. For the following days, Robin was quite busy at the workshop. They had slightly more CTVs coming in than usual, on Thursday he even had to fix four of them in a row. He still managed to squeeze out some hours to install the new control unit but didn''t find any time for the final calibrations. When Friday arrived, Robin found himself sitting in the train towards a museum in one of Seka¡¯s better districts. Chapter 06 - Dead Flowers Robin turned off his Interface when the train came to a halt one stop before his station. The invention of the Interface was the last, but most important step in making modern technologies more accessible. It provided a connection to the net where one could find any kind of entertainment, information or social activity and visualized the data stored on the Neuro-Chip. Its screen was integrated in an opaque eyewear, like a contact lens and got its power from the user¡¯s body. There were many individual variants and specialized adaptations, but Robin didn¡¯t try his hands on those yet. For now, he wanted to get the Melody II flight-ready and take her for a ride. After that, maybe it would be time to look for a transparent model that could support live access to some flight data. Robin got off the train and had to stretch a little bit. ¡®Damn, nearly three hours just to get here. I hope it¡¯s not a total waste of my time.¡¯ When he walked out of the station, the sun had almost reached its peak. He realized there were far fewer people around, probably because this district was reserved for a few selected establishments, museums and governmental buildings. Up to no living space, and definitely none a normal person could afford, no industrial buildings and no shops. But there were many more open areas to relax and for recreation. Green fields in a world of metal and technology. Robin inspected an especially fancy park he passed. ¡°That¡¯s a real tree!¡± He exclaimed and quickly shut his mouth with hand. ¡®Great, now everyone knows I¡¯m a hillbilly!¡¯ He thought, taking a second look at the majestic tree growing a few meters from the sidewalk. It was around 20 meters tall and had a huge, wide spreading green crown - definitely one of these leaf trees he had seen online before. A small path guided interested souls towards its trunk and was decorated to both sides with colorful flowers. ¡°Looks really beautiful. It would be inappropriate to go over and touch it, right?¡± He mumbled and shook his head. Leaving the park behind, he followed the streets roughly in the direction of the museum hosting the Wuranger exhibition. On the way he also observed the architectural changes. The buildings here were all much smaller than in the other districts. They often had little plots of land around, sometimes even small artificial gardens. The style seems to prefer optics and flair over practicality. Many buildings had additional towers and complex looking porches attached. It was also obvious that metal wasn¡¯t any longer the dominant material. Different types of pale stone had gained the upper hand. Nearing the museum, he realized that the locals also set a new standard concerning security in this district. Each and every house had sophisticated systems with lots of cameras, sensors and drones installed, often combined with stern looking security personnel standing in front of the doors. ¡®That must be a fucking boring job!¡¯ Robin thought, eyeing the bouncers. He noticed that even the governmental forces were more active here when a CPD passed by. Those Citizen Protection Drones were the real deal. Fully armed and with access to the records in the police database, they were little more than tamed combat machines just waiting for someone to step out of line. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Robin arrived at the museum after walking for a bit longer and stood in front of a white building with a red, pointed roof and two peculiar towers to each side. Over the wide entry was its name engraved in magnificent runes: Rucasur History And Arts. Looking around he spotted the sign of an assembly point for guided tours. He took a seat and waited for Mr. Ragweed, his client for the job. A few minutes passed and a welcome lady made her way over. ¡°Greetings and welcome to the Ruscasur History And Arts museum. Right now, we have two active exhibitions, one for special artworks of local libertines that express their romantic feelings on the world in beautiful colors and¡­¡± ¡°Burn in plasma! Please not¡­¡± Robin uttered under his breath. ¡°Come again? Do you want to know more? It¡¯s a really wonderful collection of masterpieces! Seeing the art of such great free spirits, you can nearly feel the emotions they put into it.¡± The woman continued, full of energy. ¡°Yeah that sounds awesome, but I¡¯m here for the Wuranger stuff. I¡¯ll just accompany one of your guests, so I¡¯m fine for now, thanks again.¡± Robin tried to throw her off. ¡°Ah what a shame, but it is as it is when duty calls. Don¡¯t feel too sorry. If you are that interested in the Special Arts exhibition, come over to the ticket box after your assignment is finished and ask for Asami, I¡¯ll get you a discount!¡± She gave him a bright smile and walked away to welcome another guest. ¡°Well, seems like some context may have been lost in between the lines.¡± Robin chuckled after she was gone and looked for Mr. Ragweed again. The Ommih arrived a few minutes later, being as enthusiastic for the dead plants as Asami was for the special arts. ¡°Mr. Tulward, I¡¯d like to thank you again! You cannot believe how hard it was to find a technocrafter for this excursion¡± The little man repeated for the umpteenth time while they entered the museum, ¡°With your Energy Senses we will unravel all their secrets, I have a good feeling for today!¡± ¡°Please call me Robin. And it¡¯s fine - it¡¯s a nice opportunity to get out of the workshop for once.¡± Robin tried, more to motivate himself than to appease his client. After they got through an identity check and five or six different security stations, the duo followed a circular route towards the first hallway. In the luxurious room, they found many different displays presenting a multitude of objects on both sides of the path. A few hours and dozens of dead flowers later, it became clear that Mr. Ragweed was unambiguously well versed in Wuranger technology and history. He did provide Robin with much background information on a broader scale than even the datapads could do. There were lots of pieces that looked like some kind of root, all shriveled and dried up - supposedly old machine parts and devices for data storage. Interwoven vines created complex systems with different functions and the slice of a tree represented the biological counterpart to modern screens and displays. Every now and then Robin had to use his energy senses to feel for remnant energies, often without any result. But a few pieces had still some life left, connected to modern tech to keep them stable. He analyzed all those objects and described them to his client, answering dozens of questions each time. Robin found only one display that showed something worthy of his interest. A little pyramid, made of metal and not of biological origin. The little screen at its side stated:
Unknown Artifact Presumed to be an ancient data storage of an unidentified allied race that did trade with the Wurangers. Made from an unknown metal alloy. No data could be salvaged, the device died after hundreds of years without any energy.
While the description was interesting, it was something else that really caught his attention: He definitely could feel remnant energy in the artifact. Not much, but enough to wonder, why the datapad labeled it as dead. Chapter 07 - Alien Data Storage Robin spotted the unusual artifact towards the end of their tour. It stood out in stark contrast as the only object not created from biological materials. Shaped like a pyramid and not bigger than a hand, its surface was made of a dark glistering alloy and had countless runes engraved. He didn¡¯t recognize the language and unfortunately couldn¡¯t grab the object on the display to take a closer look. Mr. Ragweed showed some interest, too, but was not able to provide any more information apart from what was written on the datapad. ¡°How peculiar, such an object is not what one would expect to find in a Wuranger exhibition¡± he marveled, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that. How do they know what its purpose was, if it has lost all energy and is dead now? I¡¯m pretty certain these runes are not of any prominent race either.¡± He rummaged through his backpack and found a small notepad. Skimming through, he looked back and forth between the little pyramid and the book in his hands, mumbling. ¡°No, not this one... neither that one... this may be a - no, the lines at the top don¡¯t match...¡± Unable to answer any of his questions and being no help with the runes, Robin tapped into his mutated genes again. He began to feel the strain from overusing his ability, like a needle poking in his head. It has been a long day and he had activated his skill more often than ever in such rapid succession. He pushed through the uncomfortable feeling and an image slowly formed in his mind, one he got with most of his attempts today: darkness, devoid of any blue energy lines. Just a black spot, indicating the complete absence of remnant power in the object. ¡°Can you feel anything from it, Robin?¡± The hobby-historian asked after failing to learn anything new from his quick research. ¡°No, nothing. Just as the datalog described, there is no energy left to sense. The inside is as black as the metal it is crafted from.¡± Robin shrugged and felt some disappointment from the Ommih. Obviously, his client had grown some hopes, which were crushed just as fast. ¡°I will talk to the staff later, maybe they have additional information.¡± The man said and moved on to the next exhibit. ¡®Interesting¡­¡¯ Not really listening, Robin halted and concentrated once more on the artifact. ¡®The image I¡¯m getting looks exactly like all the others from the failed attempts before, but why does it feel like my senses are capturing energy lines?¡¯ It was as if an image was painted in his head - a dark void but filled with something else. ¡®Invisible lines? No, that doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ Testing some more, he couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion and had to stop, when his headache got worse. Slowly he turned away and followed his companion down the next hallway. Unable to make sense of the feeling he got from the small artifact, Robin became more quiet. ¡°Are you alright? Is something on your mind?¡± The empathic alien quickly got on his trail. ¡°Nah, just my head starting a little riot. I¡¯ll be fine in a few minutes¡± Robin assured him. ¡°Sorry, it must have been an exhausting trip for you. We should be in the last room already, take some time to get better.¡± Robin nodded and walked over to the couch near the center of the hall and made himself comfortable for a moment, relaxing his head and reveling in the still lingering foreign feeling. Mr. Ragweed was quite considerate and examined the remaining displays on his own. However, when he heard footsteps coming from the hall¡¯s exit, Robin opened his eyes and saw a middle-aged woman with a yellow coat approaching. On her wrists was the logo of the governmental history department embroidered, identifying her as a member of the museum¡¯s staff. ¡°Mr. Robin Tulward?¡± She asked, after reaching his couch. ¡°Maybe? How can I help you?¡± He questioned, not getting up since he was still feeling a little lightheaded. The woman tapped her datapad a few times and looked him up and down closely. ¡°The data strongly suggests that you are Mr. Robin Tulward. I¡¯m sure. Why didn¡¯t you just confirm that?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°What? Lady, I¡¯m really beat-up right now! What do you want from me?¡± Robin scowled in annoyance. Aghast, she perked up. ¡°Somebody beat you up? Here in our museum? How did that happen...¡± She stopped mid-sentence after seeing Robin¡¯s incredulous look and sighed a moment later. ¡°Anyways¡­ I was notified by the check-in that we have a visitor with an Energy Senses G-Anomaly.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­?¡± Robin was slowly losing his patience. ¡°So I came over to get you, obviously. We have a job for someone with your mutation!¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s not how it works. I¡¯m not interested and I already have an active assignment.¡± Robin pointed at the Ommih, who had just finished his tour and trotted over. ¡°Huh? Why wouldn¡¯t you take the job? It¡¯s an opportunity to discover ancient history and help humanity to grow. Who doesn¡¯t want to be part of such a great endeavor?¡± ¡°Me! I don¡¯t wanna be a part of anything right now and I fumbled with so many rotten plants today that I will not analyze any more for a very long time. You will have to look for someone else.¡± She kept quiet for a moment, clearly thinking of how to proceed and spectacularly misread the mood. ¡°You know, the Wuranger artifacts are not rotten. From a biochemical perspective one could say that the biological materials get their form just from the infused energy alone - no water or anything else involved. After losing contact with the main system, the modules start leaking that energy and shrivel up over time. The slightly rotten stench only comes from¡­¡± ¡°Hehe...¡± A friendly laugh stopped her scientific lecture and Robin¡¯s imminent explosion. ¡°I strongly advise you to leave this young man alone for now. He already did his part for today and while I¡¯m more than satisfied with his services, I got the pressing feeling that the Wuranger and their biotechs are not his favorite.¡± Salvation arrived and shook the woman¡¯s hand. ¡°Hestor Ragweed, hobby-historian at your service.¡± The little man introduced himself with a courteous bow. ¡°Katlina Hutton, head of historical research.¡± She replied, ¡°While I cannot understand such a closed mindset, I¡¯ll have to respect his unwillingness.¡± Throwing Robin one last look, she gave Ragweed a polite nod, ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, I hope you gained some new insights in the Wuranger-era¡±. Before she could turn to leave, he stopped her for another topic. ¡°Ms. Hutton, if I may have a minute of your time. I would like to hear more about one of your magnificent artifacts in the exhibition.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She wondered, ¡°Of course, which one piqued your interest?¡± ¡°I have to say, it was a surprise to find a metal artifact in the middle of the Wuranger objects. Are you sure, there wasn¡¯t a mistake in the mapping of the timeline? I¡¯ve never heard of such technologies being found in relation to the Wuranger.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about the pyramid-shaped data storage. Yes, we are sure it¡¯s correct and I can reveal that we, too, were quite astonished at that find.¡± She said and even Robin listened in again, after the topic changed to the strange device. ¡°We can confirm with absolute certainty that the device is related to the Wuranger, as it was discovered just recently in a sealed complex on Ruca I.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve read about that one, it was on the news a few weeks ago.¡± Ragweed concurred, ¡°Do you have any more insights into its origin or function? I didn¡¯t recognize the runes or find any clues regarding its purpose.¡± ¡°Well, not much more than what we put on the datapad. Our research team disassembled one artifact and its structure showed clear indicators of being designed to store data. Unfortunately, the storage was pretty huge, so constant energy support was needed. After decades and centuries have passed, all stored information is lost. As for its origin, we didn¡¯t even make a bit of progress. The used technology points towards a highly developed race, but the runes are unknown. We sent some artifacts back to the UAS headquarters for further inspection. But it¡¯s just one more mystery on the already big pile the researchers over there are working on. We don¡¯t have high hopes for timely feedback.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve found more than one device?¡± the Ommih asked. ¡°Yes, 25 in total. But all in the same condition. We sent back five to the headquarters and disassembled one. The rest are here. Actually, that¡¯s what I wanted Mr. Tulward¡¯s help for.¡± She said, looking at Robin sitting on the couch. ¡°What would you need me for? I thought you said, they are all dead and even some important people from the UAS headquarters are looking into it.¡± Robin asked, his interest slightly awoken. ¡°Did you check that one over there?¡± she pointed at the pedestal with the little pyramid on it. ¡°Yeah, nothing - everything was just black.¡± ¡°Our sensors said the same, but the people from the tech department, who made the disassembling, mentioned that the alloy has some special properties that could make the readings a little bit fuzzy. We actually did have some fluctuations while analyzing, but nothing too much out of the ordinary.¡± She explained. ¡°The remaining 18 devices shall be stored in the museum¡¯s warehouse, until it¡¯s decided what to do with them. But before that is allowed, we have to make a second examination, with a better machine or someone who has an energy mutation. Since we don¡¯t have such sophisticated sensors here in Seka, hiring you would be preferred.¡± After her lengthy explanation, Robin felt a little bit intrigued, especially when thinking back at the strange feeling he got from the pyramid before. Contemplating for a moment, Robin finally gave in. ¡°Fine, but I want to get paid¡­ handsomely! And I¡¯ll need a few mental refreshment stims or else we will be sitting here the whole weekend.¡± Chapter 08 - A New Contract The head of historical research didn¡¯t try to haggle with Robin. She could see that he really wasn¡¯t in the best condition right now and the museum was well funded anyways. Mankind''s thirst for power resulted in the allocation of quite some finances to all research facilities run by the government, that were investigating old influential races, unknown technologies and the history of political landscapes. As the major museum and history-research institute in Rucasur''s system, Hutton had access to deep, well filled pockets - and she really wanted to see this case closed. It wasn¡¯t made public for now, but another team found a second facility on Ruca I. The loot they brought back was way more important and interesting than some dead data storages of unknown origin. Leading her guests to the inner parts of the building, she asked them to wait and relax in the staff room on the second floor for an hour. Calling for her assistant, she roughly explained the situation and let him prepare the needed documents. ¡°Set up a standard contract for freelancers but double the normal payment. Also explain the rules and regulations concerning the execution of governmental jobs to him.¡± Hutton briefed the small Mohait at her side. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am, anything else?¡± he asked, his tail twitching. ¡°Ah right, please hand him three Mind Refreshs. He should use one now and keep the others for later.¡± ¡°Shall I deduce the stims from his payment? They are pretty expensive on the free market.¡± ¡°No, it''s in our best interest that he can concentrate on his job and get it done quickly.¡± the institute''s head reasoned. Stims are used a lot today. Some decades ago, a scientific breakthrough allowed liquid medication to become much more efficient than pills and such. Since then, dozens of different stims had circulated the market, mostly cheap ones with questionable reagents and effects, some even being outright hallucinogens. But if you are willing to pay the right price, you can get your hands on the real deal. Lifesaving stims for emergencies, heightened senses and reflexes and even temporary enhancement of mutations. While Mental Refresh was not cheap, it was no rare sight in a house full of researchers that often work all night. ¡°As you wish, Ma¡¯am¡± her assistant bowed and left. *** After being dropped off in some kind of lounge, Robin was happily relaxing on a plush orange couch. Mr. Ragweed decided to stay a little longer and was reading some journals and reports about the Wuranger, which the museum had lent to him. Robin had just injected one of the high-quality stims the fluffy assistant delivered earlier. It wasn¡¯t his first time to meet a Mohait, but they were certainly a rare sight. Not reaching one meter in height, spouting a long fluffy tail and dotted with patches of fur here and there, they would probably look kind of cute. Unfortunately, their slightly longer faces were formed in a way that made one assume, they just bit into a really bitter lemon. ¡®A highly disturbing sight, how can the people around them read their mood, when they always make such a grimace?¡¯ Robin wondered, while the drug took effect and slowly soothed his mind. He didn¡¯t know much about the Mohait. If you could find one, then most of the time they were wearing a researcher''s coat and tried to minimize social interactions. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡®Are they even a member of the UAS? I can¡¯t remember reading about that¡­¡¯ Forty relaxing minutes later, the assistant came back with a datapad in his hand ¡®Or are those paws? Hard to say¡­ whatever.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Tulward, I brought your contract and will inform you about the most important rules and regulations.¡± he said, pushing the datapad over the table towards Robin. Picking up the tablet, Robin skimmed through the long document and listened with one ear. The lengthy explanation that followed, continued for five minutes. ¡°That should be all, Mr. Tulward. Do you have any questions?¡± the Mohait asked, after his report came to an end. ¡°So, since the objects are not some national treasures or top-secret technology, everything boils down to ¡®Do your job properly and don¡¯t report bullshit about eventual discoveries¡¯?¡± Robin summarized his duties. ¡°...¡± the researcher looked at him for a moment, ¡°Uh, please just confirm on the last page, that you¡¯ve got your legal briefing and sign the contract at the bottom.¡± Shrugging, Robin pressed his thumb on the datapad and handed it back. ¡°When can I start?¡± he asked. ¡°Madam Hutton will take you to the laboratory, please wait a moment¡± the assistant stiffly responded and left the room. ¡°Did I annoy him? Impossible to say with such skewed facial expressions.¡± Robin questioned, after the Mohait had left. ¡°Can¡¯t tell, but you definitely tried very hard!¡± Ragweed came over chuckling and sat down beside him. ¡°You don¡¯t like researchers and scientists?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a problem with them.¡± Robin clarified, ¡°It¡¯s just those overly motivated and too deep in their own worlds to get the stick out of their ass, that get under my skin!¡± he exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that he was talking to his client. ¡°Ahm¡­¡±, he coughed slightly, ¡°Sorry, no offense, Mr. Ragweed¡± ¡°None taken and please just call me Hestor¡±, the Ommih lightened the mood ¡°At least this trip is now giving you a proper payout. The mandate with me was a little underpaid in relation to the distance you had to travel¡± Hestor admitted. ¡°No worries, Hestor. The additional payment is great, but I had an enjoyable time as your contractor today even without it.¡± smiled Robin, ¡®But he is right, the additional money comes in handy. I¡¯ll get 300 credits for his job and 800 credits from the museum. Quite the haul for one day.¡¯ When Ms. Hutton came to pick him up, Hestor prepared to leave. ¡°Robin, it was a pleasure to meet you. Your analytics gave me some new insights and ideas.¡± He took out his own datapad and tapped some buttons. Getting a notification for the completion of his assignment, Robin stood up and shook his hands. ¡°Thanks, keep my contact in case you need my services again. I also want to invite you to visit me at Jim¡¯s Broken Wing, if you someday find yourself in Quantum Forge District.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± he said and turned to the woman to give her another bow. ¡°Ms. Hutton, thank you very much for the hospitality and this wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Wuranger. It was really inspiring!¡± ¡°I¡¯m always happy to be able to help a fellow researcher satisfying his thirst for knowledge.¡± she said, escorting him to the door, where her assistant was already waiting for him. ¡°Feel free to come by again if you get the chance.¡± After he was gone, she led Robin through many corridors to a modern laboratory. On one side of the room were different machines that Robin assumed to be for material- and energy analyzing. From the windows on the other side, he could see an artificial garden that was located at the back of the building. Robin stepped in front of the table in the middle of the room and stretched his hand to pick up one of the many orderly placed and numbered pyramids there. ¡°May I?¡± he asked. ¡°Sure,¡± she confirmed, ¡°please take a deeper look with the help of your mutation. You can use this datapad to report all your findings. Anything you feel and learn about the objects as a whole and especially if there is anything, that stands out.¡± Giving him the datapad, she walked back to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll leave to not distract you. If you need anything, touch this panel and me or my assistant will come over.¡± she motioned at a little touchpad near the exit. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll give it a shot¡± Robin said, already playing with one of the pyramids in his hand. ¡®Lots of cameras and non-visual sensors in the room.¡¯ he observed, taking a second look around the laboratory after she was gone. ¡®They will probably be used to analyze my behavior to check if I¡¯m hiding some discoveries. No intention of doing that, so... let them watch.¡¯ He shrugged. Closing his eyes, he began to feel for any energy in the object he was holding. "I better get started or else I¡¯ll be stuck here the whole night." Chapter 09 - Information Overload Sitting on the uncomfortable office chair, Robin picked up the next pyramid. His eyes were drooping through exhaustion and his head felt a little dull. ¡°The 8th one,¡± He sighed, ¡°one more after this and it¡¯s time for a break.¡± he took a glance at the big clock over the left window. ¡°One hour till midnight. If I don¡¯t fool around after resting a little, I should be able to catch the train at three o¡¯clock.¡± Robin concentrated on the artifact in his hands again and activated his ability once more. Closing his eyes, he focused on the slowly forming picture in his mind and began to feel for the feedback his senses transferred directly into his brain. ¡®Another failure, it¡¯s like with all the others. I can see the black spot where the energy lines should form, if there was anything to detect.¡¯ Concentrating even harder, he felt the headache coming back. ¡®But comparing it to the dead plants from this afternoon, these ones feel off somehow. The darkness is the same, but when I checked the Wuranger¡¯s plants, I could feel emptiness and not only see it. Now I¡¯m looking into the deep darkness, while my senses are telling me that it isn¡¯t empty. It feels like there should be energy lines all over - but¡­ nothing.¡¯ He opened his eyes and put the pyramid back in its slot on the table. ¡°Burn in plasma! I just don¡¯t get it.¡± he took a deep breath, rubbing his weary eyes. ¡°But, well, ultimately it¡¯s not my riddle to solve.¡± Picking up the researcher¡¯s datapad, he added some more details about these strange anomalies to his report. ¡°One more, ugh¡­¡± Robin moaned and took the next of the bizarre objects. Suddenly, instead of closing his eyes, after tapping into his mutation, he opened them wide in shock. The moment he had started to feel for any remnant energies, some impulse hit his mind like a racing ship crashing into a wall. ¡°Daamnnnn¡­!¡± he groaned in pain and reflexively grabbed his head in agony. The artifact fell to the metal floor with a loud clatter, but Robin couldn¡¯t perceive his surroundings any longer. His mind was curling up into a ball, just waiting for the beating to end. ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...we found them in the neighboring galaxy of¡­¡¯ ¡®...the information we¡¯ve got was right, they didn¡¯t¡­¡¯ Stolen story; please report. ¡®...'' ¡®Entry OIXXC: We have been chasing after the fleeing ship for days now, the crew¡­¡¯ ¡®...how could this be? All data indicates that they are ¡­ ¨N? ¦® ¡­ | ? ? T ¡É¡­¡¯ ¡®...we have to get back and notify the command center¡­¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ ¡®...they lied to all of us! This changes everything! - End of entry OICXC¡¯ Minutes ticked by with Robin only sitting there in his chair and staring holes into the floor, while his mind was flooded with foreign memories. ¡®Shit, what the fuck was that?¡¯ he came back to his senses after the pain tuned down a little bit. Looking for the syringes with Mind Refresh, he stumbled over to the table and used one of them. After sitting back down, he began to analyze what had happened as the stim began to do its work. Carefully he focused on his mind after the raging storm had left. At first Robin didn''t feel anything unusual. Gone was the flickering of alien information and peace returned in his head. He tried to remember what he had heard but couldn¡¯t piece together any straight memory. ¡®Something of¡­a ship? ...and some report?¡¯ Robin tried and failed to hold the last lingering thoughts together. ¡®Well, that sucked. Felt like someone tried to fuck my Neuro-Chip, ignoring all protocols and¡­¡¯, his eyes went wide again, ¡®...overload it with a shitton of data! Fuck!¡¯ In his attempt to reconstruct the situation, he poked his Neuro-Chip with his mind. While he could not visualize its stored data without the Interface, his brain still could tap into it and get a general idea of the contents. And it was telling him that the chip was completely filled with some foreign data, replacing all his personal files, the documents from flight school and everything else he had stored before. ¡®What is all this new¡­¡¯ he stopped, just before activating his Interface. Thinking about his situation, Robin remembered all the sensors and cameras monitoring him. ¡®That¡¯ll already be difficult to explain as it is, if I start my Interface now, I¡¯ll hear no end of it later¡­¡¯ he thought, ¡®Better I think of a plausible excuse for the stunt I did earlier. I definitely don¡¯t want them to rummage through my head¡­and who knows what they would find on my Neuro-Chip!¡¯ Picking up the mind-slaying pyramid, he eyed it for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll give it another try after the drugs take effect and my head stops pulsing¡± he said out loud, placing the artifact back on the table. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll probably just go with a ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve suddenly got such a headache from overexertion, I even blanked out for some time!¡± - hopefully they buy it.¡¯ *** Twenty minutes later, Robin continued his research with the remaining objects. He was a bit fearful of activating his skill at first, but no more non-consensual data intrusions did happen. The pyramid he had dropped before, was now as dead as all the others. As he continued with the energy sensing, he suddenly got a better feel for the strange behavior within the objects. ¡®It¡¯s as I thought, there is something there in the darkness. It was just too faint for me to get a grasp on it before. There definitely are lines filled with remnant energy in the devices, pretty complex structures at that. Somehow the image in my mind is not filled with the bright blue lines normally representing the flow of energy, but with black ones. Why would that be? Is this a different kind of energy than what we are using today?¡¯ Not coming to a conclusion at the moment, Robin put down the artifact in his hand. Surprised, he noticed that it was the last one. ¡®Huh... I could do at least three more. My head still feels quite good. Did I become more used to my mutation or did my mind gain some resilience?¡¯ Chapter 10 - Warnings And Errors Robin''s questions had to wait. He would have enough time to analyze his Neuro-Chip and eventual changes to his mutation later, once he was back at home. In order not to appear too suspicious, Robin grabbed his head again, stumbled over to the table and took the last stim. After a few moments, he called for the staff and thought over his strategy again. ¡°Mr. Tulward, you¡¯ve worked hard. Thank you very much! While not expecting anything, I really hope you¡¯ve found something.¡± Katlina Hutton began, as she entered the laboratory. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°The constant use of my mutation was quite the strain. Halfway through, it nearly knocked me out, because I took the stim too late - really don¡¯t wanna experience that again.¡± he started with his little story, ¡°But at least I¡¯ve gained some insights that may be helpful.¡± ¡°Ah yes, overusing one''s abilities can have severe side effects. You shouldn¡¯t have rushed this. Take a good rest over the coming days.¡±, she easily accepted his excuse, ¡°But before that, can you please give me a roundup and explain what you¡¯ve learned?¡± ¡°Sure, while I don¡¯t have anything specific, I think my report will be valuable for your further studies.¡± Robin explained seriously and handed her the datapad with his findings. The censored version of what he had experienced, of course. ¡°From the start on, something felt different. It took me some time to realize what was throwing off my senses." he followed along, almost with the truth. ¡°I think you are right to assume that the devices are dead. But I have to disagree with the data generated by the analysis of your machines. I¡¯m not an expert and never experienced something like this, but I¡¯m pretty sure that there is some very little remnant energy left inside all the artifacts. Just not the kind of energy we are using¡­like, how should I phrase that...some other type of energy, maybe? Normally my senses are painting a picture in my head, highlighting the flow of power with blue lines. Here I saw nothing, but it felt like there were black lines all over in the darkness. It¡¯s a little bit hard to explain how my mind processes the information coming from my mutation. Ultimately the energy was too faint to get anything better, that''s why I do agree with the thesis, that the artifacts are long dead.¡± Robin finished, trying to sound professional. ¡°My report contains further details, I hope my work here was adequate for your standards, Mrs. Hutton.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, definitely! Those are some exciting new findings. I don¡¯t know what we can make out of it, but it¡¯ll give the teams at the headquarters some new directions.¡± she exclaimed happily, but Robin didn¡¯t miss, that she passed over his theory about a different kind of energy without a single word. ¡®Yeah, not my problem anymore. My story was pretty close to the truth, without giving them any reason to open up my head. I should get my money and be on the way.¡¯ ¡°Great! Good to hear that my analysis can make an impact. Now I should follow your advice and get home to rest. If I hurry up, I¡¯ll be able to catch the next train.¡± "Of course, my assistant will clear your contract and take you to the staff exit, because the museum is already closed.¡± she said and tapped her tablet a few times. ¡°I hope you will come to visit us again, Mr. Tulward. We will have an exhibition about old Earth technologies in a few months!¡± ¡°Sure, as long as it isn''t just plants again, count me in!¡± He shook her hand and left with the already waiting Mohait. *** Finally back in the train and on his way home, Robin let go of the constant tension and took some deep breaths. That day was really tiring, looking through all the Wuranger bio-technologies and endlessly using his energy senses with the pyramids even after that. Pumping himself full of stims was probably also not a good long-term solution. His brain didn¡¯t feel the strain anymore, but he sure as hell needed a good night¡¯s sleep. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Having a long trip home ahead of him, it was finally time to take a look at his Neuro-Chip. ¡°Now lets see, what''s going on here¡­¡± he mumbled and activated his Interface. A few notifications popped up first and informed him of new transactions on his bank account:
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Assignment with Hestor Ragweed completed
Value: + 300 cr
Tax: - 60 cr
New Balance: 13.751 cr
[*** INFO ***]
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Assignment with Museum ¡°Rucasur History and Art¡± completed
Value: + 800 cr
Tax: - 160 cr
New Balance: 14.391 cr
[*** INFO ***]
¡®Quite the haul for a day. No reason to complain to Jim anymore.¡¯ Robin happily read about his income, feeling a little more appeased. Pushing the notifications aside, he accessed the Neuro-Chip and instantly got some new messages. And he wanted to be damned, those clearly weren¡¯t another reason to be happy:
[*** WARNING ***]
1 System breach detected;
2 Unauthorized access cannot be prevented;
3 You are under risk of data corruption;
4 You are under risk of data loss;
[*** WARNING ***]
[*** ERROR ***]
1 Stack overflow detected;
2 Failure of Neuro-Chip control service;;
3 Service restart initiated;
[*** ERROR ***]
[*** WARNING ***]
1 Scan results indicate a total loss of data;
2 Scan detected new data;
3 Neuro-Chip memory at 100%;
4 No storage capacity left;
[*** WARNING ***]
[*** INFO ***]
You have stored an unknown data type on your Neuro-Chip.
The automatic analysis provided enough information for an adaptation of the viewer. Simplified data visualization now accessible, for better renderings please contact support.
[*** INFO ***]
¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot to take!¡± Robin moaned, reading all the yellow and red flashing pop-ups. His first impression was correct, his private data was all gone. For most of the lost data he had some backups at home, but even so, seeing all those warnings and errors, it was obvious that some serious shit was going on. He closed the notifications and opened the viewer application, wanting to see what all this mess had led to. What the Interface showed him was some kind of text-art visualization, using different characters to create an interactive image. The tool only provided some basic level of control, like zoom and moving the focus point. At first Robin couldn¡¯t make anything out of it. He was not used to this almost ancient type of visualization and all he could see felt like absolute chaos, as if someone had just randomly shuffled a few thousand characters and signs together. But as he began to zoom out, he finally realized what he was looking at. ''That''s a map!¡¯ he stated incredulously, ¡®But why would a map use up so much memory?¡¯ He kept zooming and zooming, until it suddenly hit him. That wasn''t just some map of a region, that¡¯s a map of a whole damn solar system, packed with markers for points-of-interests all over the depicted planets and moons! Chapter 11 - Deciphering The Map Robin continued to play around with the map, which was forcefully uploaded to his Neuro-Chip, until the train''s speakers announced the arrival at Nexus Haven South. Hopping off the train, he walked straight home, along the streets that were already filled with people again. Wondering if he was the only one in Nexus Haven, the residential district, that was happy to welcome the weekend, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Only a few hours after lunchtime did he crawl out of his bed. The combination of overusing his ability and the accident with the artifact really took a toll on him. ¡®The map! Right¡­¡¯ he remembered the fucked-up excuse of a map on his Neuro-Chip. Putting his trusty food-generator to work, he thought about his options. ¡®Okay, so handing the data on my chip over to authority is off the table, after leaving the museum without mentioning anything about it. They would probably sue me for breaking the contract, right before opening my head to see if there was more to find.¡¯ Nipping on his hot coffee, he went on with his thoughts ¡®Selling it, without knowing what it¡¯s worth, would also be a bad idea. Not to mention that trading with some shady black market dealer has a high chance of me getting a ticket to some back-alley trash recycler to be never seen again.¡¯ He shuddered, thinking of the news about such instances one could read every now and then. ¡®Well, that leaves me with the option to use the map myself. If it could guide me to some nice treasure or technology of the old races, that would be neat!¡¯ he began to daydream, ¡®But the problems here are manifold¡­to begin with, I don¡¯t even recognize the system the map shows. All names and descriptions are just cryptic characters jumbled together. The same applies to its markers and the legend. How would I know what the different pins are representing? Could be anything from a secret weapon factory to a fucking shithouse in the middle of nowhere.¡¯ ¡°Right, this thing comes from a Wuranger relic site on Ruca I! So, it must be really old¡­and really outdated.¡± Robin realized. ¡°But that also gives me a small lead, if I¡¯m not totally unlucky, the map should be representing a solar system in the Wuranger territory, or one of the neighboring systems. Shouldn''t be too many¡­¡± An hour of online history-research later, he turned off his Interface. ¡°Burn in plasma! 49 fucking systems? Damn¡­¡± he angrily exclaimed. Normally 49 systems in the scale of a galaxy would be a drop in the ocean: Rucasur with its three moons was orbiting Mereus, the central star of the Mereus Cluster. Together with four other planets and their moons, they represented one solar system. The Mereus Cluster was one of thousands of solar systems in his galaxy, the Pranum Expanse. So, while 49 systems under control of the Wuranger didn¡¯t sound too impressive, one needed to know that of the uncountable systems out there, only a very small fraction were actually accessible, even less if one is looking for inhabitable systems. The great majority of solar systems were already dead or too dangerous to travel through, often due to stars being too hot, magnetic storms raging about or spatial rifts caused by black holes that were devastating whole clusters of solar systems. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Robin calmed down a bit and pondered about his next steps. There were 49 systems spread over three galaxies. While the distances and locations of the map may be outdated, he should be able to reduce the potential matches by comparing the number of planets and moons around the star. That shouldn¡¯t be something that easily changed over the years. ¡°Five planets, 11 moons. Factoring in the combination of planets and moons¡­¡± Turning the Interface back on, Robin started another lengthy research. The sun was already setting when Robin finished his studies. "The UAS really should reorganize the database, this shouldn¡¯t have taken me this long. How can a filter option be such a mess?" ¡°Hess, time?¡± He wearily asked his home system. ¡°It¡¯s Saturday the 3rd of the second month, 18:14¡± The trusty companion responded. ¡®Yeah, shit, the weekend is halfway over already¡¯ Robin whined. At least his work paid off, as he could boil the number of possible systems down to two. One of them being the Mereus Cluster itself. ¡®It¡¯s not that big of a coincidence, considering that it was found here. Hopefully I can confirm that it¡¯s the Mereus Cluster itself or else traveling will be a fucking hassle¡¯. Robin planned for the next day to finally finish up the last configurations for the Melody II and get her flightready. After that, his idea was to travel around the planet and visit some of the points marked on the map. He had too few references to be sure where to go, but if Rucasur was really one of the planets the map described, he should be able to find some regions that weren¡¯t totally dug over and match them with noticeable terrain markings. After mankind found Rucasur as an inhabitable planet with an atmosphere for good living conditions, it was soon stripped of all its valuable materials and resources. Today, most of the planet''s surface is occupied with big cities and endless greenhouse-installations. There also were big production- and recycling facilities, water purification plants and corresponding reservoirs. If he would ask anyone for a map, he would only ever get something like a street map, with some additional information on the train networks. That¡¯s normally all you need to get an accurate representation of Rucasur. Robin hoped to find some natural formations that survived the passage of time and the rampage of mankind. If he could match them with the ancient map, he had a reference point to start from. On a platform that provided pictures taken from Rucasur¡¯s orbit, he had found some promising places he wanted to visit and felt quite optimistic. *** Arriving at Jim¡¯s workshop the next day, Robin immediately started to prepare his little ship. He made a connection to his datapad and booted the systems. With a loud buzzing the plasma repulsor woke up and sent strong, compressed energy waves to the vents sticking out of the bottom of the ship. Like with the CTV, the outlets were used for hovering and steering the ship, only to a much more delicate degree, as Melody II had eight of them, instead of only four. The similarities ended there. The two big thrusters at the back were already glowing with excess power, only waiting to shoot the ship forwards! The winglets were for supporting the atmospheric flight and will provide lift if enough speed is gained. Robin took a look at the incoming data on his pad and inspected the engine more closely. The plasma repulsor was a little oversized for his ship, but still manageable for the chassis¡­probably. Where the CTV¡¯s engine was powered by a battery pack, Melody¡¯s repulsor got its energy from an incorporated hydrogen fusion reactor. While this tech was already quite old and inefficient by today''s standards, it¡¯s pretty safe to use, not susceptible to failure and fuel is cheap and abundant. Looking at the ship he spent three years and lots of sweat and blood on, hovering in the air before him, Robin felt pride seeping into his bones. ¡°Just a few more checks and calibrations and I will take you out for a ride!¡± He said in anticipation. Focusing his concentration back on the engine, he began with a thorough checkup with his energy senses. When he tapped into his mutation for the first time after finishing the job at the museum, Robin immediately could feel that something was different. Chapter 12 - Mutations And Ranks The moment Robin began to feel for the energy generated by the reactor, he was surprised by the ease with which he could use his senses to create the image in his mind. Blue lines started to appear before his inner eye, faster than ever, without the usual need for extreme concentration and much clearer than anything he sensed before. ¡®It doesn''t only feel more natural to use, the time I need to create an image in my mind has probably been reduced by half!¡¯ he marveled at this unexpected change. Admiring the many new details he could feel through his obviously heightened senses, he watched as the bright blue representation of the reactor was completed and his senses continued to send feedback, enlarging the area of inspection further on. Soon he also felt the structure of the repulsor in his mind. Then, more power lines grew out, four going towards the ship''s back to the vents and another two connected to the big thrusters which were also slowly sketched out. Only the four lines that wriggled towards the front of the ship disappeared into the darkness that indicated the end of his range. Robin was absolutely speechless. Normally he would focus his senses on a specific point and in his mind an image would appear, showing him the energy structure roughly half a meter in every direction. Now? That range grew massively to a 2-3m radius, coupled with the higher quality of the picture and reduced strain on his mind, his mutation got a crazy upgrade. Disbelieving, he watched his hands. Did his mutation evolve? Was he Class D now? How did that happen? His thoughts were running wild with unanswered questions. Calming down, he reflected on what he knew about the improved version of his mutation. ¡®No, the descriptions of Class D - Energy Senses are different from this. It¡¯s said that with Class D you can send out an echo-like pulse for a few meters around you and get the image instantly imprinted in your mind - I definitely cannot do that. The strain on the mind should also be pretty high and if a Class D tried to sense something the way I just did, it wouldn¡¯t work much different from my Minor Energy Senses, only their quality should be as improved as mine are now. But I¡¯ve never heard of anyone with such a sensor-range or -speed.¡¯ Not knowing what he should make out of this surprising evolution, he experimented for some time. A lot more tests and online-research later, he came to the conclusion that his upgrade unfortunately didn¡¯t lift him to Class D - Energy Senses. He now got a much clearer picture with more details from his senses, probably comparable to Class D. But he couldn¡¯t send out a pulse nor sense energy just by touching stuff, which apparently also was a thing for Class D. The strain on his mind was reduced and his range, the size of the image so to say, grew to an unheard level. Stolen story; please report. All in all, he had no idea how his mutation would be classified by now. After mankind achieved a breakthrough in gene-technology, almost all humans gained a G-Anomaly, or simply called mutation. Mutations were categorized in Classes, ranked from the lowest Class D, to the highest Class S. There were hundreds of known G-Anomalies out there and every now and then, a new one appeared. The low-ranked mutations like his were the great majority and just gave minor effects like energy sensing, better hearing, optimized eyesight and so on. The top G-Anomalies became increasingly rare and often had powerful or especially useful effects, sometimes even coming with visible changes to the body. Robin knew about a woman with Class A - High-Speed Movement, she had to wear a special protection suit to take her running speed to the limit. Such crazy mutations often appeared with additional complements, like in this case better reflexes and optimized digestion to support the main power. After a deal with the Ommih, humans also got the means to upgrade some of their G-Anomalies, which shifted the rarity scalar a bit. Mainly body enhancements, like Patience¡¯s Enhanced Strength or the Class D Strengthened Muscles, were on the upgradeable list, enabling those to advance one rank. For Robins Minor Energy Senses definitely wasn¡¯t an upgrade available and no comparable mutation came to his mind. So, until he gets a science-guy to take new measurements for his G-Anomaly, he will have to remain clueless about what had happened to him. Forcing himself to postpone any more experiments with his mutation, Robin finally shifted his focus back to the still waiting ship. Caressing the black metal with loving hands, he activated the calibration process and watched, as the control unit made the repulsor send plasma waves of varying strength to the different outlets and the thrusters. Having to adjust only some thresholds here and there, most of the program ran on its own. Twenty minutes later, Robin got the system''s report and double checked the numbers again. His last step was a final scan of all parts with his energy senses, while the plasma repulsor put them under moderate pressure. ¡°Everything seems fine! We are good to go, my love!¡± he happily exclaimed, took the ship out of maintenance mode and disconnected the datapad. He then climbed into the cockpit and took a look around. It had two sport seats behind each other, the copilot¡¯s one in the back slightly elevated to provide a better view. The Melody II was controlled by the pilot in the front, with two joysticks and a throttle controller. A configuration normally only rarely used for a selected few racing ships, but Robin liked the set-up way more than the more common yoke-throttle-combinations. After he got his piloting license for atmospheric flights, he had to visit an extra class to be allowed to fly ships with dual-sticks. Since then, he occasionally trained in a simulator to not come out of practice. The maiden flight of Melody II will although be his first own flight in a real ship since he got his license six years ago. ¡®Well, the first time except for the thing with Melody I, of course¡­¡¯ Robin remembered. Not thinking about that dark day any longer, he reluctantly turned off all systems again and stepped out of the cockpit. With his datapad he accessed the Ship Admission Office to get the registration for a custom-built ship done. He submitted the ship''s specifications together with the just finalized reports and authorized the management fee. ¡®400 credits just to get them to work, doing their damn job¡­¡¯ Robin grieved over the spent money and called it a day. Chapter 13 - Ready For Take-Off The next day, Robin felt elated. The breakfast tasted better than ever and after reaching Jim''s workshop the evil door opened on its own accord. This promised to be a great day. ¡°Hey Mate, I¡¯ve got a message from the Privateers. They heard from their client, Mr. Ragweed, that he had a nice day at the museum with a technocrafter from our workshop. That¡¯ll get us in their good books, thanks a lot!¡± Jim welcomed him heartily. ¡°Yeah, lots of dead plants as expected. But the dude was quite okay and I got a little extra assignment from the museum. Wasn¡¯t a total waste of time.¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°Good to hear, but I still owe you one.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll add it to all the other favors in the books¡±, not caring too much, Robin brushed over the empty promise. ¡°Ahm, well, anyway - I¡¯ve seen, the workshop has requested registration of a custom ship? Is the little girl finally ready?¡± Jim happily changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯ve finished all the calibrations and double checked her systems. Looks good. I hope to get the papers in the next few days, maybe even today - I have a good feeling!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a really good feeling last time, too?¡± Jim asked cautiously. ¡°Hmhmm, fuck you!¡± Not entertaining his quips any longer, Robin turned to leave for the office, to check in and get his jobs for the day. Coming face to face with Patience, who stood directly behind him, he nearly stumbled. ¡°Hey Patience, how was the¡­w-w-Wow!¡± He took a step back to get out of her private space and take a better look. She had black and blue bruises all over again and looked like someone beat the shit out of her¡­ twice, at least! ¡°Weekend was great!¡± She beamed him a smile. ¡°Okay¡­so I should go and see the other one?¡± Robin carefully asked with a forced smile, while he heard Jim shuffling off, leaving him on his own. ¡®Traitor!¡¯ ¡°Definitely! I¡¯ve reached the third round, kicking four blokes out and finally got the attention of some good studios. Hopefully I¡¯ll get some proper training from now on!¡± Patience explained. ¡°Oh ok. That¡¯s¡­ actually pretty cool! Congratulations, I¡¯m happy for you.¡± Robin knew that she was looking for such an opportunity for a long time. After her strength got enhanced on her 18th birthday, she began to take her casual back-alley brawling more seriously and started to train in a run-down studio in Rust Hollow Quarters. While it was the poorest district, it still had some governmental funded institutions for those that were looking for an opportunity to change their lives. Seems like Patience now got her chance and was scouted by one of the private studios looking for talents. ¡°Thanks, Rob. So, what were you guys talking about? You think that you¡¯ve tinkered enough with the scraps over there to get them flying?¡± ¡°Yeah, registration is pending. Hopefully I can take her out for a ride later in the week.¡± Robin proudly confirmed. ¡°Nice, can I come?¡± She asked, surprising him. ¡°Well, I actually wanted to check out Sekas outskirts and maybe visit some old relic sites, if there are any left. So, I wouldn¡¯t be on the road for just an afternoon but will have to try out some of the private inns.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m not welcome?¡± She lifted her brow, looking sharply at him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No, not at all. I mean, yeah sure! If you wanna get out of here for a few days, I would be happy to bring company!¡± Robin and Patience weren¡¯t exactly friends, but they got along well and often had a great time in the workshop bickering. Also, it wasn¡¯t like Robin had lots of friends in the first place, if any at all. Beth, the girl from the local grocery store probably didn¡¯t count and while he often hung out with Timothy, it was only online when they met for gaming or flying in the simulator. He wasn¡¯t even living on Rucasur, but was part of some science team stationed on Ruca I. Robin loved his little technical projects and tinkered with every interesting machine he found, but social interactions weren¡¯t his forte. Working or talking with people was always a hassle: you had to be careful not to touch on sensitive topics - and before that, you should be able to guess those sensible topics. Ultimately, everyone had his own agenda. Not that Robin was different in this aspect. He, too, had his own goals to follow and used others to get what he needed. It¡¯s just that technical things were so much easier to understand. There was only right or wrong and if something didn''t work as expected, you could put your mind into it and figure it out, repair it and get it back in top shape. No complicated feelings, no hidden agendas, just plain and simple numbers and facts. Pulling away from these thoughts, he concentrated back on the topic at hand, just to hear Patience chatter on. ¡°I¡¯ll be free for the weekend as the talks with the new studio will need some time, so count me in. But don¡¯t get your hopes up, buddy, I¡¯ll get my own room!¡± Leaving, he threw her the finger, not even giving an answer. But Patience was sure she saw him smiling and grinned happily as she started to work on today''s job list. *** The week flew by and before long, Robin got the papers concluding the official registration of the Melody II. Haggling with Jim for a bit, Robin and Patience could cut a day off out of him and began to prepare for the trip. When the fifth day arrived, Robin had studied the map excessively and made a plan for the tour based on the aerial photos he found. Arriving at the workshop, he saw Patience already waiting near the ship. She wore a practical outfit, with blue jeans and a green shirt. Her belt had a few little pouches attached and to her side stood a black backpack. She was obviously traveling light. ¡°Huh, is the rest of your baggage coming later or is that all?¡± He asked her, grinning. ¡°What? Did you expect me to bring some extra shoes and my whole wardrobe?¡± she challenged him. Putting down his own, bulging backpack, he just shrugged and walked over to the ship. Opening the canopy from the cockpit, he hopped in and turned the systems on. A few moments later, a hatch opened behind him in the chassis, revealing the cargo area. ¡°Would you please pack up our stuff? I¡¯ll just get some tools and we are good to go.¡± Robin asked her and got back out. From the many drawers and boxes, he began to collect different tools. As this was his first time exploring ancient structures, he had no idea what he would need. Soon he held a big box filled to the brim with stuff like a blowtorch, different screwdrivers and even goggles with thermal vision. Seeing that Patience waited by the open hatch, he handed her the box and got back in the pilot seat. After his new co-pilot took her seat, he closed the canopy and began with the pre-flight checks. ¡°Reactor¡­looks stable, check.¡± ¡°Repulsor¡­100% reaction, check.¡± ¡°Valves¡­flow is constant, check.¡± ¡°Fuel¡­at 95%, that''s enough, check.¡± ¡°Steering feedback¡­yup, check.¡± ¡­ Slowly working through his personally created checklist, he made sure to be extra thorough on this first flight. Patience didn¡¯t interrupt him, but he felt how she was about to fail her namesake once again. ¡°Ok, I think we are good to go!¡± Robin finished the preparations before her short fuse was lit, ¡°Better to be diligent on the maiden flight! We don¡¯t want to get some nasty surprises coming up just after taking off, right?¡± ¡°Aha, just get us out of here or the weekend is over before we go anywhere.¡± Patience conceded, while Robin began to rotate the ship and hover it slowly out of the workshop. As they were gliding through a big gate in the back of the building, she remembered something. ¡°Rob, I was just wondering, why is this ship called Melody II? Is there a Melody I out somewhere?¡± ¡°There was, yes. Her first flight had some of these nasty surprises I was talking about.¡± Seeing her face going pale, he laughed ¡°No worries, this time I really do have a good feeling!¡± Not giving her time for second guesses, Robin pushed the left stick forward and the ship shot out, its thrusters roaring loudly. Chapter 14 - The World From Above This was awesome, the absolute pinnacle of freedom! Robin was elated as they flew in the skies above Seka and looked down. The city with its huge skyscrapers and long streets was rushing by below them. It wasn''t that they were speeding along very fast - there were rules and regulations for flight control - but not to be bound by the fixed tracks of public transportation or even any roads at all, felt great. His whole life Robin looked to the stars, marveling what wonders they may hide. When he grew up and learned the history of humanity and read about the legends of the Starborn, the stars became more and more what he ultimately desired. After awakening his G-Anomaly he worked hard to get a job that will one day get him on one of the big interplanetary ships of the UAS. Unfortunately, the early death of his father shuffled his well thought plans around a bit and he ended up at Jim¡¯s workshop. He never thought this to be his final destination, but just the beginning of him climbing the ladder through the ranks. Today, he finally began that journey. Today, he finally began to write his own story. Tearing his eyes away from the ground, he rolled the ship to realign it with the horizon. He only had to pay a little bit of his attention to the ships systems and the route they took. Over Seka there were strict regulations for individual flights to ensure order and safety. After taking off, they reported their travel directions and Flight Control assigned them a corridor. This corridor was just a long, reserved area in the sky, leading out of the city towards the south. The ship''s systems visualized the corridor on one of its displays and an angry beeping informed him, when he was leaving its boundaries. It would be really great to get an upgrade for his Interface. There were models for pilots that could project data like the visualization of the corridor, speed, rotation and other things directly in his field of view. Augmented Reality, an old technology, but one mankind still held on to, even though there were much better alternatives like implants that directly send information into the brain. Robin didn¡¯t really understand the reasons, but it was something about the risks of using too much alien tech in critical functions. Apparently putting implants in one''s head, that could fuck with your mind to a much greater degree than the Interface and Neuro-Chip would ever be able to, counted as such. Behind him in the copilot''s seat sat Patience, also looking out and marveling at the wonderful view of the endless sky and passing city. She didn¡¯t even know why she asked Robin to bring her with him, it just suddenly overcame her and she went with it. During the week, having some time to think about it, she began to form second guesses. Was this really a good idea? She had never once left Seka before and while the outskirts weren¡¯t a lawless area, they still were anything but safe to travel. Now, sitting in this - if she had to be honest - quite nice ship, flying through the skies, she was really happy that she didn¡¯t chicken out. It was great to leave everything behind and just follow one''s own ideas and desires for once. Tapping Robin''s shoulder to get his attention, she mumbled ¡°Thanks man, I really mean it. Thank you very much. This is¡­something special.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, I¡¯m happy to have some company on this trip. Let''s have a crazy weekend, ok?¡± he responded honestly. ¡°We¡¯ll be flying through this corridor for roughly two more hours, before we¡¯re reaching the outer areas of Seka and can switch to an individual route. I plan to visit an area today that looked interesting in some photos and turn back to the edge of the city to find an inn for the night. Tomorrow we can move to some spots that should hold old relic sites. I found them in online reports, but over the years many structures were just destroyed to make room for greenhouses or production plants. So, no promises that there is anything left.¡± "That''s fine with me. I just want to get away from everything for a few days, relaxing and taking a look around. I don¡¯t have any specific places I wanna visit.¡± ¡°Ok, but let me know if you spot something you want to see. We do have enough time for explorations.¡± Robin invited her and put his concentration back on the ship''s systems. To ensure that everything was doing well, he started a complete system-check every 15 minutes and even observed the critical components with his mutation every now and then. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Seems like Melody II wasn¡¯t going to follow the steps of her predecessor. She was doing great and Robin was already looking forward to putting the ship under a little bit of strain. He really wanted to see the limits of his creation! After the initial excitement died down and the two travelers got used to the sight of the endless city, they both started to look forward to leaving the flight corridor. When the moment finally came and Flight Control checked them out, the tension came back. Robin took a deep breath and pushed the throttle up all the way to raise the speed limiter. Pushing the left joystick forward Melody II reacted immediately. The two oversized thrusters screamed, catapulting the ship forward in a flash. Robin and Patience nearly blacked out, before Robin managed to react and reduce the acceleration. ¡°Oops¡­¡± he chuckled, after he regained control over the ship. ¡°OOPS???? Fuck you, crazy lunatic.¡± Patience screamed, not one bit of patience left, ¡°If you want to get yourself killed, do it when you are alone!¡± ¡°Yeah sorry, I still need to get a better feel for the ship''s and our limits.¡± Robin explained ¡°I¡¯ll have to do a few cycles of acceleration and braking, bear with it for a moment.¡± Letting the insults from behind fade out, Robin began to earnestly test the ship''s behavior. After a few very uncomfortable rounds of raising and lowering the speed, he got the hang of it. Patience also quieted down, as she was well aware that this was necessary. The flight became much more enjoyable afterwards. Robin often changed the altitude and rolled the ship to the left or right to give them a better view. Soon, the huge buildings made way for enormous halls with glass-roofs. Flying slowly over them, they could see hundreds of green lines full of vegetables and robots buzzing around between the rows. The backbone of Seka. Here grew the food for millions of citizens of Rucasur and even for the ones on the moons. There were also breeding stations to ensure the supply of meat, but those were built on the other side of the city. With the sharp increase of their speed, the ship soon entered the area where he hoped to find two big mountains. With the pictures from above he couldn¡¯t confirm their existence, he only made out two deep black, rocky spots and hoped that those were the mountains. Only minutes later, Robin got excited. They flew over the last greenhouse and a great plain opened up before them. From their heightened position they could see two deep craters in the ground, each spanning nearly three kilometers wide. It did look like someone with a really big spoon took a scoop out of the ground twice. ¡°Wow, impressive! This must be one of the excavation sites from the early days of Rucasur!¡± Patience exclaimed after she spotted the holes. ¡°How did you get to know of this?¡± ¡°I was looking for interesting landmarks and hoped to find two mountains here¡± He explained. ¡°Well, those probably once were mountains, it¡¯s just that we completely mined them down to the last rock. You wanna land there?¡± ¡°I think the same, but no, let''s move on. If we identified them correctly, then there should be a third one a short way to the east. There we can take a break and have a picnic lunch.¡± Robin explained, suppressing the growing hope in him. The ancient map had a few markers that should be representing mountains. From his assumption that the map was for this system, he singled out the planet that would be Rucasur and scanned for recognizable matches with the photos he had. This trio of mountains would be perfect. Two nearly together, one slightly to the east. If they were able to find the third one, then he finally had not only certainty of the map''s content, but also a reference point and relation for distance to work with. Twenty minutes later the Melody II flew a circle over another deep bowl-shaped crater in the ground. It wasn¡¯t as black as the other two and looked just like the earth around it, which explained why he couldn¡¯t make it out on the aerial photos. Stopping the ship, he initialized the hover mode first and landed shortly after. He opened the hatch to let Patience take out the stuff needed for the picnic and got out of the ship. Robin simply sat on the rocky ground and opened the Interface to access the map. He also took out a little notepad and began to write down his findings with coordinates, distances and even started a new legend, with his first entry being the symbol now confirmed to represent mountains.
[*** Map Legend ***]
¦¤ Mountain
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
¡®I¡¯ve got it¡­I really made it!¡¯ Robin rejoiced and scrolled further to the east on his map, stopping at two different markers he couldn¡¯t identify. ¡®Now it¡¯s time to find out what the meaning of these symbols are!¡¯ Chapter 15 - One Day I’ll See Them Myself In the middle of nowhere, far away from most civilized areas, Robin and Patience sat on a big blanket at the bottom of a huge crater. The rocky ground was littered with big and small stones and rose circular until it reached the top of the hole, blending neatly into the surrounding gravel. The two travelers arranged many different delicacies, from vegetables to fruits and bread. There was even some real meat that Patience got from a special store. Behind them stood the sleek, black spaceship that brought them here. Defying its origin as a custom ship made from spare parts of others, it radiated a weird sense of power, freedom and simplicity. It didn¡¯t look cheap or fragile by any means. The Melody II was a creation Robin could be proud of. Not many would be able to craft something of this level. ¡°I don¡¯t know what my expectations for this trip were, but I definitely didn¡¯t see this coming.¡± Patience said, motioning with her arm over the strange scene surrounding them, ¡°I¡¯ve never left Seka before and what you can learn online is nothing compared to the real deal! This is awesome, I feel¡­ free? Do you know what I mean?¡± ¡°I do, yup!¡± Robin confirmed while picking up a round, green fruit and took a bite. "To be honest, neither did I know what to expect. Melody II is a dream I have chased for many years now. It¡¯s my ticket for freedom and my promise to one day be able to travel the stars. There must be more out there, than just¡­this.¡± He motioned at the plain rocky earth. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯m with you: this is great and so, sooo different from all we could ever experience in the confines of the city. But for me, it is just a first step.¡± He took a deep, satisfied breath. The air here was completely different from the refined and cleaned air of Seka. ¡°You said, you¡¯ve done some research online. Then you should know that there are planets out there that are literally green. Big forests with trees and natural oceans with endless amounts of water. Real animals living in these different biotopes. I want to see that, I want to experience that. If the historians are correct, then in the early days of mankind, we were living on exactly such a planet. Our ancestors called Earth The Blue Planet, I cannot even begin to fathom how they must have felt.¡± He poured out his feelings. ¡°Well, in the end, they excavated Earth like we, and every other race out there, are doing it with all resource¨Crich planets. How else could one sustain all the growth the sentient races are chasing?¡± Patience cooled him down a bit. The truth often was unpleasant. ¡°I was at the Wuranger exhibition. Not my style of technology, but they are a successful example of a coexistence with natural wonders. I firmly believe that there are still blue and green planets out in the universe¡­and I swear to the heavens, one day I¡¯ll see them myself!¡± Robin made an oath, more to him than to anyone else, but it was a strong, honest representation of his feelings. *** Finishing their lunch, the duo wandered around in the remains of the mountain for some time before they returned to the ship and packed up. Robin flew Melody II back towards Seka and reached the outskirts just before dawn. They checked in with Flight Control again but didn¡¯t request a new corridor. They just wanted to go to the nearest inn and not fly around anymore. While Robin was piloting the ship, Patience used her Interface to find them a place to stay for the night. ¡°They need an S-sized landing pad at least, most only have XS ones, please remember that!¡± He reminded her, while closing in on the first buildings. ¡°Yeah, I got it¡­ I already got it the first and second time you¡¯ve told me, thanks!¡± Patience replied annoyed, before she finally got a hit. ¡°Ah there is one, 100cr per room and 50cr for the ship, breakfast and refueling not included. Will that do?¡± ¡°The pricing is fine for me, send them a notification that we are on the way and submit Melody''s ID. We need them to register and approve our landing.¡± Half an hour later, Robin and Patience found themselves in a wide open dining hall of The Weary Traveler. They¡¯ve got the only landing spot on the roof and checked in without any problems. Robin did request a refueling he had to pay, but no further maintenance. While inns often were well visited because of the really long distances one could travel within Seka, they seldom received a guest who arrived with their own ship. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Patience shuffled through the big room and talked to the many strangers eating here. She was probably looking for travelers with juicy stories to share. Robin smiled as he watched her hopping from one table to the next one, a childish excitement on her face. After finishing his meal, he closed his eyes and checked the ancient map again. Tomorrow, he wanted to visit at least one of the two markers to see what they could find. The first one was a 2-hour trip away from here and from there, it would take them another hour of flight. Should be doable in one day. Confirming his travel plans, he closed the Interface and walked over to Patience, who apparently had finally found someone who would share his stories in exchange for a beer. ¡°I¡¯ll hit the bed, we will meet up here tomorrow at 09:00, ok?¡± He interrupted the tale for a moment. ¡°Fine, good night!¡± She waved him off, clearly more interested in the story that was told. Robin nodded the old man a goodbye and went to his room. *** Patience was on time the next morning, Robin at least derived that from her mood, when he himself came down 20 minutes late. ¡°Sorry, it seems like my body really needed some time off¡­¡± He tried a weak excuse. ¡°Just hurry up and get your food. I want to get out of here as soon as possible!¡± She hurried him. Robin complied and went to a richly decorated counter with food. ¡°You didn¡¯t start a brawl yesterday, did you?¡± He cautiously asked, picking some fruits and a bit of the steaming hot bread. ¡°What? Why would you ask that out of nowhere?¡± Patience looked at him, contemplating, ¡°Hey, do I look like a brute to you?¡±She hit his head with her knuckles, ¡°I just wanna go outside, because I wanna explore more of the surrounding land before the weekend is over." She explained with gleaming eyes. "You cannot imagine what kind of stories the travelers have to tell. There is so much to discover out there!¡± ¡°Well, while I don¡¯t want to question their credibility, I¡¯m pretty sure that most of their incredible encounters happened in books and movies.¡± ¡°...¡± "Ouch¡­¡± He rubbed his sore head that just got another hit, ¡°I¡¯m on it, ok? Just give me a moment!¡± After Robin wolfed down his breakfast, they went over to the service station and checked out. Robin did a short inquiry of his finances, to be sure there weren¡¯t any extras deducted.
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Ship Admission Office: Registration Melody II
Value: - 400 cr
New Balance: 13.991 cr
[*** INFO ***]
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: The Weary Traveler: 1 Room, 1 Ship, Refueling, Food
Value: - 250 cr
New Balance: 13.741 cr
[*** INFO ***]
Confirming everything was in order, he closed his Interface and together they walked up the stairs to the roof. They stored the baggage, climbed into the ship and were on the way to their first target of today in no time. An hour before noon, they neared the coordinates Robin had calculated for the first marker. ¡°Patience, I don¡¯t know what exactly we are looking for. I only found some vague hints about this location, without much additional information. As I don¡¯t know how old the data is, I can¡¯t promise that there is anything left at all. So just keep your eyes open for anything standing out. I¡¯ll roll the ship a bit, so we have a better view of the ground below.¡± He explained as much as he could. Before he could even begin to look around himself, Patience''s excited shout came from behind. ¡°You mean something like an old ruin? Then that place over there would be our address!¡± she threw a glance at the displays in front of her and added ¡°Uhm, 210¡ã, 850m?¡± The ship flew over a plain, empty area between the otherwise endless greenhouses again. With the directions she gave, he immediately found what grabbed her attention. There was a road coming from the direction of Seka and led directly to an old structure. It was nothing more than ruins and rubble, but it stood out like a sore thumb in this empty vicinity. Robin piloted the Melody near the structure and examined its surroundings. After he was sure that there weren¡¯t any activities, he landed the ship nearby and turned off the engines. He was boiling with excitement. This really looked like one of the alien relic sites and if this was the case, then maybe one of the many markers in his map could guide him to a still undiscovered facility¡­new technologies and lost history were waiting for him to be explored! ¡°Patience, maybe I have to correct myself - let¡¯s begin to write our own story!¡± Chapter 16 - It’s Still Powered? Robin jumped out of the ship, storming to the ruin in front of him. Still not fully able to believe his luck, he began to touch the remains of the old structure. If this really meant what his brain was telling him, then his map was an incredible treasure. Sure, here on Rucasur none of the marked locations will be left undetected, but there are four more planets in the Mereus Cluster in addition to 11 moons, none of those were as much excavated and industrialized as Rucasur. He should be able to find many untouched territories and therefore maybe even still hidden locations that could house long forgotten buildings from alien races. Calming his racing mind, he observed the ruins more closely. There wasn¡¯t much left, not enough to call it a building. A wall here, a pillar there and lots of broken rubble on the floor, spanning over an area of maybe 30 by 50 meters. He turned around to look for Patience and when he saw her also inspecting the ruins, he scrambled over the first wall. Robin wasn¡¯t an expert for alien cultures by any means, but even he could quickly associate the site to one of the prominent ancient races. The mixture of stone and wood-like biomass, as well as the quite noticeable absence of metal pointed clearly in the direction of the Wuranger. The Wuranger sites often were already in ruins when found because the biomass became a weak point in their constructions as soon as the energy supply fell short. Climbing around in the stones for some time, Robin found a good place to sit down and took out his datapad. He wouldn¡¯t find any valuables here, this place was already plundered and stripped clean long before. But that wasn¡¯t why he came here, not today. Robin came to find out the meaning of one more point of interest in his map and such he did. He added a new entry Wuranger Site in his still short legend under the marker for mountains from yesterday.
[*** Map Legend ***]
¦¤ Mountain
? Wuranger Site
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
Closing his eyes and activating his energy senses, he tried to feel for anything noticeable in his surroundings, but as expected, there were no traces of energy left behind. Switching over to his Interface, he studied the map in more detail. The next location they wanted to visit had a different marker, so it shouldn¡¯t be a Wuranger site¡­ maybe some other race or just a new natural landmark? He couldn¡¯t tell and started to look at the three moons of Rucasur. He still didn¡¯t know yet, which one belonged to which entry on the map, but now that he was at least sure they were the correct moons, he would be able to find out after some more research. One of the moons showed multiple markers for the Wuranger relic sites - that would probably be Ruca I. He heard that they found many old structures over there. After skimming a little longer through the cryptic map, Robin closed his Interface and searched for Patience. ¡°Hey, how''s it going? Have you stumbled upon anything interesting?¡± he called, after finding her near some collapsed walls to the side. ¡°Nah, only rubble and junk. Even so, I never stepped in an alien ruin. I think it¡¯s an old Wuranger site, what do you think?¡± ¡°Yeah, I came to the same conclusion. Not much left for exciting exploration and making your own story¡± he teased her, ¡°Shall we look for the other location I heard of? I cannot promise that it¡¯ll be another structure, however. Could also be a natural landmark that was long excavated or destroyed.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°It¡¯s fine, this was something totally new for me and I already had so much fun, even with the ruin in such a dilapidated state.¡± Patience answered and made her way back to the ship. Robin followed her and soon they were back in the skies of Rucasur. *** ¡°We should reach the area in a few minutes. Keep your eyes open!¡± Robin informed Patience of their imminent arrival. They hadn¡¯t seen many more greenhouses for half an hour already and were flying with quite a good speed. Robin realized he had overrated the statement ¡®the whole planet outside of cities is filled with greenhouses, production plants and meat farms¡¯. Sure, there was a nearly uncountable number of them, but the planet was huge and even if they only traveled some small distance in that perspective, it was obvious that a lot of Rucasur was just plain, rocky ground without anything notable. Anyways, that this region wasn¡¯t packed with industrial buildings was a good thing for them. Their chances of finding whatever the marker was pointing to were much higher this way. Slowing down Melody II, Robin didn¡¯t even have to wait for Patience to notify him. He soon spotted a building in the rocky plains. It was made of a dark black metal, gleaming in the sun. It''s trigonal form and the flat roof with little spikes sticking out here and there implied an alien origin. The structure was in a good shape, compared to the Wuranger site they visited before, and only showed few signs of wear and tear. Like before Robin, could make out an old road leading to the facility, indicating that it was already cleared by the government. But then again, he wasn¡¯t here for riches. He was here to get a better idea of the map in his head and this alien relic site was exactly what he needed! ¡°Ohhh, that looks interesting! What is that? Do you think it''s alien? It doesn¡¯t look like a human design¡­and why should anyone build such a big structure out here in the middle of nowhere?¡± Patience instantly fell into her adventure mode, fidgeting impatiently in her seat. ¡°I have no idea. Never seen anything like that. But I have never really dived into alien cultures, so how should I know?¡± Robin smiled at her antics, ¡°There seems to be some kind of door on that wall there. I hope we will be able to open it, I would love to take a look inside!¡± Circling with the ship once, he steered down and landed a few meters to the side of the door. He didn¡¯t show it like Patience, but he was as eager as she was. If this was another alien structure, he had to find out from which race it was! That was his chance to take one step further to unraveling the map. Getting out of the ship, he immediately took his box with the tools from the cargo area and walked over to the door. Touching the cold, black metal he shivered in excitement. ¡®Now this is becoming a proper adventure!¡¯ He grinned and inspected the big, rectangular slab in front of him. He couldn¡¯t make out any kind of visual opening mechanism and saw no scanners for keycards or anything. He knocked on the metal, trying to figure out how massive the construction was. ¡®Okay, no breaking this open with force!¡¯ He recognized by the deep dull thump he heard. Maybe he would get some results with an energy scan. Closing his eyes, Robin focused on the door and started to feel for remnant energies. Behind him, he heard Patience approaching, but didn¡¯t lose concentration and kept on. ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± he yelped in surprise, ¡°This facility is still running with a proper power supply¡­how can that be?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Patience chimed in, ¡°This should really be an ancient structure. The road is proof that it¡¯s already been cleared by the officials and I can¡¯t find any reason why they should leave behind any kind of energy source, especially one that has worked for centuries without maintenance. Such a technology would be a huge breakthrough in our studies¡­¡± Robin continued to sense the energy in the wall. In his mind an image of the network behind the door began to form. Blue lines snaked from one side to another, fewer than one would expect from such a high tech-facility. Some came together on the left side of the door, probably the opening mechanism. He followed the lines and found what he assumed to be the access-panel in the wall. He put his hand in that place, stopped his skill and opened his eyes. Inspecting the cold metal once more, now that he knew where to search, he found an inconspicuous looking tile. ¡°I think I found something, give me a moment.¡± He told Patience and rummaged through his box, taking out a sharp screwdriver. After some trial and error, he found leverage and pushed the tile off the wall. In the hole that came to view was a numeric keypad, a yellow light blinked and it was apparently waiting for someone to enter a passcode. Perching down beside him, Patience scratched her head. ¡°I dunno¡­that looks like an old school, human keypad.¡± Excitement began to gleam in her eyes. ¡°Are we going to break in?¡± Chapter 17 - Unexpected Encounter Robin inspected the keypad and had to agree with her. This was just a pretty normal locking mechanism, a human craftsmanship. Maybe that would explain why he sensed so few power lines in the wall. Had someone just slapped some simple generator to the building to be able to control its basic functions and stuff like the retrofitted access control? ¡°Patience, I like your enthusiasm and while I agree with you and really wanna see what''s inside, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡± He contemplated, ¡°I''m fairly certain someone installed a new generator and upgraded the door to restrict entrance. Our assumption that these alien relic sites are all abandoned, falls short somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s something the guys from the plundering science teams left behind, to be able to come back one day if needed? But I cannot see any vehicles outside and they probably won¡¯t travel here by foot.¡± Patience argued. Seeing his still skeptical face, she continued ¡°Honestly Rob, do you really think someone lives out here? In the middle of nowhere? Come on - this is our adventure, in all great stories the heroes have to take some risks!¡± He saw her pleading with puppy eyes and conceded. ¡°Okay, but remember, we are not heroes and most of these stories have a really bad ending, there''s just no one left to tell the tale!¡± "Awesome, now crack that door, techie!" ¡°Ugh...Give me some space and be quiet for a moment. This may be a bit tricky.¡± He chased Patience away and closed his eyes again to sense the energy in the keypad. Since his little accident in the museum, he could tap into his mutation with much more ease. There was something he always wanted to try, but never found the time before. Waiting for his senses to finish their scan, he slowly opened his eyes but tried to keep his skill active and hold onto the image. As soon as his concentration began to waver, the image flickered and soon his ability stopped. Robin didn¡¯t give up, he could feel that this was the right way. He should be able to do it. Once again, he began to sense the energy in the keypad¡­ and again and again¡­ On his 7th attempt he finally made some progress. He opened his eyes and the image in his mind began to overlap with his vision, highlighting the cables he saw around the keypad with the familiar blue glow. ¡°Awesome!¡± he exclaimed and his concentration slipped, canceling the skill. It was like augmented reality, only that it was directly added to his view without any tools or transparent displays. ¡°Patience, I''m trying something new here. I¡¯m on the right track, but I¡¯ll need more time. Would you fetch our lunch?¡± ¡°Sure, take your time little hacker!¡± She laughed and went over to the ship. The two wannabe safecrackers took their time and Robin often switched between eating and trying to use his mutation to not just visualize the energy in his mind, but to enhance his actual vision. Eventually he succeeded and could see all the cables and innards of the keypad glowing with a light blue hue. It was a terrific sight. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®This is crazy, I¡¯m absolutely certain, that this shouldn¡¯t be possible for any Class E or Class D - Energy Senses. I¡¯ll have to ask Jim to get me connected with one of the techno-medics that dabble in mutations and is not on the payroll of the government. I can¡¯t have them ask too many questions, if the results of my mutation¡¯s analysis are¡­questionable.¡¯ Robin put these plans in the back of his head and carefully began his work on the datapad. He tapped some random numbers and watched how the flow of energy changed, when the red light informed him that he used the wrong code. He had to do this a few times and really hoped that there wasn¡¯t some auto-lock mechanism after too many failed tries. When he was sure which cable was responsible for what, he grabbed the screwdriver again and prepared to hot-wire the keypad. ¡°We are lucky that it is just some standard module and not something for security purposes. I should be able to circumvent the pad now. Ready?¡± He asked Patience. ¡°Been waiting for an hour, just do it so at least something happens!¡± She came over, clearly bored and with nothing of her adventurous feelings left. Pushing the screwdriver in, he connected one of the cables with a pin at the side of the pad and watched as a blue pulse of energy moved through his vision towards the opening mechanism. Moments later, with a low hiss, the slab moved in a bit and slid to the side, vanishing in the wall. ¡°Huh!¡± Robin stood there, slightly muddleheaded and stopped his ability. Even with his more resilient mind, the constant usage began to take its toll and his head began to throb. Patting his shoulders, Patience passed him and moved into the building. ¡°Good job, Rob! You look like you¡¯re more surprised than me that it really worked.¡± She laughed, vanishing in the dimly lit corridor. Following her, Robin observed his surroundings. The walls were made from the same black metal as the rest of the complex and the ceiling was decorated with cheap but modern lights. Another hint towards a repurposing by humans. ¡°Wow! Look at that, why would these be here?¡± He heard Patience calling from somewhere deeper down the corridor. With hurried steps he soon came into a big room, maybe 10 by 20 meters in size, on the other side was a single, closed door and to the right side were dozens of crates neatly stacked above each other. He couldn¡¯t identify them on a moment''s notice, but they did look like the standard transport boxes that were also used by CTVs. Patience was standing to the left side of the room, at the end of a long row of refrigerators. They were all powered and gave a low hum, filling the room with a spooky background noise. ¡°Rob, what the hell is all this? Why would anyone put so many cooling devices here?¡± She asked him with a furrowed brow. ¡°I have some ideas, but neither of them includes us being here as a good thing¡­¡± He said and tentatively walked to one of the many crates on the right side. He carefully pushed open the lid and took a look inside. ¡°Spare parts?¡± He mumbled, ¡°These are vents for planetary ships, a lot of them.¡± Moving to the next box, he found even more parts. This time the crate was filled with CTV and PTV compatible system parts. ¡°This is some fucking expensive shit and definitely not something you would hoard in bulk, just to let it collect dust in a forgotten warehouse in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. Damn, you have to see this¡­¡± Patience called him over. Closing the box, he walked over and immediately understood what she meant. One of the fridges was wide open and the bright light inside highlighted the orderly sorted packages. ¡°Meat? Holy shit, how could you get your hands on so much real meat? There have to be 15 of these refrigerators, if not more! That''s a fortune we are talking about, if they are all filled.¡± Patience said with a shiver in her voice. ¡°Patience, I have no idea how all this stuff got here, but I¡¯m pretty certain that you would not be able to just buy so much of these things.¡± Robin explained and took out his datapad. ¡°We should take some pictures and get the hell out of here before whoever is the new owner comes back. Meat will not stay fresh for too long, there must be regular activity here!¡± ¡°Yep, enough adventure for today, let''s pack up!¡± she said and closed the fridge. Robin took some pictures and stored his pad again. Just when they turned to hurry back to the exit they came from, the door beside Patience opened and he heard someone shout in surprise. ¡°Oi! Who the fuck are you and whatcha doin¡¯ here?¡± Chapter 18 - *BANG* Thinking back, his memories were blurry. For a long time, Robin couldn¡¯t remember what exactly had happened that day, after the door suddenly opened. Everything he could hear or think about, each time he shut his eyes, there was just that *BANG* and then...all turned red, red like the blood that flowed. Only after he was back in Seka and rested for a few days - sometimes lying curled up in his bed and at other moments fleeing into the bathroom, throwing up and waiting under the shower until the nightmares receded - did he slowly recover and come to terms with the events. *** When the door suddenly opened and Robin and Patience heard the shout, they froze in shock and did not know how to react. Robin was near the room''s exit and thought about running back to the ship, but Patience stood only a few meters away from the door. Before they could decide on anything, a small man came through the new corridor. He had long, blonde hair and was probably in his 50s. A nasty scar reached from his left eye down to his right mouth corner. Robin could remember that the man was as surprised to see them as they were. ¡°Hey, I asked ya¡¯ a question! Who the fuck are ya¡¯? How did ya¡¯ get in here?¡± He snarled, clearly not in a mood for long discussions. ¡°Hello there! Great to see you, didn¡¯t think we would meet anyone here in the outskirts. We passed this facility by pure happenstance and saw the door was open. We just came in and wanted to take a look around. ¡®This your home?¡± Patience tried to salvage the situation and he had to give her credit for the proper attempt. But alas, the dude wasn¡¯t as dull as he looked and didn¡¯t bite her story. ¡°The fuck are ya¡¯ talking about, bitch? The door was open? Coming here by accident? You think I¡¯m that stupid?¡± The scarred man moved closer to Patience and clearly felt more assured, after realizing that they were just some kids and not officials or security. ¡°Mate, we will just leave, ok? You don¡¯t wanna have us here, we don¡¯t wanna stay here - everyone will be happy if we leave, right?¡± Patience responded and Robin was, despite the situation they were in, amazed and in wonder about her calm demeanor. Where was the Patience with the short temper he knew? As the guy stepped closer to her, she began to slightly jump from one foot to the other, her training kicking in as she slid into a fighting pose. ¡°Stop jumping around like a bunny and shut up¡± He said with a grin and grabbed her left arm, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with and I¡¯ll be happy to have your company later in my room. There can be lots of jumping then!¡± Before he could even react, Patience''s right fist flew forward and hit the man''s left temple. He groaned in pain and stumbled back. Robin was surprised to see him still standing on his feet. He was sure she had used her Enhanced Strength for that punch and didn¡¯t hold anything back. Meanwhile Patience didn¡¯t dally away, she changed her stance and once again threw a punch. The guy, still dizzy from the first hit, couldn¡¯t defend himself and caught the blow directly between his legs. His eyes opened wide and without any further ado, he fell forward. Knocked out cold. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°There is no getting up from that for quite a while, asshole!¡± Patience said, slightly huffing, and turned to leave. ¡°We should get out of he¡­¡± She began when Robin heard a loud *BANG*. Screaming in pain, Patience fell to one knee, holding her right thigh. Blood seeped through her fingers and dripped on the floor. As he saw her shivering and whimpering in pain, he began to panic and started to run over to her. When another man came out of the open door, he stopped in fright. The guy was tall and lanky, without any hair on his head. His clothes looked like they yearned for a wash since some time and at his belt was a holster for the weapon he held in his hand, pointed directly at the kneeling Patience. ¡°What the heck happened here? And who the hell are you? Oi, Mick, still alive?¡± He kicked the guy on the ground a few times, getting a low groan in response. Robin didn¡¯t move a muscle. He really wanted to go over to Patience and help her, but that guy had a gun in his hands. Not one of the fancy energy-based models that the armed forces and most security used, but a cheap firearm with propelling charges. They did not have as much impact and the need for ammunition was a hassle, but they got the job done and were easy to acquire - if one knew where to ask. Robin felt absolutely out of place, he had no experiences with weapons at all or even fistfights at that. Patience should be his saving grace, but she was seemingly already out of action. What to do? However, when the man came over to Patience, she threw Robin a glance and kicked for the feet of the guy. He dropped the gun and had to take a step back but didn¡¯t fall. She stood up, trying not to strain her right leg, and threw a fist again. This time the man was more prepared and blocked with his elbows. Patience didn¡¯t let him retaliate and kept on boxing. But every hit was skillfully blocked and with how little the man was pushed, despite her quite forceful ability, it became clear that he, too, was using his mutation. Probably something defensive- or reflex-aligned. With her leg injured, Patience couldn¡¯t keep up for long and began to slow down before long. The guy became more active and threw a few punches on his own, making this a proper fistfight. Patience had enough experience to hold her own even under these conditions, but in the end, she took a nasty blow to her wounded leg and couldn¡¯t hold back a scream while stumbling to stay on her feet. Such a distraction was immediately punished. The guy didn¡¯t show any mercy and hit her directly in the face with his pointy elbows in rapid succession. Robin¡¯s innards clenched as he could only helplessly watch Patience retreat backwards until she came to a stop near one of the cooling devices. ¡°You aren¡¯t that bad, girl!¡± The lanky man said and used her befuddled state to grab her throat. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± He shoved Patience backwards some more, ignoring her struggle. After she crashed into one of the fridges, he bashed her head against its metal door again and again. The sharp pain and the loss of breath made her feel even more dizzy. She still tried to throw some punches every now and then, hoping for a lucky hit, but the man always seemed to know exactly when and where her fists would land and dodged all attacks. As he slowly tightened his grip, Patience finally let all resistance slide and began to wheeze frantically. Blood flowed down her leg and from the many nasty wounds on her face. She paled and her eyes began to squirm around. Robin saw all that. He saw it and he knew they had lost. No¡­she had lost, he was just a bystander. No one even paid him any attention. He just stood there and watched as Patience was fighting for her life¡­ and as she was dying. His mind was in turmoil, he absolutely didn¡¯t know what to do and looked around with a blank face. Then his eyes fell on the gun that dropped on the floor. It apparently slid over to him in their fight. Someone must have kicked it. Robin bent over and picked it up. He never used a gun before, but he had seen enough movies to know how to use one. The guy had fired a shot just before, so the safety should be unlocked, right? He could see his friend looking over to him with a hazy sight and no power left to fight on. There was no time anymore, he had to do something. Slowly Robin raised his hand, took aim and closed his eyes¡­ *BANG* Chapter 19 - In Hot Pursuit When Robin opened his eyes again, everything was painted red. He saw that he had shot the man directly in his face which deformed his head and splashed blood everywhere. Robin instantly shut his eyes once more and collapsed like a wet rag. He didn¡¯t want to see that. It wasn¡¯t his fault, right? He tried to kill them! He would have killed Patience¡­ It wasn¡¯t his fault¡­ There was no other way, was there? Robin huddled on the floor and tried to process what he had done, until a hand softly touched his shoulder. Patience had recovered and came over. ¡°We have to leave, now!¡± She said with a low but firm voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault!¡± He screamed and looked her in the eyes. Blood was still flowing down her face, too much to be only from her. ¡°I had no other choice, he wanted to kill you!¡± ¡°Robin!¡± She forcefully shook him, ¡°We! Have! To! Leave!¡± Patience helped him up and pushed him towards the exit. When they reached their ship, Robin had calmed down just enough to open its canopy to let them in. Patience was even mindful enough to grab the toolbox they had left outside. Who knew if they were labeled by Jim and would leave a trail back to them? ¡°Repulsor¡­100% reaction, check.¡± When she climbed into her seat, she heard that Robin slowly and step by step moved through the checklist for take-off. He probably looked for something to concentrate on and distract his thoughts from what had happened. Unfortunately, Patience was pretty sure, they didn¡¯t have the time for that shitty list right now. ¡°Rob, just start the fucking repulsor and get us out of here! If there are more of those guys, we are royally fucked.¡± ¡°Valves¡­flow is constant, check¡± ¡°ROBIN! Get your shit together and take us out of here!¡± Patience pleaded. ¡°....please!¡± She added with a soft voice. This finally reached him, the engine powered up and Melody II began to hover. Moments later, they were back in the skies above Rucasur and on the direct route to Seka. Patience slumped down in her seat. She had tried to stay focused and drag Robin along, but she too was a wreck. Her thoughts were not only all over the place, but she also had many bleeding wounds and her leg needed medical attention. Now that they were safe, everything crashed in on her at once. ¡®I¡¯ve nearly died. That wasn¡¯t some fight in the ring, that guy literally tried to kill me¡­¡¯ realization slowly set in. ¡°That was a close call, Rob. Way too much adventure for my first story!¡± She tried to lighten the heavy mood, when suddenly the ship''s systems began to blare with a loud, beeping noise. *beep* - *beep* - *beep* - ¡­ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°That definitely sounds like an alarm, what is it?¡± She asked, weary and not ready for any other action. *** ¡°ROBIN! Get your shit together and take us out of here!¡± Robin heard Patience screaming from the seat behind him. ¡°...please!¡± She was right, he had to pull himself together. Yes, what had happened was a real shit show, but they were forced by the circumstances and while it ended horribly, they weren¡¯t at fault. He had to get them back to the city. Then they would have enough time to think everything through. He skipped the rest of the checklist and powered up the systems. The Melody II soon took them through the skies again. With being back in the air also came the exhilarating feeling of freedom that pushed back most of his dark thoughts¡­for now. Robin checked the route they had to take. He wanted to get them directly to Seka without any detours and definitely without wasting a night in the inn. He heard Patience trying to make a joke behind him as he aligned the ship towards a north-west course and checked the remaining fuel. Should be enough to take them back to¡­ *beep* - *beep* - *beep* - ¡­ An aggressive beeping pulled him out of his calculations. He checked the displays and found a blinking red light by the close-distance radar. Someone was entering their security bubble! When they traveled over Seka, Flight Control assigned them a corridor to ensure that no collisions would happen. Outside of the controlled airspace, the pilots had to rely on their ship¡¯s systems to ensure safety. One of these systems creates a ¡®security bubble¡¯. On the one hand, that system sends out a radial energy signature for 2,5km around the ship. This signature informs all nearing ships of an approaching vehicle. On the other hand, these 2,5km were covered by a radar scan that checked for any trespassers of one''s bubble. This ensured that the pilots of the two nearing ships had enough time to change course and prevent a collision. ¡°What could that be? We haven¡¯t met a single other ship for all the time we flew outside of Seka.¡± He wondered out loud. Before he could think of any plausible idea, Robin and Patience both could hear a low but constant rumbling. *dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm* ¡°Fuck, is there someone shooting at us?¡± Robin immediately recognized the sound of a ballistic turret. In the simulator he often played together with Timothy, he heard them fire more than once. But this wasn¡¯t a simulator or a game, was there really someone shooting at them? *dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm* ¡°Patience, hold on tight. We have to pick up speed. Whoever this is, the Melody is quite fast if I put her under strain and should leave most other ships behind. Try to get the model of the ship following us through a hailing request. Left display, top right button!¡± he gave instructions and pushed to throttle forward to raise the speed limiter. Instantly they were pushed back into their seats - speed really was Melodies forte! 240m/s¡­270m/s¡­300m/s¡­330m/s¡­ *dumm**dumm**dumm**¡¯tsching**dumm* *¡¯tsching**¡¯tsching* More warnings began to blare in the ship, red lights indicated damage to different ship systems. Robin knew which one, even before he checked the display. The Melody lost speed just as fast as she gained it moments before and fell back to 150m/s, still fast but not even close to normal cruising speed. Definitely not fast enough to get away from their pursuer. He changed directions constantly to make them a harder target to hit and hesitantly explained their problem. ¡°Uhm¡­not good, we lost one thruster. No chance of outrunning anyone now. Any feedback from the hailing?¡± ¡°It says CxSenV2? I have no idea, is that even a ship¡¯s name?¡± Patience responded with slight panic in her voice, as she was thrown from side to side in her seat. ¡°A Corax Sentinel, sounds plausible. I¡¯ll try to shake it off in between the buildings down there.¡± Robin explained and pushed the ship downwards to the reemerging greenhouses he could see in the distance. The Sentinel is more like a multi-purpose platform than a specific ship. You choose the Sentinel as the basis and configure it to your needs. Cargo, personal transport, mobile operations center, combat, whatever. Speed isn¡¯t its forte and it should be much more sluggish to control than the Melody II, even with only one thruster remaining. *dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm**dumm* Robin evaded one more haze of bullets and dove down into the narrow but empty streets between the buildings, the Sentinel still in hot pursuit. Chapter 20 - Trying Every Trick In the outskirts of Seka, in the middle of huge greenhouses and production plants, two small spaceships raced along. In the front was a sleek, black ship that radiated a promise of speed and power. Even with one of its thrusters disabled, it darted between the facilities and through the narrow streets with great agility. Sticking closely was a ship of the same size, but with a much bulkier frame. In that situation, the most noticeable feature of the gray multipurpose vessel in pursuit, was its turret at the front that always aimed at the fleeing ship. It didn¡¯t shoot anymore, now that they navigated between all the greenhouses owned by the authorities, but with each straight line they flew, it caught up a few meters. Robin, piloting Melody II, obviously tried to gain a few meters with each corner he took. He had pulled back the throttle even more to increase the agility through better reactions from the control vents at the front and back of the ship. ¡°Patience, you need to increase the power to the vents some more. I want to use the overhead energy from the failed thruster to put them under strain and give us better mobility. I cannot think of any other way than to hope that they¡¯ll make a mistake before we do.¡± He gave his copilot new instructions, ¡°Top right display, second slider down to 30%, sliders for vent one, two, seven and eight up to 85%.¡± ¡°Ahhhh okay, I¡¯ll try¡­¡± Patience was clearly way out of her comfort zone by now and could only do her best to assist Robin. A few moments later, he could feel the increased capability of the ship, but he could also hear the vents screeching even louder. That definitely was a bad sign, but hopefully not yet on a critical level. Jerking the right joystick around, the Melody II once more tightly shot around a corner. ¡®45 meters, that''s too close.¡¯ he thought and went through his options, after the new distance between them appeared on one of his displays. ¡®Fuck, burn in plasma¡­ I have to lose them or, more likely, outmaneuver their ship. Hiding isn¡¯t really an option. They could just fly up and search for us again. Right now, they probably try to ram us, but if they lose their patience and discard all caution, they may even reactivate the damn turret. We would have no chance to avoid that in this narrow environment. The new street they entered was also empty, just one more straight line in the orderly network of roads that connected all the structures. Occasionally they passed under a crossbeam that stretched between two buildings a few meters above them. ¡°Come on, come on,... there must be some other obstacles around. Who cleans up this shit with such care?¡± Robin cursed under his breath and maneuvered around the next corner, before the Sentinel could reduce the distance. ¡°Empty¡­ 55 meters, next street!¡± ¡°Empty¡­ 62 meters, next!¡± ¡°Empty¡­ 81 meters!¡± ¡°Come ON! Fuck¡­¡± Another empty street and the enemy ship still followed them but continued to lose ground. Forcefully, he twisted the right joystick again to the side and directed Melody II into the next intersection. ¡°Change of plan, hold tight!¡± He exclaimed as he abruptly pushed the throttle up, accelerating the Melody. The following right turn was a close call for Robin, as the ship heavily drifted outwards and even slightly grazed the wall on his left. Immediately after stabilizing, he throttled down to zero, executed a 180 degree-turn and then ramped the throttle up to the maximum. The vents at the ship''s rear howled under the massive strain as they pivoted the ship around. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Robin grasped the joystick tight, aware this was their only chance. It had to work. He clenched his teeth as the screeching from the overburdened outlets grew even louder, only to suddenly cease. The Melody shook, her rear dropping. They were gone for good. Robin managed the ones in the front to stabilize the ship, before its new alignment finally matched his plan. The ship flew straight backwards over a hundred meters as it fought to cancel its momentum with the aid from the roaring thruster, before it explosively gained speed again. The force of the acceleration was nearly overwhelming, his vision narrowed to a tunnel and began to blur. Just then the Sentinel came around the corner, heading directly towards them. Robin heard Patience scream behind him but could not afford to divert his attention to her. He eased back his right joystick to raise Melody¡¯s nose and observed the incoming ship¡¯s reaction. They followed this move, clearly intending to ram them with their bulky front. While the Sentinel was not armored or anything, it was sturdy enough to easily come out on top, if they hit the Melody at the rear or nose, forcing them off course. Obviously, Robin wouldn¡¯t let that happen. He quickly steered his ship downwards, pressing it against the ground just in time. His surprise maneuver left the other crew no time to assess the situation, merely reacting to the sudden development. As a result, they had no chance to react at all when they saw the large metal beam directly in front of them, shining silver in the sunlight. *BOOOOOOOMMMMMM* Shrapnel flew everywhere and struck the Melody II all over, luckily without penetrating its hull or damaging anything else. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Robin decelerated the ship and initiated another turn. Now he could see the Sentinel¡¯s wreckage, still tumbling through the previously vacant street, ablaze with intense yellow flames. Robin brought Melody to a complete halt and watched the scene in front of him with a mix of horror and relief. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± he asked Patience, who had stopped screaming at some point. ¡°Fuck¡­ Fuck this shit!¡± A furious shout came in return, ¡°Do you wanna kill me? Do you really wanna kill me? First you shot that guy, with eyes closed and now you¡¯re pulling this insane stunt out of your ass. What¡¯s wrong with you? Damn!¡± Patience relieved her stress on Robin and was just about to resume her tirade, when she suddenly grasped the full meaning of what had happened, when he saved her back at the relic site. ¡°Wait a second - you little shit, you closed your fucking eyes when shooting in my direction? I¡­ I.. I don¡¯t even know what to say!¡± Robin heard her huffing in the back but tried to ignore it. They were both too tense and each coped with stress in their own way. He also tried not to dwell on the memory of his actions inside the building earlier¡­ When he held the gun in his hand. When he shot someone. When he had taken a life. Robin watched the flames as they greedily consumed the remnants of the craft before him. ¡®I killed again, didn¡¯t I? There was a pilot in that ship, maybe even a copilot. They are burning over there and I¡¯m just sitting here, watching them.¡¯ He began to imagine he could hear their screams amid the roar of flames. It was irrational, he knew that. The canopy of Melody was sealed and isolated sound pretty well. Furthermore, no one could have survived such a crash. Still, wasn¡¯t that a fellow human''s scream he could hear? ¡°Rob, come on, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time for us to fly home, ok?¡± Patience¡¯s voice snapped him out of his dark thoughts. ¡°Yeah, you are right. There¡¯s nothing we can do here anyway¡± He responded and took control of Melody II again to take them back to Seka. He focused on the magnificent view of the sunset visible from above the clouds and suppressed any intrusive thoughts. There¡¯ll come a time to reflect on what they had experienced today, later. ¡®Well, maybe not that much later...¡¯ Robin realized, upon noticing a new message in the log on one of his displays. 17:47:22: Responding to security identification request X445S51: Melody II, Robin Tulward Chapter 21 - Seka Security The flight towards Seka was a silent one. Neither Robin nor Patience tried to start any conversation, both were busy with their own thoughts. Only hours later, when the first buildings of Seka came into view, Robin broke the silence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Patience, this wasn¡¯t the trip I had in mind when we first left the city.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. Would be strange if this was your idea of a fun adventure. It¡¯s okay, wasn¡¯t your fault. I just need some time to think everything through. That was a hell of a trip for my first story, but at least I¡¯ll have a good tale to tell, when visiting The Weary Traveler again. The old geezers will probably never believe it.¡± she tiredly chuckled. ¡°How are your injuries? Did the first aid kit help?¡± Robin shifted the focus on her bullet wound, which she tried to patch up after their flight became smoother. ¡°Nothing to worry about,¡± she said, ¡°it went through without hitting the bone or an artery. Boxing made me learn a bit about nursing my injuries. Well, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been shot, so who knows?¡± ¡°I would offer to drop you off at a hospital, but¡­¡± Robin hesitated to continue and Patience noticed that he dropped the ship¡¯s speed to a crawl, just before entering the city. ¡°But¡­?¡± she pressed on, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? More problems incoming?¡± ¡°You could say so, yes. When we enter the city and notify Flight Control, it¡¯s likely that the corridor we¡¯ll get won¡¯t take us home.¡± ¡°They know?¡± ¡°Yup, one of the greenhouses systems sent an identification request that was automatically answered. I assume we will be led directly to Seka Security for questioning.¡± ¡°What a pain.¡± she sighed ¡°Just fly in and let¡¯s get this over with. We won¡¯t be able to avoid it anyways and we didn¡¯t do anything wrong, right?¡± ¡°No, there is no avoiding the authorities.¡± Robin confirmed and accelerated again. A few moments later, he checked them in at Flight Control and was told to wait. *beep* ¡°For your ship a notification request has been made by Seka Security, please hold your position and wait for further instructions¡± he heard the artificial voice over the radio. Robin stopped Melody II and hovered over the first buildings of the city. He used the time to do another check of its systems. One thruster was still offline, the vents in the rear broken and fuel was running low, but the rest seemed to be stable. *beep* ¡°Please follow the assigned corridor to the nearest Seka Security branch. Estimated time until arrival: 1 hour and 22 minutes. Have a nice day, citizen.¡± *** Exactly 1 hour and 22 minutes later Robin landed the Melody on the roof of a huge building in the center of Nexus Haven. It was one of the plain skyscrapers one could see everywhere in residential districts and housed different branches of governmental institutions. After he shut down the repulsor and turned the ship¡¯s power off, Robin and Patience got out and stood in front of a stern-looking officer. The man was in his 50s and wore the formal attire of Seka Security, white trousers, blue jacket and a blue cap. The crest of Rucasur on his arms identified him as middle ranked governmental personnel. ¡°My name is Landom Walzor, team leader of the security unit for area 745 - that''s the one you made a mess in. Please follow me, I would like to ask you some questions.¡± The official introduced himself politely and began to lead the way inside without waiting for any response. ¡°Mr. Walzor, I¡¯m Robin Tulward and naturally we will answer any of your questions and explain what has happened. Before we move on, may I ask for some little help?¡± Robin asked, without moving from his spot. ¡°I¡¯m sure that could wait for later, won¡¯t it?¡± Walzor stopped and turned his head, slightly irritated. ¡°Well, Sir, no I don¡¯t think so. First of all, as you can see, my friend here is injured. We only had some simple first aid kit on our way, so please get a doctor to take a look at her first. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be at ease while helping you.¡± Robin had to set the priorities right while trying not to sweat because of his nerves. Patience threw him a thankful glance. ¡°Oh, um¡­ yes, of course, sorry.¡± Walzor exclaimed and his stern facade crumbled easier than Robin had expected. Seems like they weren¡¯t really in deep trouble. ¡°I¡¯ll get her to our facility''s medcenter, while we start our talk, ok? What was your other concern?¡± he asked and looked a bit friendlier. Awkwardly scratching his neck, Robin pointed at the ship. ¡°You¡¯ve changed our corridor and we now are nearly out of fuel. Can you give her a little sip? I dunno how else I would be able to get over to Quantum Forge District later¡­¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I¡¯ll see what we can do. Now follow me please.¡± Walzor said and walked into the building and the stairs to an elevator. They moved down a few floors first, where Patience was received by a woman in nurse attire. Afterwards, the elevator took Robin and Walzor back up some levels and after walking through many hallways, they entered a small, square room with a table in its center and windows to the left and right. They were made with one way see-through glass, like those Robin saw many times on his way. These windows allowed the people inside to look through, but no one from the outside was able to peek in. This made the rooms feel more open and friendly, without the risk of leaking information, when outsiders like Robin or Patience walked by. ¡°Do you want anything to drink before we begin?¡± Walzor asked while he tapped on his datapad a few times. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m fine and just want to get it over with.¡± Robin honestly replied. ¡°Okay, our conversation will be recorded, your body language monitored for reactions and I hereby inform you of the obligation to speak only the truth in an official interview with Seka Security. Ah yes and your ship will be refueled while we talk, so do not worry about your way home.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot! So, how do we do this? Never been in a situation like now.¡± ¡°You are Robin Tulward, licensed owner of the ship ¡®Melody II¡¯?¡± Walzor began his questions. ¡°Yes, I work at a workshop in Quantum Forge District and built the custom model there.¡± ¡°That was your first registered flight, where did you go and what happened in area 745, where the explosion took place?¡± The questions continued from there on and Robin tried to answer everything as detailed as possible. When he talked about going to the relic site, he mentioned that he had found rumors about it online and thought it would be a good place to go for his first trip, which was more or less the truth and also what he had told Patience. He thought about hiding the fact that he had to crack the door, but ultimately it wasn¡¯t like some big crime to go into abandoned alien facilities. So he put his cards on the table in hope to gain some points for honesty. After that, his story became more erratic, a bit more inconsistent. His mind was playing cruel tricks as he tried to remember what had happened. Walzor caught on to that, but didn¡¯t press too much. Seka Security was already on its way to the facility and would confirm his story, no need to push the obviously traumatized young man more than necessary. Robin was surprised by one question that he should be able to easily answer but could only blankly stare at. What happened to the weapon he used? He couldn¡¯t remember at all. Finishing his narration of the day, he even pulled out his datapad to show the official the pictures he took in the smugglers den. He had totally forgotten about that before and used it to prove his story. Robin gained big from that move, as Walzor immediately recognized the building''s style and could associate it with the Vanguard. That wasn¡¯t the original name of that race, but one given to them by the Starborn, after they forced their whole species into servitude. The humanoid people didn¡¯t look much different than humans today or the Starborn at that and were mostly sent in the border wars as a meat shield. Vanguards often also attended the big families and clans for menial services. That¡¯s why everyone else began to call them The Servants. When the Starborn vanished, the Vanguards hoped to regain their freedom, but were quickly hunted down and completely eradicated by the other races. They feared the Starborn may return soon and wanted to cut off one of their limbs as chance was given. ¡®One more riddle of the map solved, one more entry for the new legend¡¯ he noted to himself. After the lengthy interview, Robin met up with Patience for a moment. She did look much better now and was going to have her questioning after him. Seka Security promised her a ride home afterwards, so he could already leave. Giving her a hug, he said his goodbyes and was taken back to the roof where his fully refueled ship was waiting. Robin flew over to Jim''s workshop and parked Melody II in her usual spot before taking the train home. He was in need of a long sleep. *** ¡°Walzor, how did it go?¡± A well-trained man in the same Seka Security uniform stepped out of a neighboring room, after Landom walked by. The crest on his arms revealed him to be of a higher rank. ¡°Sir, I just saw the girl off. She fared better than the boy, but was also quite disturbed. They clearly were traumatized by the things they experienced. I do believe their story and the analysis also didn¡¯t give any indication that they were lying.¡± ¡°But¡­?¡± Walzors superior asked, after hearing the lingering undertone. ¡°But while I don¡¯t think they lied or have any ulterior motives, something still feels off¡­¡± He tried to sort his thoughts. ¡°Like what? The Fast Response Unit already sent word and what they found did match with the kid¡¯s story. Some smugglers took over, all dead or fled.¡± ¡°Sir, when have you ever heard of anyone leaving the city to do some exploration and finding two different alien sites in one day? They aren¡¯t a secret, but I have never seen anything about their locations online.¡± Walzor reasoned. ¡°They were looking for something?¡± His superior caught on. ¡°Yes, Sir, I do think so. There is nothing left to uncover on Rucasur, so I really want to know what they are searching for and where they got their information from.¡± ¡°Okay, keep an eye on them. However, don''t waste too much time on this until you have some solid leads. We already have enough other things on our desk.¡± ¡°Yes Sir, it will be done. Thank you.¡± Walzor gave a light bow and hurried off. While his boss was right and they had more then enough cases to deal with, he would at least check in on the technocrafter''s movements every now and then.
[*** Map Legend ***]
¦¤ Mountain
? Wuranger Site
? Vanguard Facility
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
Chapter 22 - Willing To Pay Any Price When Patience came home, she first took a long, hot shower. The water to her feet dyed red as the dried blood was washed from her body. She leaned her head against the wall, letting the water splash on her back. The medical team had patched her up pretty good, in just a few days there won¡¯t be much left to remind her of today¡¯s horrors. Patience''s fingers carefully touched the big bump at the back of her head, where the guy had crashed it against the fridge. She flinched at the sudden pain, took her hand back and slowly reached for her throat. ¡®I nearly died today. It feels like I had already halfway passed over to the other side, before Robin¡­¡¯ ¡°Fuck!¡± Punching the wall with her sore hand, she growled. ¡°You are weak, Patience!¡± ¡°You were useless today!¡± ¡°You had to be saved by some dude that never even punched his own pillow before¡­¡± She began to huff, the hot water still flowing around her. ¡®I really thought I was on the right track. I should have done better than that. Eight years of training and fighting just to end up like¡­this?¡¯ Her thoughts began to run wild. Hitting the wall again, she let the pain in her hand cool down her mind a bit. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right! I only consider it from one side. I¡¯ve got the first guy perfectly. The second one shot me before I could even engage in a fight and set me in a disadvantageous position from the start. He also had a useful mutation for the fight, which allowed him to keep the upper hand!¡± Patience began to look at the situation more realistically and tried to find her best course of actions from here on. She had training, but not the best one accessible to her and her G-Anomaly was a Class D - Enhanced Strength, a mutation that was still upgradeable. ¡®How would it have turned out, if I had those flaws fixed before?¡¯ Don¡¯t complain about what you could have done better in the past, concentrate on the moment and what you should do now to improve for the future! She could hear the old geezer who coached her in her mind, trying to sound profound and badass. ¡®Yeah, he probably would say some crap like that¡­but he would be right.¡¯ With the new studio contract she¡¯ll get better training and step up one level. The other part would be more complicated. Upgrading one''s mutation was indeed possible for people with Enhanced Strength. The governmental med centers had fail-safe methods for that, but the price was enormous. She would also be able to get the upgrade from some shady stitch, half the price but also no insurance for success¡­or survival if shit hits the fan. Patience eventually turned off the shower and looked for pajamas. A plan formed in her mind. Step one, get the deal with the new studio done and commit to training even more. Step two, earn a shitton of money by any means possible. Step three, paying the fee for governmental treatment and rank up to Class C. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Step four: Beat the shit out of everyone who is crossing my way!¡± she mumbled, already half asleep. *** When Robin woke up again, the sun was nowhere to be seen. He still wore most of his clothes from that fateful day, only the shoes and trousers came off and lay on the ground in the middle of the flat. Fighting out of the returning nightmare, he stumbled over into the bathroom preparing to hug the toilet again. He hadn¡¯t eaten much in the last two days, where the hell does his stomach find the shit he throws up all the time? The bathroom looked as bad as Robin felt. Switching between throwing up and showering really puts a strain on hygiene. Realizing that nothing more tried to force its way out, Robin sat on the edge of his bathtub and looked into the mirror in front of him. ¡°I look like shit!¡± he pointedly summarized his appearance. He wore a stained shirt, his hair was disheveled and the circles under his eyes were so dark, they could be mistaken as tattoos. ¡°What am I even doing here? Holing up at home, hiding from the world and waiting for new nightmares?¡±, he took a deep breath. That couldn¡¯t go on any longer, he had to pull himself together. For three days Robin stayed at home already. He just gave a short info to Jim, explaining that he was ill for the week. Now that he watched himself in the mirror, it finally dawned on him, there was nothing to sit out or wait for, he had to make some decisions to move on. ¡°Let''s clean up first of all, then I will take an honest look at all the shit that has happened!¡± Robin threw his mind back on the right track, turned on some music and began to clean himself and the flat. When the sun finally rose, Robin sat on the counter in his kitchen. A bowl of cereal in one hand and a fresh coffee in the other. Rummaging through his memories, he had to admit that there was little they could have done to salvage the situation. Sure, not entering the building would have saved the day, but that aside? He wasn¡¯t willing to let Patience die and damn, he wasn¡¯t willing to die himself! The smugglers clearly had no interest in discussions or negotiations and when they pulled out a gun, they were the ones that escalated the situation. ¡°Seka Security glossed over the fact that I killed them so easily, only really interested in the damage to the greenhouses. A life isn¡¯t worth anything today. What if it is me that dies the next time something happens? Will someone care or would I be just one more number in some report?¡± Robin''s parents weren¡¯t around anymore. His father died a few years ago and his mother already passed away shortly after his birth. He had Timothy and Jim, maybe even Patience, who he cared about - but would they care? Robin didn¡¯t want to find out. ¡°I¡¯ll have to live with the fact that I took three lives that day. But the reason was to survive, a good reason for pulling the trigger!¡± Robin couldn¡¯t change that anymore, but he could decide how he wanted to go on from here. He wanted to see the stars, travel the universe and learn the secrets of the Starborn, the most powerful race known. With the map in his head, he had a first lead that could take him further ahead of anyone else. He will probably not directly find the Starborn with it, as his part of the map only was for the Mereus Cluster, but it was a way forward and maybe he would find further clues in the other relic sites. ¡°This is my chance to chase after my dreams and goals. If I really want to follow this route, that may not have been the last encounter of this kind. What will I do next time?¡± He put his coffee aside and walked over to look out of the window. ¡°What price am I willing to pay?¡± He thought that over for some time and soon came to a conclusion that surprised even him. ¡°Burn in plasma, I would pay any price. I have nothing to lose and everything to win!¡± His eyes focused and he steeled himself, ingraining that resolve into his bones. ¡°I have to act less naive, be more prepared and think smarter¡­¡± Robin said this out loud, to give his decision more weight. No turning back, only looking forward to the next step to take. ¡°Time to contact Jim and Timothy, I have to make an honest evaluation of all my cards at hand. So, first things first¡­¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°I need a stitch to re-analyse my G-Anomaly and understand what I¡¯m dealing with!¡± Chapter 23 - Something Changed Robin didn¡¯t wait any longer and immediately began to move. He went over to Jim¡¯s Broken Wing at noon and found the huge man tinkering at an old CTV himself. ¡°Do you even remember how to take care of that baby? I thought you were all meetings and dinners now!¡± Robin took a jab at him. ¡°Look who found his way back, already talking big again.¡± Jim put down the tools in his hand and walked over. He observed Robin for a moment and let silence convey his feelings. ¡®What the heck happened to him? He is still joking around, but his eyes are colder and he feels more¡­decisive?¡¯ ¡°Did Patience come by already?¡± The technocrafter asked after the situation started to get strange. ¡°Ah, yeah, she was here two days ago. She gave me the short version of what happened and asked for two weeks off. I think she wants to finish the negotiations with the studios and get the new contract done as soon as possible.¡± He told Robin and hesitated to continue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rob! From what I¡¯ve heard, it must have been quite the shitshow. If there is anything you need, just ask. I¡¯ll help where I can.¡± ¡°Thanks mate, I¡¯m fine though, no worries. I just needed some time off to get my head straight again. And at the end of the day, they didn¡¯t leave me any chance to act differently - they brought this on themselves. So, I¡¯m good!¡± Robin gave him a bright smile and looked around to take stock of the ships that required some work. ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ ¡°Damn boy, you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t wanna talk with a trauma-team or something? I¡¯ve only heard good about them and¡­you don¡¯t seem fine to me¡± Jim could feel that something in Robin had changed, he just couldn¡¯t put his fingers on what exactly it was. ¡°Jim, I¡¯m really okay. I had to make some decisions about how I want to proceed from here, that¡¯s all. But actually, there is something you can help me with!¡± Robin changed the topic and Jim could only comply. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s something good. Perhaps what feels off is just him having shed some of the juvenile naivety.¡¯ he mentally shrugged and put the topic to the back of his mind. ¡°Sure, what do you need?¡± What Robin told him was the truth. He had decided to not look back and concentrate on the next step he needed to take to come closer to his goals. He just hadn¡¯t yet realized how much this seemingly simple change of his mindset impacted his demeanor. ¡°I need a stitch, one that doesn¡¯t ask questions and has the means to take a look at my mutation.¡± ¡°Burn in plasma, are you crazy? Why would you let such freaks mess with your mutation? Even the government doesn¡¯t have the recipes to upgrade Minor Energy Senses, why do you think they could do any more?¡± Jim instantly regretted that he didn¡¯t push Robin more and get him to a trauma-team. Just what the hell was he thinking? ¡°Relax, Jim, I just want them to re-analyze my G-Anomaly. No upgrading, no experiments.¡± ¡°Something is wrong with your mutation?¡± the man raised a confused eyebrow. ¡°Jim, you said you wanted to help, not make this an interrogation¡­¡± ¡°¡®Tch, just have it your way, don''t ya?¡± Jim scoffed and reached for his datapad, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the contact of a friend of a friend¡­ of some dude I know. Just don¡¯t mess around with them, okay?¡± ¡°Thanks, don¡¯t worry.¡± Robin received a notification and looked around once more, ¡°Let me help you with one of the CTVs today and tomorrow I¡¯ll return to the normal schedule. I¡¯ll just skim through the todo list and be back.¡± he said and walked over to the office to upload the list on his chip.
[*** INFO ***]
1 Update failed
2 Your Neuro-Chip¡¯s memory is at 100% capacity
3 Please delete data to clear space
[*** INFO ***]
¡°Ah right, there was that, too. Damn¡± Robin paused when he got the notification. ¡®I¡¯ll need an excuse at hand for situations in which others want to upload data onto my Neuro-Chip!¡¯ Eventually he put the list on his datapad and looked for a short job. After he finished one of the CTVs repairs, he moved to the back of the workshop. Standing in front of the Melody II, he sighed as he saw the many scratches the shrapnels had left. Touching the two bullet holes he found on the right wing, he began to mumble. ¡°That was a close call for you! What a ride for your first flight - would nearly have been your last one, too! You soldiered on well, thanks!¡± At the back he examined the failed thruster and found another hole where a bullet went through. Luckily, it didn¡¯t look fatal, only some ripped cables. Robin climbed into the pilot seat, connected the datapad with the system and was about to power on the ship, when he suddenly saw something lying on the floor near his feet. Stooping down, he grabbed the gun that went missing after their escape from the Vanguard relic site. Holding it in his hand again felt strange for a moment, however Robin focused not on what he had used it for, but on what it represented now. ¡°Last time I used it was a mess. I have no idea how to wield it correctly¡­ though, even if I hope to never need it again, it¡¯s better to get a little practice if I''ve already got my hands on it.¡± He eyed the gun from both sides. The hand-sized black pistol had a magazine with five shots remaining and he quickly pushed the safety button in as the weapon was still armed. The gun was a cheap model and probably easy to get for some criminals, but for him? To get his hands on a gun, he would have to dive deeper into shady black markets than he was yet ready to do. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Storing the gun under the seat, he concentrated back on the ship. ¡°You make a self-check-up and I¡¯ll observe you a bit with my senses, okay? We will have you back up and running in no time and I promise you: I''ll get you some awesome upgrades!¡± With this, he began a full check-up of his ship to find any hidden problems and take note of the parts that needed repair or had to be exchanged. *** In the afternoon, Robin sat in the train again and was on his way to Rust Hollow Quarters, another residential district. It had a lower quality than Nexus Haven and was also the district Patience lived in. However, he immediately abandoned all thoughts of visiting her. She had her own things going on right now and they would meet in the workshop sooner or later anyways. He was on his way to a stitch going by the friendly name Slice. Jim apparently had given Slice a heads up, so he should at least hear him out. After he got off the train at a station in the south of the district, Robin followed different streets for some time. It was a little less bustling here compared to Nexus Haven, the streets were smaller and the buildings older, but nothing too drastic. At least until he arrived in a narrow alley that led past the last skyscrapers. The high buildings made place for unfinished facilities and small houses that were more shacks than anything else. This part of the city¡¯s construction was planned, but never finished. ¡®So, these are the slums of Seka¡­ never thought I would come here anytime soon, or ever at all¡¯ Robin thought and caught himself thinking back to the gun in his ship sooner than expected. Keeping his eyes open, he warily moved on and watched all the people around him. They were the poor that had mostly given up all hope to return into the more civilized areas. Criminals and desperation reigned here. ¡®I just moved around a corner and entered a different world¡­¡¯ Robin observed. He shook his head and hurried on, deeper into the slums. Two crossroads later he came to a halt before an old fuel station that was also never finished. In front of the door stood a huge, bald man who wore a red shirt that failed spectacularly at hiding his bulging muscles. ¡°What ya¡¯ lookin¡¯ for, boy?¡± The man asked with a rough voice. Robin reminded himself of what he had decided just this morning and steeled his nerves. ¡°Hey mate, I¡¯m here to meet Slice, he should have gotten a heads up.¡± The colossus looked him up and down for a moment. ¡°Any weapons?¡± ¡°No, none. I came here for a check-up with a doc, not to start a shootout.¡± ¡°¡®Tch¡­¡± the bouncer clearly wasn¡¯t impressed but pointed at the door with his thumb. ¡°Thanks!¡± Robin walked around him and entered the building. The light inside was an uncomfortable mix of green, yellow and red lamps. Some clung to the ceiling, others belonged to little advertisements and were flickering every now and then. There was a small counter in front of him, messy with magazines and datapads all over. Since no one was there to receive him, Robin walked around the table and through the only other door, leading deeper into the building. ¡°Knock, Knock, somebody home?¡± he announced his arrival as he walked forward. ¡°Over here, just come in.¡± a voice came from the next room. Robin entered what he could only describe as the exploded laboratory of a mad scientist. Everywhere tools lay around, different machines hung from the ceiling and he could see two messy workbenches full of technical stuff. In the middle of the room stood a medical examination bed and a little Mohait was tinkering with its sensors. ¡°You are Jim¡¯s boy?¡± he asked without turning around. ¡°Yeah, Robin is the name¡± ¡°This is not some neighborhood you should run around in. What brings you here?¡± the man with the fluffy tail asked. ¡°Slice, I presume?¡± Robin questioned the obvious. ¡°At your service!¡± Slice said as he finally turned around and looked at Robin. ¡°I want to get a scan of my G-Anomaly. No questions asked, no upgrades, no experiments. I also would take a look at your stock of transparent Interfaces that can access ship¡¯s live data." ¡°Just a scan? Why would you need that? You should have gotten one after receiving your mutation.¡± the Mohait asked, clearly ignoring the no questions part. But Robin had expected as much since it really was an unconventional request. ¡°I had some problems tapping into my mutation the last few days and don¡¯t want the officials to take a look. Who knows what the scan might tell them?¡± ¡°You can talk crap, fine. Mutations don¡¯t change suddenly or at all, without someone messing with your genes directly¡­ just get on the damn bed.¡± Slice didn¡¯t buy his story, but also didn¡¯t seem to care much. Getting on the stretcher, Robin carefully watched the stitch as he put some diodes on his arm and clamped a bracelet over his wrist. Pressing some buttons, the machine pricked his flesh a bit and the display to his right turned on. ¡°You know how this works, just activate your mutation for at least 15 seconds and I should get a read. After the machine matches your data with the governmental database, it calculates your specific mutation. You will see the result over there.¡± Slice pointed at the display. ¡°All right¡± Robin confirmed and activated his skill but kept his eyes open. Looking at the Mohait to make sure, he had no funny ideas. The stitch clearly didn¡¯t care at all and just waited for the result to show up. *beep*
[*** INFO ***]
1 G-Anomaly detected
2 Match found
3 Identification: 100%
4 Class E - Minor Energy Senses
[*** INFO ***]
¡°I don¡¯t know, what you¡¯ve expected, but Class E seems plausible¡± the Mohait shrugged, ¡°Well, that was easily earned mon¡­¡± *beep*
[*** ERROR ***]
1 Unknown patterns detected
2 Corruption detected
[*** ERROR ***]
Before they could even guess what this was all about, the error disappeared again. Being replaced by the same message from before¡­nearly the same one. *beep*
[*** INFO ***]
1 G-Anomaly detected
2 Match found
3 Identification: 1?0%
4 Class E - Mi?or ¦®nergy Sens¡És
[*** INFO ***]
¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Chapter 24 - Making A Deal Slice tapped a few buttons, wiggled at some cables and even turned the display off and on again. Nothing changed, the little window still showed the gibberish symbols in the message with bright glowing letters. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s strange¡± he said and knocked at the machine again, ¡°Either my Gene Analyser just broke or you came here with some fucked up anomaly. Let me get some deeper scans for a more complex reading. I need to study that!¡± Without waiting for an answer, the stitch began to collect other tools and scanners. ¡°Yeah, no, I don¡¯t think so!¡± Robin cut in and removed the diodes. ¡°Boy, that wasn¡¯t a question¡­¡± the Mohait stopped to glare at him with his skewed face. Robin tensed, but didn¡¯t stop to remove the bracelet. ¡°No questions, no experiments, no upgrades, you remember?¡± ¡°I do, but I cannot remember agreeing to your terms. Are you aware, where you are, little city-boy?¡± Slice¡¯s voice grew cold and he pressed a button he wore at his belt. Seconds later the colossus from the entrance stormed in, he held a weapon in his hand and aimed at Robin. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, boss?¡± he asked. ¡°Just a little rebel who doesn¡¯t understand his place.¡± Slice replied, now clearly grinning as he saw that Robin gritted his teeth. Meanwhile Robin¡¯s mind was racing, he had not many options left. He could comply, but was sure he didn¡¯t want to allow the stitch to do any experiments on him. The alternative was fighting for a chance to flee¡­ Yeah, he couldn¡¯t see that one working either. ¡®He cannot take this too far. He knows that Jim sent me here,¡¯ he went over his last option in his mind, ¡®but he clearly knows something is off and will not let this slide empty handed.¡¯ Deciding to bluff a bit and show some of his cards, Robin ignored the bouncer and sat on the bed. He looked at the stitch for a moment and made a suggestion that would hopefully get him out of here. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s be honest for a moment,¡± he began, ¡°I know that you will not blow this up, as you are not interested in beef with Jim, but I understand your curiosity.¡± ¡°I think you overestimate your cards, boy, you¡­¡± Slice began, but Robin raised a hand to interrupt him. ¡°Cut the crap, I said let¡¯s be honest for a moment.¡± seeing the eyes of the musclehead at his side twitch, he hurried on ¡°I suggest a deal!¡± The Mohait gave the guy a sign to lower the gun and motioned for Robin to continue. Suppressing a sigh of relief, as he obviously hit on mark with his assumption, Robin continued. ¡°You¡¯ll need to use force, if you want to examine me - you don¡¯t want that and I don¡¯t want that. But you are greedy for answers and, surprise, so am I! I suggest a beneficial collaboration. Instead of analyzing my genes by force and just getting some worthless data, I tell you my story and what I¡¯ve experienced. In return, you explain to me, what the fuck is happening with me and we both profit from this.¡± ¡°You think your made-up story gives me more insights than the direct analysis of your genes?¡± Slice asked, skeptical of this idea. ¡°Can my genes be changed without any kind of intrusion and direct manipulation?¡± Robin put out a question. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°No, not under normal circumstances.¡± ¡°So, then my story will help you more than some data of untouched DNA.¡± Robin shrugged, finally calming down his rapidly beating heart. Slice thought about it for a moment and then sent the bouncer back out. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll hear you out.¡± he said. ¡°And you will share your ideas of what has happened, right?¡± Robin pushed. ¡°Yeah, whatever." The Mohait said, ¡°You do have some balls, boy, I''ll give you that.¡± ¡°Thanks, I think?¡± ¡°So, do tell, I don¡¯t have the whole day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that spectacular. I came around a bit over the last few weeks and at one occasion I touched an alien artifact. No reaction from my body, but mentally I was hit quite hard. I heard voices and memories in my mind. Unfortunately, I cannot remember anything said, but since that incident, my mutation reacts differently. Are you aware of the skills from Minor Energy Senses?¡± Robin decided on a short, but not completely wrong version of his encounter with the pyramid in the museum. ¡°Yeah, creating images of power networks in your mind. Slow, tedious and high need for concentration. Your story doesn¡¯t tell me anything, what kind of artifact did you interact with? From which race?¡± ¡°Small, fully made of metal, no race. I have halved the time I need to create the picture, reduced the strain on the mind massively and increased the quality of the image to a level that¡¯s comparable to Class D. I came here in hope your scanner would detect Class D - Energy Senses.¡± Robin explained at least some part of the changes. ¡°That¡¯s not how this works. You don¡¯t just upgrade your mutation without tinkering with the genes.¡± Slice began to walk up and down in his laboratory and thought things through. Sure, the boy didn¡¯t tell him all, but he believed that there was no manipulation of the genes. With what Robin described, the changes were only qualitative and didn''t come with completely new powers. ¡°Why would there be an error in the readings?¡± Robin asked after the man remained silent and just walked around. ¡°The scanner analyzes your genes as well as how the mind processes the activation of your mutation. It seems like it first matched your genes successfully with the database but couldn¡¯t match your neuronal activity with the inherent pattern. Therefore, the error. As this should be the first instance of such a case, the final result was a little faulty.¡± ¡°Did my mind get altered?¡± Robin asked in shock. He didn¡¯t tell him anything about the forceful data upload, but that would only strengthen his thesis. Slice mused over that question for a moment. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that''s the case. There is indeed alien technology with such capabilities, but those are huge machines and nothing that could be hidden from the government if it was on Rucasur.¡± The Stitch walked over to a cupboard and took out a big case. ¡°I assume whatever energy entered your mind was just some small remnant, or else you would be dead or at least a drooling idiot right now. By getting overwhelmed with foreign information, your mind most likely was forced to improve its way to process data. That''s why you only feel a qualitative change in your mutation, without getting a new skill set. Maybe with time you also will realize more little changes, that can even extend to your character a bit.¡± Slice put down the box on a workbench and waved Robin over. ¡°This is more like a lucky encounter and not something reproducible. We don¡¯t have enough methods to analyze the mind in depth right now, so there is nothing much to learn from you. While still interesting, it¡¯s not worth my time. Now come here and take a look at the Interfaces I sell.¡± The Mohait clearly lost all interest in this topic and while Robin was happy about that and also learned something new from him, he still felt a little miffed. His mutated genes were awesome, that damn dabbler just sucked! What followed was an exaggerated sales pitch from Slice, who introduced each and every contact lens in great and colorful detail. In the end, Robin had to decide between a model that could be used as a normal Interface, with eyes closed, but also had a piloting mode, in which some data from the ship could be shown as augmented reality overlay in one''s field of view. The alternative was a model directly made for augmented reality usage. It also came with a ship connector but could additionally be used as a normal Interface and had even extended functions like relaying video calls into his sight. The only drawback was its increased power usage, one had to add a special body-heat generator that would be transplanted under the skin near the eye. After he considered his options, Robin decided on the simpler model. It was cheaper and didn¡¯t have the need for medical intervention. He was more comfortable by getting something like that from an official med center. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± Slice asked, after Robin inserted and tested the new Interface and stored his old lens away. Robin hesitated for a moment, before he came up with his last request. ¡°Well, do you happen to have some ammunition for a CPP78?¡± Chapter 25 - The Drel Robin shut the door and jumped on his couch after coming home. That was a hell of a day, first clearing his mind from all the shit that happened, then visiting Jim and finally his encounter with Slice. He was totally spent and just wanted to sleep. Him visiting a stitch all on his own probably wasn¡¯t his brightest idea. But he had decided on his path forward and had to be more daring. Robin pondered if this may be the first stirrings of his optimized mind showing its changes, like the stitch predicted? A few weeks ago, he would have never been so straight forward. ¡®Did I really talk back to some criminal of the slums and buy ammunition for a weapon? Holy shit¡­just what has come over me?¡¯ Robin broke in cold sweat thinking back. In the end, everything went well and his next meeting with the Mohait probably will be much smoother. He even bought some ammo, which he hid with the gun in the Melody II. All in all, including the new Interface and the mutation scan, he had paid nearly 3.000 credits, reducing his savings to meager 10.791 credits. ¡°I need more money! I want some nice upgrades for Melody and in the long run, leaving Rucasur will be a necessity. There are too many directions, in which I could move next. I have to organize my strategy!¡± He needed a plan. His goal was set: deciphering the map and hopefully being able to use it to explore the universe and follow the Starborn¡¯s footsteps. But how should he get there? ¡°I can check off my first step as I shed some light on the curiosities around my G-Anomaly. Next I should repair and upgrade the ship. A few smaller things can already be done now, but I need more money for the rest¡­¡± Robin opened his self-made legend and thought things over.
[*** Map Legend ***]
¦¤ Mountain
? Wuranger Site
? Vanguard Facility
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
? unknown
¡°I identified three markers already, but there are still four more unknown ones that should also represent alien structures.¡± He opened his Interface and observed the map again. There were still many markers he could not match with anything, but most of them looked like landscape points of interest, as they appeared too often to be structures. That left him with only four relevant unknowns. Many of them were in the locations of today''s Seka, Beakrath or other cities. He wouldn¡¯t find anything left there. Only two markers were placed in locations that could have survived till now. They were near Beakrath, a day''s travel away from Seka. He would go there over one of the coming weekends. ¡®Maybe Jim could fetch me a transportation contract that would earn me some money¡­¡¯ he thought and switched to the three moons. He only had identified Ruca III as there were no relevant markers at all. The moon today was nearly destroyed by the massive mining operations over the last decades. Even before that, its positioning towards Mereus made it too hot for any lasting structures. ¡°I need a talk with Timothy, he should have some information about the sites found on Ruca I and II.¡± Robin will ask his friend about any news, maybe that will be enough to help him differentiate the moons. Then he should be able to make better decisions on his next steps. Closing his Interface, Robin made his way towards the bedroom. He definitely needed some rest for now. *** The next few days flew by like the wind. He returned to work and also asked Jim to spread word that he would travel to Beakrath and was open for delivery contracts but didn¡¯t expect a response any time soon. When the weekend came, Robin logged into the spaceship simulator on his gaming station and met up with Timothy. ¡°Hey mate, how is the weather over there?¡± He joked, as Ruca I was frequently hit by nasty showers of asteroid fragments and weather wasn¡¯t the best choice of words to describe those conditions. ¡°Rob, good to see you. Missed you last weekend. Did you finally go out and meet some girls?¡± His buddy shot back. ¡°Ha! You won¡¯t believe it, but yeah, I did Melody¡¯s maiden flight over the weekend and Patience came with me.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Are you messing with me? Man, nice catch! How did it go? When did she beat you up, before or after you got into the ship?¡± Timothy laughed over the voice chat. ¡°Come on, give me some credit!¡± Robin faked a pout, but then became more solemn and began to explain what they had experienced in Seka¡¯s outskirts. ¡°Wow, that''s¡­ heavy shit. I¡¯m sorry mate. How are you doing now?¡± Timothy was quite shocked. Like Robin, he lived a quiet, uneventful life. Being stationed on Ruca I as a researcher was already a real adventure for him. ¡°I needed a few days to sort my head, but I¡¯m doing good now, thanks.¡± pausing a moment, Robin changed to the topic he was most interested in right now. ¡°Hey, after we accidentally stumbled across these alien sites, I started to look into them more. I couldn¡¯t find much information about them online, are the locations a secret?¡± ¡°No, not really. The UAS just doesn¡¯t maintain a public database for them since they are of no interest to the majority after we fully researched them. The government makes sure to claim and clear any newfound ones, but those are really rare cases today, at least here around Rucasur. With our planetary scans we normally find any relevant facilities on a planet or moon with ease.¡± Timothy explained, ¡°But if someone happens to find a new site, they get paid handsomely, no matter which alien race it stems from¡­well, there are exceptions, but those are even more rare. I can¡¯t in fact remember the last discovery of a Starborn facility.¡± ¡°I assume there are no relic sites on Ruca III, but do you know which ones were found on the other moons? That said, what type of site are you assigned to, right now?¡± Robin asked, trying not to let his anticipation seep into his voice. ¡°I¡¯m analyzing a newly found Wuranger site, these are nearly impossible to find by scans because of all the dead biomatter and the lack of metal in the constructions. As for what else was already discovered I can¡¯t tell with certainty. I only know of some here on Ruca I.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to tour Rucasur and later on hopefully some other planets. I want to learn more about the relic sites, as those are often the most interesting places. Just share some stories, as we fly around this evening, okay?¡± Robin carefully pushed a bit more. As the topic wasn¡¯t really a secret, Timothy happily began to tell some tales of his experiences on the moon. Robin took notes of all sites mentioned and just as he wrote down his first tangible lead about an abandoned Keeper Info-Station, he heard something that made him sit up straight. ¡°...it was just a piece of luck that we found two Wuranger sites so close together.¡± ¡°Why is that? And how close is close on the scale of a moon?¡± Robin asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. ¡°Well, they are not even 100km away from each other. We found them due to the still ongoing research of a forsaken Drel Outpost that is nearby and as such we often have to travel through this region.¡± Timothy explained and Robin immediately opened his map. There were only so many markers for alien sites on Rucasur and its moons, not even 30 altogether. So, when he heard of two Wuranger ruins at close distance, he could make a guess which moon on his map was Ruca I. The mentioning of another site nearby was all the confirmation he needed. He quickly found the place he was looking for and observed the three markers, two Wuranger and one unknown in a 100km-triangle arranged. Robin''s heart began to beat faster. ¡®I not only got the matching moon, but I also even identified another marker¡­ the Drel!¡¯ They were a very old race that was still around today. Robin heard a lot of stories about them as they were famous for their highly advanced weapons and crazy AI-tech. The Drel do not belong to any faction and sell their technologies to anyone with enough credits. Every now and then someone makes allegations about pirate crews among the Drel''s ranks, but those never get confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s awesome, I didn¡¯t know they left facilities behind. They are still active today, aren¡¯t they? Isn¡¯t it dangerous to plunder¡­ ahm¡­ research their buildings?¡± he carefully asked. ¡°Yeah, but just like every other one of the old races, they withdrew from the Mereus Cluster centuries ago. Most actually left the whole galaxy. What remains from their facilities is of high value to the UAS. Only here in the outer rims of the galaxy can we fully research them and learn from the technologies left behind without the fear of repercussions.¡± ¡°They left the Pranum Expanse? I heard stories of them being in pirate crews, marauding outposts at the border of the galaxy.¡± Robin questioned the story. ¡°Yeah, but even if the Drel withdrew from here, that doesn''t mean that there are none left. Some are still around and living in the bigger star systems. Those ones don¡¯t care about the few scarce Drel outposts the UAS finds.¡± Timothy was fully in his element, sharing lots of his knowledge with him. But that last statement made Robin prick his ears once more - these outposts are that rare? Searching his map again, he moved over to Ruca II and frowned. ¡°You make it sound like they are holy places only found once in centuries. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve read about one found on Ruca II before, so they cannot be that rare, can they?¡± ¡°Rob, you don¡¯t understand. Most of mankind''s modern weapon technology is directly derived from one of the few Drel outposts we got our hands on. The one we found here on Ruca I is already a boon and the only reason, the UAS has stationed two intergalactic destroyers and even a carrier in the Mereus Cluster. Believe me, you¡¯ve probably read about this one here on Ruca I. It''s important enough to be a recurring topic even outside of governmental circles. Another one on Ruca II? That would be big news, I mean huuuuuge news! I would know that.¡± Timothy tried to explain the impact of that one facility further, but Robin didn¡¯t listen any longer. He only watched that second marker he just named, blinking on his map of Ruca II: ? - Drel Outpost Chapter 26 - Apex Highspeed Cup Somehow Robin managed to get through their gaming session without losing his head. The map indicated another Drel outpost on Ruca II. One that wasn¡¯t discovered already! After getting the alien data on his Neuro-Chip, he always felt like he held the key to something special in his hands. It was only now that he realized, just how life changing this could be. If he found the outpost and handed it over to the authorities, he would be rich. It would be his ticket off this planet and the beginning of his own journey among the stars! ¡°There is only one problem¡­how am I able to get over there?¡± he spoke out his mind as he stretched on his couch. Ruca II was the property of Apex, a company manufacturing racing ships. They bought that moon years ago and used it as a place for experiments and tests with their new crafts. You don¡¯t just go over there and travel around for fun. Maybe some rich prick could get a ticket for an adrenaline-filled weekend, but he? No way that will happen. Momentarily stuck with this, Robin turned on his screen and watched the latest news. When the newscaster finished his report without mentioning anything interesting about new leads on the Starborn, Robin was even more frustrated and about to turn it off again. However, an advertisement caught his attention. ¡°The Jolt V3 is now available for sale! With its new Ion-2 thrusters it''s one of the fastest ships in its class! Do you want to start a racing career or just like speeding over the plains of Ruca II? Today is your chance¡­¡± ¡°There should be racing tournaments open to the public, right? I think I¡¯ve read about it once or twice before. Can everyone take part in these?¡± He went over to his gaming station and began to search for information about the tournaments on Ruca II. It didn¡¯t take long before he found what he was looking for - his ticket to this moon and an undiscovered Drel outpost!
[*** INFO ***]
Name: Apex Highspeed Cup
Requirements: - Pilot license - Vehicle approved by Ship Admission Office - No weapon installed - Maximal ship size: S
Typ: Knock-out over three stages
Prize pool: 100.000 cr [65.000/25.000/10.000]
Date: 15-04-3223, 08-05-3223, 10-05-3223
Fee: 2.500 cr
[*** INFO ***]
¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Robin exclaimed happily and began to study the terms and conditions in more detail. The Melody was S sized and he fulfilled all requirements. The fee was expensive, but still manageable for him. Knock-out over three stages apparently meant that there were three subsequent races - in the first round only the best 25 would advance, in the second one the top 10 and then came the final race. The three dates were already decided and as today was the 24th of the second month, he still had over one and a half months to prepare. The prize pool was enticing, but nothing he would go for. He would just get himself kicked out in the preliminary round and fly to the outpost. There was no way he could compete for real with proper racing pilots. ¡°I just have to hope that the first track takes place somewhere near that location¡­did they already provide maps of the three tracks?¡± Robin mused as he skimmed through more and more information and finally found the data of the three routes. ¡°Burn in plasma! Shit!¡± he cursed after reviewing the track''s introductions. The first round wouldn¡¯t even be on Ruca II but in some remote location here on Rucasur. He had to hit the top 25 to get a transfer to the moon and as if that wasn¡¯t already bad enough, the second round would take place on the other side of his target location. There was no way he had enough fuel to get out of the race and fly all the distance. Only the third race would happen in a feasible vicinity to the Drel outpost. ¡°I have to advance twice¡­how the fuck does this sound manageable?¡± Robin didn¡¯t give up just yet and searched for other races and tournaments that would take him to Ruca II. He even looked into the requirements for ¡®speeding over the plains¡¯ as Apex advertised for the Jolt. That wouldn¡¯t help either as it was only for Apex customers and in very contained locations. Unfortunately, he found no other events that matched his needs and finally had to admit that the upcoming Apex cup would be his only chance for success. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I want to travel among the stars! The ticket out of here is in my head¡­I have to use every opportunity available¡­¡± Robin slumped back in his chair. ¡°Flying is my representation of freedom, the Melody II is great but in the end, she is only capable of planetary flights. If I really want to explore the universe, then I¡¯ll need an interplanetary ship one day. This is my chance to get there quite fast, without years of working towards a position in the UAS that I may not even get in the end.¡± Gloomily Robin got up and went over to a cupboard in the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of booze and a glass, before he sat on the couch. After filling his cup, he took a sip and closed his eyes. ¡®I can¡¯t shy away from this and I can¡¯t afford to lose.¡¯ he took another sip and steeled his resolve. ¡°I can do it. I have to do it!¡± he said out loud, maybe to give his decision more weight. ¡°I¡¯ll take part in a fucking racing tournament, and I¡¯ll reach the finals!¡± *** After he finished his work the following day, Robin walked over to his ship. Once again he carefully patted one of its wings. "You already saved me once, but our journey has just begun! Help me to reach the stars, will you?" he smiled and thought about all the work he already had invested in the Melody II. Now it''s time to see how far she will get him. He took out a datapad and began to list all the required changes and updates that were needed to have a realistic chance to compete in the race. He obviously will have to repair the thruster, which won''t be a big problem. The first upgrade he wanted to install was a better control unit. The one he got from the CTV was too slow to efficiently calculate all the needed adjustments of the vents to support sharp turns. He also would have to exchange the vents itself. They felt sluggish and even if commands came in faster, they lacked reaction speed. "That will hurt my wallet, damn." Last but not least, Robin wanted to add a Field Dampener Rig. Tech originally developed for industrial ships intended to reduce damage to the hull from flying shrapnel. Today many used them as cheap alternatives to real shields. They''d help nothing against energy weapons but do wonders under ballistic fire. "I probably will not need this for the race, so I can delay at least that investment." He mused and went over everything he may or may not need. "I''m still missing an idea on how to get out of the race and lose the tracking and surveillance systems to sneak over to the outpost without appearing suspicious¡­" Not coming to an immediate conclusion, he went looking for Jim, who was sitting in his office with a beer in his hands. "Hey Jim, did you already get any positive feedback for my transportation offer?" "Ay mate, no nothing that doesn''t burn a hole in your ship, if you take the job." Jim closed his Interface and observed him. "I need money, Jim, a lot! I won''t shy away from a little risk if the pay is appropriate and it''s not some crazy weapon smuggling or anything." "What has gotten into you two lately? Patience also asked for jobs with higher payment than the usual stuff. Do you little punks wanna tell me that you are starving while working for me?" ¡°Nahh,¡± Robin waved him off, "I want to take part in the Apex Highspeed Cup and need some upgrades. Time is short, so I''m open for more unconventional tasks¡­" "You wanna become a racing pilot? Where does this come from?" "I''m looking for a hobby as a way to relieve some stress, that''s all." Robin explained his sudden idea of participating in a race. "If Patience is also looking for a job, we could take the trip together, if the payout is sufficient. What do you have?" Jim eyed him for a moment and once again realized the changes that he went through after his encounter with the smugglers. "''Tch, playing all badass and shit¡­¡± he snorted, ¡°You could bring a package from your new friend Slice over to Beakrath, 12k on timely delivery, no questions and no opening of the goods." "Slice? No questions asked? Hahaha, that''s a good one!" Robin laughed, seeing his own terms thrown back at him. "It seems like you two hit it off well, yeah? Slice told me you¡¯ve handled your visit pretty good." Jim said, squinting his eyes. "I think it went okay, yeah. He won''t put a bomb in that box, will he?" "Nahh, no worries. That Mohait is shady as hell, but he''s not too deep in the really nasty shit. Should be fine, but I suggest you stick to his rules", Jim shrugged. "I''ll give Patience a call. A copilot and bodyguard will be of great help." Robin said, understanding the value of proper backup. He also remembered his list with upgrades for Melody II and what he had pushed to the end of the priorities, just a few minutes ago. "Right, Jim! Can you get me a field dampener rig? I think it''s time to get serious and I don''t wanna have any mishaps happen again!" Chapter 27 - Whoosh! ¡°Hey Rob, how are you doing?¡± Patience¡¯s voice came through the comms. ¡°Patience! I¡¯m back on my feet. How are you? Any progress with the new studios?¡± Robin asked, glad to hear from her. ¡°Yeah, we have finished negotiating all the terms and conditions. I¡¯ll get my contract next week!¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome, congratulations!¡± He was really happy for her, this was her chance to make it big and now she took the first steps. ¡°I¡¯ll make another trip out of Seka, flying over to Beakrath. Jim told me you¡¯re looking for a job to earn some quick credits?¡± Robin asked, coming directly to the point. ¡°The last tour wasn¡¯t enough excitement for ya¡¯?¡± she chuckled a bit before she became serious. ¡°What¡¯s in for me and what''s the job?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just bring a package along on our trip, simply drop it off at another workshop and whoosh! - we¡¯ll be on our way again! I also would like to check out two new interesting locations I found, on our way back. The job¡¯s payment is set at 12k, we make it a fair split - 4k for each of us, you, me and Melody.¡± Robin roughly explained what he learned from Jim about the job and added the detour to the two unknown markers from his map. ¡°Whoosh? Really? You believe that someone is paying 12k for a transport job and you just go whoosh?¡± he heard Patience laugh over the call. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t make this harder than it is.¡±, Robin winced, ¡°You aren¡¯t stupid and know what this is about. I met the stitch who we would work for and while he¡¯s a shady little bastard, I don¡¯t think he would set me up. He comes from one of Jim¡¯s contacts. Still, I would like to bring a¡­ bodyguard? Better safe than sorry, you know?¡± Patience was silent for some time, before he heard her taking a deep breath. ¡°Your sales pitch sucks, you know that?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ probably.¡± ¡°You have thought this through and are still going for it. That''s enough insurance for me, so at least tell me that we would be better prepared than¡­ last time.¡± Patience stocked at the end for a moment and Robin¡¯s mind also sent him some flashbacks. Blood. Fire. Screams. He clenched his fists, ¡®No turning back!¡¯ ¡°The Melody gets some upgrades right now and I also have¡­ some other means of protection.¡± he avoided mentioning a gun over the comms. Who knew? ¡°Okay, that is more than what I had expected. Great! When do we depart and how long are you planning for us to be away?¡± ¡°Awesome, thanks! Happy to have you on board again. I¡¯ll give Slice a call. We should leave here on the weekend, the 6th day, and stay in Beakrath for one night.¡± ¡°A stitch named Slice? That sounds promising!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be at Jim''s workshop at 10:00. See ya¡¯ later!¡± Patience ended the call. *** Two days later, Jim informed Robin that the deal with Slice was fixed and that his field dampener rig had arrived. After he finished all the repairs from his list, Robin hurried to the back where the Melody II was waiting and eyed the big device at her side with excitement. The generator was a sleek, black box, nearly a meter long and wide. Its casing had many lamellae attached, which would begin to resonate with the surrounding air when activated. Robin didn¡¯t completely understand how it worked, but it was something about adding vibrations to the air to compress it in a localized area, where you would therefore get a higher density. This dense air in turn provides a high resistance to any object and eats away kinetic energy quite efficiently. Reading over the attached instructions, Robin immediately began to make a plan on how he would integrate it to the ship''s systems, without destabilizing the existing power network. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. When night fell over Seka, Robin finally finished the installation and took a step back to observe Melody¡¯s chassis. He mounted the generator at the back of the ship, directly between the thrusters and the little cargo hatch. The dampening field could be activated by either the pilot or the copilot, and the Melody should be able to sustain it for roughly 30 seconds before she would need the same time as a break to stabilize the power grid again afterwards. ¡°The field will be projected as a round, arched wall with a diameter of 4 meters. That¡¯s enough to shield me from any attack from behind or aimed at the rear of the ship.¡± Checking every cable again, Robin jumped into the pilot seat and powered up the ship. He let Melody hover a few meters above the workshop''s floor and made sure that no one was close by. The vibrating air in the dampening field was not only good for slowing bullets, it also had excellent qualifications to possibly cause a person''s head explode. After activating the field, he heard a low hum and only after concentrating a bit on it, he could see a little flicker in the air behind the ship, like a mirage. Nothing one would notice, if not specifically looking for it. Not losing any more time, Robin tapped into his mutation and observed the new module with his senses. ¡°That¡¯s a shitload of energy flowing in there!¡± he exclaimed, after the image in his head began to resemble a little blue sun. ¡°Yeah, that will not be able to run for a long duration!¡± He turned the field off and on a few times to be really thorough with his analysis before shutting everything down, being pleased with the results. ¡°I¡¯ll have to remove it before taking part in the race, but for now it¡¯s perfect! Though¡­I still hope I¡¯m overcautious and will not need the generator at all.¡± Taking a look at his bank account, he winced. ¡°3.100 credits for something I hopefully will never use!¡± This job better go well, as his funds were dwindling steadily and he still had to buy new vents and a better control unit. *** Robin was already running the final checks for take off, when Patience came into the workshop. He got out of the cockpit and walked over. ¡°Hey pal, good to see you!¡± he welcomed her. ¡°Rob! You look better than last time I saw you!¡± she gave him a friendly punch to his shoulder. ¡°I think that should be my line. I remember you looked quite beaten¡­ well you always do, so it doesn¡¯t really count.¡± He joked a bit and then motioned to the Melody II. ¡°Can you store your backpack in the cockpit? I would like to keep the cargo area only for Slice¡¯s package.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really considerate of you, not what I expected after our last meeting.¡± A happy voice came from the front of the workshop. Patience and Robin looked over and saw the small Mohait together with his huge bodyguard coming over. ¡°Slice! Huge guy who''s name I don''t know! Didn¡¯t think we would see each other again so soon.¡± Robin waved them over. The big guy just grunted. In his hands he held a metallic box that probably was the package. Slice observed the two for a moment. He saw how tense Patience was and could tell that Robin''s lax attitude was just a ruse to cover up his nervousness. ¡°Relax,¡± He said and walked over to the ship, ¡°you don¡¯t have to be on the edge so much. I¡¯m happy that it''s Jim¡¯s kids that took the job and I definitely don¡¯t wanna make it hard for you.¡± The two just watched him as he inspected the Melody II and continued. ¡°Good ship! A Bunga chassis as foundation, right? Jim said you¡¯ve built it on your own? Great craftsmanship. You really expect some trouble, don¡¯t ya?¡± the stitch chuckled when he saw the field dampener rig. ¡°You won¡¯t need it, no worries. The package isn¡¯t anything dangerous or under UAS-ban. I just don¡¯t want to let it go through the official channels and books.¡± ¡°Ah right, so you have put the location tracker in there, to make sure we don¡¯t lose it, I suppose?¡± Robin asked. He had just scanned the box with his energy senses and vaguely felt the little device in it - the only object inside that was powered, so he couldn¡¯t sense or identify anything else. The colossus suddenly tensed and Slice raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is¡­ there a problem?¡± Robin asked, not sure why they had such reactions. They knew of his mutation, so that shouldn¡¯t really surprise them. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll not open your package, no worries, but you didn¡¯t really believe I wouldn¡¯t throw a glance with my mutation, did you?¡± ¡°No, I definitely expected you to check it out.¡± The Mohait crooked his head, inspecting him once more. ¡°That¡¯s why I selected this special box that can block any type of scans - from machines and mutations alike.¡± That surprised Robin a bit, the feedback from his senses was somewhat faint and blurry, but still enough to identify the tracker. He didn¡¯t feel anything resisting his ability at all. ¡°Well look at that, it seems like someone scammed you and sold broken goods! Now let¡¯s get this over with, ok? I wanna get to Beakrath before it¡¯s dark.¡± He tried to play it down. Slice looked at him a while longer and then nodded to his bodyguard. ¡°Put the package in the cargo area and secure it.¡± He instructed him. Robin and Patience also moved and made their last preparations. After everything was ready, Slice stepped back to let them take off. ¡°I¡¯ve sent you the address of the workshop where you must drop off the package. If anything delays your flight, give me a call. Remember, full payment only by delivery on time.¡± With that he turned and left for the door, while the Melody closed her canopy and hovered over to the exit at the back. Chapter 28 - Time To Get Out Of Here The Melody II soared through the sky of Rucasur, flying directly towards the setting sun and still hours away from Beakrath. Robin tested out his new Interface and played around with the different configurations of his new AR-visuals. He saw the states and values of his most relevant systems, like speed, altitude, rotation, remaining fuel and power management, additionally he could activate an overlay of Flight Control¡¯s information. That was why he now literally could see the flight corridor they flew through over Seka. After his initial excitement, he and Patience had mostly enjoyed silence till now, trying to avoid the topic looming over them. ¡°Why are you going so far for some extra credits? Where does that sudden need for money come from?¡± Robin finally broke the stalemate. ¡°So far? I thought this trip would go by with a whoosh?¡± Patience exclaimed with fake horror. "Seriously? You just got your foot in the door of the big studios and will get better training. That is your chance to rise in Seka, why take any risks now?¡± ¡°I want my upgrade of course, do you know how expensive that shit is?¡± ¡°Of course you want it, but why the hurry? It¡¯s not like there is a timer on your back¡­¡± Patience sighed and contemplated for a moment. ¡°You had to save my ass back then. I was absolutely useless. I never want to feel like that again!¡± ¡°They had a gun¡­ and you were shot before the fight even began. Also, the first guy didn¡¯t stand a chance at all!¡± Robin argued. ¡°I thought back to that encounter a lot. Thinking about what I could have done differently to achieve better results. Ultimately it comes down to two things: if I had better training, I wouldn''t let myself get shot so easily and if I had been stronger, I wouldn¡¯t have lost the fight even with such a wound.¡± Patience explained her reasoning, ¡°The first thing is about to get solved now with the new studio. The second thing¡­ well that is what I need all the credits for.¡± Robin listened and thought about it. He could understand her feelings, he also felt absolutely useless in the fight and hoped to become better in that regard. The wild chase with the Sentinel was another story. After he had calmed down, he had to admit, he did quite well there. Hopefully well enough to win some races! ¡°How much is still missing?¡± he asked, not questioning her reasons. ¡°After this job? 26k to go¡­¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, fuck.¡± Silence returned for some time in the cockpit, just the steady humming of the thrusters remained, before Patience changed their roles. ¡°So, why are you doing this?¡± she asked. ¡°Me? No reason, I just planned to go there anyway, so I didn¡¯t want to let the chance for some quick credits slide.¡± He shrugged, not giving her any insights. ¡°Really? I pour out my heart here and you give me that shit?¡± Robin could feel he was about to light her very short fuse. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± He groaned and watched the world fly by, ¡°I cannot really explain in detail, but how about this: you know that I want to go out there and travel among the stars, visit other worlds¡­ right?¡± he motioned at the sky above them. ¡°Yeah but I don¡¯t think 8k credits will help with that at all. You are working towards a job at the UAS, aren¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I stumbled over another opportunity, a shortcut so to speak.¡± ¡°Shortcuts often have downsides and risks, are you playing with fire?¡± she pointedly asked. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Robin thought this over and shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. At least not more than we are doing with this job right now.¡± With everything said between them, silence took hold of the duo again. Two hours later they spotted the first skyscrapers in the distance. They were about to reach Beakrath, their destination and the most risky part of this transport job. ¡°Okay, we are about to enter range of Flight Control. We go directly towards the workshop, hand over the package and leave. Keep your temper in check, will you? You only have to stand beside me and look threatening. Do you know how to use a gun?¡± he gave her an update and reached under his seat. When she saw the gun, she immediately recognized it, but shook her head. ¡°I always wondered where it went in the chaos. Keep it for yourself, I have no talent in that regard.¡± Robin shrugged and clipped it under his belt, hoping for some visual deterrence factor. Half an hour later the Melody II descended near a workshop that was at least three times the size of Jim¡¯s shack. When they closed in, a big shutter at the back opened and a guy in sloppy clothes waved them in. Robin piloted the ship slowly inside the building and stopped it at the first spot big enough to park it. While the building was huge, it was still cramped in there. He could see dozens of CTVs and PTVs, some planetary ships and deeper in the dark workshop he believed to recognize the shadows of a huge vessel, probably for planetary cargo or interplanetary travel. To the backside of the Melody were big trash containers, only filled by half. To the other side he could see a big generator of sorts that caught his attention, even more than the four men that walked towards them from the same side. ¡®That is an old nuclear electric generator! Fuck, what are these guys doing here?¡¯ Robin''s heart accelerated, the technocrafter in him was elated and wanted to run over to check it out with his senses. However, the reasonable side in him screamed very loud that it was time to get out of here - now! These generators are an original Earth technology, they were developed on the basis of mankind''s achievements in nuclear fission research and can produce an enormous power output. But that comes at the cost of stability. Today they were only used in interplanetary ships as backup in case the main generator had a failure. As long as they were offline, there was no risk at all, but as soon as they were powered up, you really didn¡¯t wanna have any mishaps. Still, it was better to use one of these than just drifting through space without any power at all. However, this one here? It wasn¡¯t installed in a ship and probably ran in a test mode for maintenance. There weren''t even containment fields set up to prevent external interference. This was not something allowed to be in a city or near any populated region at all. ¡®This is madness!¡¯ He thought as he listened to the low humming of the machine. *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* As Robin and Patience climbed out of the ship, one of the four men stepped forward and gave them a friendly wave. He wore a typical technician suit and was stained with different mechanic oils all over. His goons to the side all had weapons, but they kept them in their holsters. ¡°Hello there, you should come from Seka, right? I¡¯m Gumvar and I¡¯m in charge of this workshop.¡±, he pointed at his fellow men, ¡°These are some friends that work with me. You have a package for me?¡± Robin gave Patience a nod and she climbed up to the little cargo hold to get the box. ¡°Yup, just send Slice the confirmation to fulfill the contract and we will be on our way.¡± The guys only had to finalize the contract as the receiver, so nothing much was left to do. ¡°I better check the box first, don¡¯t I? Making sure it''s still fine and dandy¡­¡± Gumvar grinned. ¡°Sure, have it your way.¡± Robin watched as Patience came back down with the case under one arm. ¡°A nice bodyguard you got yourself there, is she performing full body inspections, too?¡± One of the goons laughed with a lecherous grin on his face. Robin ignored him but his mood fell and his heart began to speed up. He really hoped Patience wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. The guy stepped forward to take the box and gave Patience a dirty grin. He looked everything like the typical brute you would expect. Short dirty hair, reinforced work-boots and his sun tainted upper body was only covered by a vest with lots of different badges pinned to it. He handed the box over to Gumvar, who turned and walked to a small room at the side. ¡°Give me a moment, I¡¯ll just check the contents.¡± Silence fell over the remaining people, the tension slowly rising. ¡°How is it, beauty, do you have any hobbies?¡± The idiot just couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut. Patience remained unusually calm but couldn¡¯t let this slide completely. ¡°Yeah, I use my weekends to beat up dudes that have more brawn than brains. Lucky you, today is the 6th.¡± She mocked him a bit and his friends began to laugh. ¡°I like her!¡± One of them actually gave her a thumbs up, ¡°Now, Lope, leave her alone and don¡¯t make a fool out of yourself.¡± The idiot scowled but restrained himself a little. Before long, Gumvar came back with another box in his hands. He put it on the floor and took out a datapad. He tapped a few buttons and Robin got a notification, informing him of the completed contract. ¡°It was great doing business with you. We¡¯ll be on our way, maybe till next time!¡± He cut the chase and hurried their meeting to an end. He really wanted to get out of this workshop, but unfortunately it seemed like these guys had other plans. Chapter 29 - Who Gave You The Guts ¡°Ho, wait, don¡¯t be in such a rush. Since you are already here, please take this container back to Seka. I¡¯ll give Slice a call, so he will receive it when you return.¡± Gumvar said and pointed at the box to his feet that had roughly the same size as the first one, but a simpler casing. Robin really didn¡¯t want anything to do with them any further and politely refused. ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯ll not immediately return to Seka and aren¡¯t for hire right now.¡± ¡°I have to insist, this is really important for me. A meager delay of a few days is not a problem and I¡¯ll pay along the same terms as Slice.¡± Gumvar said, still smiling but with a firm voice. Robin was sure he wouldn¡¯t take a no for an answer and gnashed his teeth. This was exactly what he was afraid of - there definitely was something off with that package. To his side he could feel Patience tensing up. They would have to comply for now, since all odds were against them if a fight broke out. ¡°Fine, how could I deny it, if it¡¯s so important? 6k now, the rest after successful delivery.¡± Robin said and got a glance from his friend, she obviously didn¡¯t agree with him. Gumvar shoved the box over and tapped again on his datapad. ¡°Great, thanks a lot! The credits are on the way.¡± he said and looked at one of his flunkies, ¡°Open the shutter for them.¡± While the guy hurried off, Robin picked up the crate and slowly walked back to his ship, Patience by his side. He once again was happy to be able to use his mutation while moving and with his eyes open, not giving anything away. When he activated his skill to scan the box¡¯s insides, he wasn¡¯t even surprised to find a bright blue glowing network of power lines that represented a receiving unit connected to a complex device. He didn¡¯t have to be an expert to make the educated guess that this was a bomb of sorts. It only confused him that he saw such a dense power grid - where was the blank spot that indicated the place of the explosive and why was the power supply so high? ¡®I have no idea what kind of techno-bomb that is, but that is a fucking bomb for sure¡­shit!¡¯ His mind raced with ideas. Gumvar and his men would probably wait until they were out of the immediate area around the workshop and then try to blow up the Melody II. ¡®Shit, what to do¡­what to do¡­? Our only advantage is that we already know it¡¯s a bomb¡­¡¯ Robin thought and made sure to not let anything show as they came close to the ship. His eyes wandered around and as he saw behind Melody, he had an idea. One that sucked, but he had to use what he had on hand. ¡°We need a distraction, a rowdy one!¡± he whispered to Patience, who was still walking beside him. She already guessed that something was off and nodded. She then leaned at the ship while Robin slowly climbed up to the cargo hold. Putting on her best cute smile, she looked for the eyes of Lope, the idiot from before. Sure enough, he immediately caught on and laughed. ¡°Had a change of mind, beauty?¡± his lecherous grin instantly came back. Gumvar and his friends looked at him with confusion. They didn¡¯t see Patience¡¯s teasing smile as they were fixated on Robin, to make sure he stashed the bomb in his ship. ¡°Cut the crap, Lope!¡± Gumvar lashed out, having enough of his antics. But Patience didn¡¯t let this chance slide. ¡°No, keep going, Lope. I really wanna hear more to get to know you better! And while we¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t we use this time to give you a chance to learn about me a bit?¡± She challenged him and grinned. Before Gumvar could step up and stop an escalation, she moved to the free space, arms open wide and body prepared for a battle. ¡°Come on, Lope, let''s see if you could even handle me!¡± She mocked him and Lope rushed forward. He knew he was being played, but that only enraged him even more. ¡°Don¡¯t play too long with him, Patience. I really wanna leave soon.¡± Robin called from his position on the ship. Gumvar looked strangely at him, since this remark would only add fuel to the conflict. Robin used this attention to make sure the man saw him storing the box in the cargo area of Melody II and reached inside to secure it in place. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Meanwhile Lope reached Patience and threw a punch to her face. ¡°Damn bitch, I¡¯ll show you!¡± He snarled as she dodged. Lope at least knew what he was doing and didn¡¯t blindly throw his fists around. He kept a good footing and was mindful of her retaliation. After he missed two more hits, Patience suddenly leaned in after a dodge and landed a nasty hit on his right thigh. Slowly she circled Lope and blocked or dodged any attack. ¡°If that¡¯s all, then I really wonder who gave you the guts to spew such bullshit.¡± She grinned and threw two punches in quick succession, one hitting the thigh again and the other crashing in his stomach, pushing the air out of his lungs. She didn¡¯t continue just now but gave him some time to recuperate, still circling around. The other people stood some distance away and Robin still had his hands in the cargo area, fastening the crate while being occasionally watched by Gumvar. ¡®Come on Patience¡­¡¯ He swore in his mind and waited for the right moment. Suddenly his friend leaped forward after blocking another of Lopes fists and tackled him with her shoulder. She definitely used her mutation, as the impact lifted him off the floor and threw him back towards his boss. Gumvar now really had enough, he helped him up but held his shoulder. ¡°Argh, fuck¡­ Boss! Let me show this bitch, how¡­¡± Lope rubbed his sore torso and tried to move back into the ring. ¡°Shut up!¡± Gumvar hissed and tightened his grip. When he saw that Lope stopped struggling, he turned to look at Patience. ¡°Your message was sent. Let¡¯s end this here. Your friend is ready to depart and I cannot see how this meeting could regain any civility.¡± He motioned towards Robin who just closed the cargo hatch and climbed towards the cockpit. He nodded and Patience lowered her fists. ¡°Fine!¡± she conceded, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t act out if you cannot back it up, man!¡± She turned and also climbed into her seat. Before Robin closed the canopy, he addressed Gumvar once more. ¡°We will be back at Seka in three days at most. Please inform Slice of our additional cargo, I don¡¯t wanna have it on my hands for longer than necessary.¡± ¡°Will be done, good flight.¡± Gumvar confirmed and they watched as the ship slowly flew out of their workshop, rising into the skies of Beakrath moments later. Silence fell over the building, only disturbed by the low, steady humming of the big nuclear electric generator that was running some test programs. Keeping it stable without any of the expensive containment fields took them quite some careful tweaks and adjustments. *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* ¡°Close the shutter, we still have a lot to do. I want the ship out of here in two days!¡± Gumvar finally barked and left towards his office. The man that tried to calm Lope down before, followed him. ¡°Did you really have to go that far? They are just some kids!¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°They recognized the damn generator and there is a good chance that they have peeked in the package they brought. We are stuck here for two more days, I cannot risk them running their mouths and spreading rumors.¡± ¡°Well, an exploding ship will definitely raise some questions and as they were here before, we will get a visit from Beakrath Security. It¡¯s quite the flashy move¡­¡± *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* ¡°There won¡¯t be an explosion. It¡¯s a small EMP blast, a typical byproduct of a failed plasma generator. As they are using a custom-built ship, no one will dig too deep in this case. There will be a brief blackout of the ship''s systems and then they will just fall out of the sky, crashing to their deaths.¡± Gumvar explained and they reached his office. He picked up a little device from his desk and pulled on its small lever. The device began to blink with a red light, clearly armed now. His companion just shrugged. This was a solid plan, Gumvar knows what he''s doing. *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* ¡°Well, I hope Slice doesn''t take this personally!¡± Gumvar grinned and pressed a button on the device. With that, all the lights in the office and the entire workshop went out, plunging the big building in absolute darkness. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Gumvar exclaimed and looked around, fear slowly gripping his heart. The only remaining light came from the still running nuclear electric generator that glowed slightly green. *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* *wrr* ¡­ *wrr* *wRr* *wRR* *WRR* ¡­ ¡°...Shit!¡± ¡­ *BOOOOOM* Chapter 30 - What A Disaster!
¡°Why did you take the job? They are obviously planning something!¡± Patience immediately began to scold him after they left the workshop behind, ¡°Do you really have to take such risks?¡± ¡°Patience, did you seriously read the situation as one where we could have declined their request?¡± Robin shook his head, ¡°They had three armed people and we were in their workshop which was closed tightly. There was no way to win if a fight broke out and fleeing wasn¡¯t an option either!¡± ¡°Argh, burn in plasma¡­ I know, but still - what if there is something in that crate that will cost us our head and they set us up? That was way too careless, let''s get rid of that package as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Hmhm, it definitely would cost us our head¡­ literally¡± Robin mumbled quietly. However, Patience still heard him and her temper got the upper hand. ¡°What? Rob! What the fuck? You know what is in that box? What is it? Some illegal military tech? What if we get caught?¡± Robin stayed silent for a moment, trying to suppress the bad thoughts that tried to claw their way into his mind. ¡°Robin, hey! Talk to me, I wanna know what we are dealing with. You even made me drag that guy into a fight, what if that idiot had pulled out his gun? Didn¡¯t you just explain that we would have lo¡­¡± Patience erupted on her seat until he cut her short. ¡°It¡¯s a bomb.¡± ¡°...lost in a fight¡­ WHAT? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Damn! Can you please shut up and calm down? Do you really think I would sit here relaxed with a bomb in my ship?¡± Robin snapped, but at least his anger pushed all the dark thoughts about what may happen at the workshop away. Patience huffed a few times but stopped the yelling. ¡°It¡¯s not an explosive, it¡¯s some kind of electronic bomb and we don¡¯t have it aboard anymore. While you had your fight with Lope, I used the commotion to get it out of our cargo hold and dump it in one of the trash containers on the other side of the ship. It¡¯s still with them in the workshop right now¡­¡± He explained with a low voice, shivers running over his arms. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s good for us, isn¡¯t it? Why didn¡¯t you just say so? An electronic bomb, what¡¯s that? Something that kills Melody¡¯s systems to make us crash?¡± Patience wondered, clearly without any remorse about its current location - it was their bomb, if they get themselves killed, so what? When Robin heard her grumble, he finally found the missing piece in this puzzle. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±, He exclaimed and the crawling under his skin intensified tenfold, ¡°Fuck, it should be an EMP blast. Oh no, we have to inform Beakrath Security!¡± ¡°What? Did you hit your head? It¡¯s not even something that blows up the building or anything, there should just be a short blackout and as they are not flying in a ship, so what?¡± Patience didn¡¯t come to the same conclusion as Robin. She hadn¡¯t recognized the danger to the workshop, the neighborhood and even the whole district. ¡°You saw the big machine running some tests?¡± he asked, already trying to get a connection to Flight Control. ¡°Yeah, some kind of big ass generator, what¡¯s with that?¡± ¡°That was an active, unshielded nuclear electric generator. Not that it would make any difference if there were shields when an EMP pulse goes off at such close proximity¡­ fuck, come on, just make the damn call!¡± he hurried Melody to open the right comms channel. ¡°You mean, like one of those old unstable power sources?¡± finally Patience had it sunk in, ¡°Holy shit! You are right, we should really make that c¡­¡± *rumble* Before she could finish her sentence, the whole ship shook. The metal creaked and Robin had to fight with the controls to keep them in the air and avoid pummeling to the ground. Seconds later the shaking stopped and they could hear a deep, muffled explosion behind them. *boom* If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Robin turned the ship to allow them a view toward the direction they came from. It was dark already, but they could see an orange glow in the distance far away. They just hovered there in the sky, unable to talk or look away. Half a minute passed, before the fireglow subsided and a green-blue hue took over. ¡°That is a containment shield, right? Did the city have automated security measures which activated in time?¡± Patience was the first to tear her eyes away from the unreal scene. Robin also collected himself and shook his head. He flew a curve and brought them back on track towards their inn for the night. ¡°It seems so or else there should have been a bigger explosion. But even if they were in time, how tight would a grid with such shield generators be? One block? One District? How many buildings just blew up? How many people just died?¡± He took a deep breath and Patience didn¡¯t give him an answer. ¡®You''re asking me, but who am I supposed to ask?¡¯ She thought but stayed quiet. ¡°We will be questioned by city security¡­ again. We need to inform Slice and Jim and smooth our story. We just took some parts from one workshop to another and left. We have no idea what had happened there. If someone asks, there was a big machine running, low humming, green glow. No idea what it was. Even a technocrafter rarely stumbles over such a tech and would be able to recognize it.¡± Shortly afterward Robin and Patience, still in the ship and on their way to the inn, were on a secure comms channel with Jim and Slice. They just finished their summary of the events. ¡°Just what fucking bad luck do you guys have when leaving the city?¡± Jim groaned. While he was somewhat right, Robin ignored him and addressed the stitch. ¡°Slice, they will invite us for an interview and question what we did there. They will also see the transaction from you. Is that a problem?¡± The Mohait didn¡¯t immediately answer, but they could hear him sigh on the other end. ¡°I¡¯m honestly sorry. When I told you that this wasn¡¯t some big deal, I really meant it. I have no idea what had gotten over Gumvar that he would go to these lengths.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Robin was gobsmacked, that came unexpectedly. He had already realized that the stitch wasn¡¯t too much of an asshole or else he wouldn¡¯t have taken his job. But it looks like the Mohait was really quite likable. ¡°I have a clean vest, in the box I gave you were Interfaces for pilots, not unlike the one you¡¯ve bought from me. As you were doing that trip anyways, I sent them with you and wired you a shitton of credits. I expected you to get me a few parts for my sensors on your way back, therefore the high payment.¡± Slice recounted his version of the story, that very well could be the truth. They talked about this until the two travelers reached the inn. At that time they both more or less believed this story themselves. After they landed, they checked in and didn¡¯t linger around in the common room for long before they hit the bed. Robin lay there, eyes closed. He wasn¡¯t sleeping, instead his Interface was running and showed him the latest news.
[*** NEWS ***]
Massive explosion in Beakrath Just a few hours ago, a massive explosion erupted in the industrial district of Beakrath. Four blocks were completely wiped out before the city''s containment shields blocked the raging fires. So far, the authorities have not made the number of victims public. Near the center that was identified as ground zero, increased radiation levels were measured. A special hazard unit was already dispatched to clean the area so the shields can be turned off and let the rescue forces take action.
[*** NEWS ***]
¡°Holy shit¡­¡± he mumbled, ¡°What a disaster!¡± It was a tragedy, but not one to weigh on his conscience. He had really just delivered a box with some random items. Those crazy guys were the ones to fire an EMP pulse near their own unstable generator. He honestly was just lucky to have left the district fast enough¡­ ¡°Tomorrow will be a long day, time to wrap things up.¡± With that, he closed the news, turned the Interface off and fell asleep. *** Landom Walzor, team leader of Seka Security, sat in his office and watched the news reports about the explosion in Beakrath with horror. How could an accident like that happen? Was it even an accident? He switched to Security¡¯s database and looked up the case. Did his colleagues in Beakrath already have some idea of what caused the explosion? He read some reports and felt some relief - while the destroyed area was huge the timing wasn¡¯t too bad. It happened at a late hour on the weekend, not many people were in the industrial district. They had calculated only about 15 casualties. Still a terrible disaster, but if it had happened during working hours, the number would have been in the hundreds. ¡°They still have no idea how this could have happened.¡± Landom sighed, ¡°I hope they find the cause to be able to prepare in the future and prevent something like that from ever happening again.¡± Just when he wanted to close the file, a new entry popped up. It was a subpoena for an assumed witness. Robin Tulward, Seka: Has been at ground zero minutes before the explosion ¡°You are kidding me!?¡± Chapter 31 - A Weird Cocktail The next morning began with a new message as expected. Robin was invited by Beakrath Security for an inquiry. He got all dressed up and went down to meet Patience in the dining hall. She came a few minutes later, looking like she didn¡¯t get enough sleep that night. They sat at a small table in the corner of the room and dived into their breakfast. ¡°Rough night?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Yeah, I was awake for quite some time and read the news. The explosion really hit the district hard, but at least the number of casualties didn¡¯t shoot through the roof.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen it, too. 15 people died¡­ their families will feel no relief that it was only 15.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t our fault!¡± Patience exclaimed as she felt the need to defend herself. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ll have to explain that to Beakrath Security in an hour. Did they request your attendance, too?¡± Robin asked. ¡°No. They probably only got you through the registration of the Melody II. Will you be fine going there on your own?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave after we¡¯ve finished here. I¡¯ll give you a call when they are done with me.¡± Half an hour later Robin sat in a train towards the office he was invited to. In his mind, he replayed the events from the day before. He thought about what Slice had told them and confirmed for himself that he wasn¡¯t telling anything directly false or something that was against his beliefs. Their story was some kind of shortened version that left some elements out but wasn¡¯t a lie. Hopefully the monitoring systems in the security¡¯s office would also believe his version. *** They did! Robin stepped out of the branch office after a long hour of questioning. It was pretty much the same as last time and he stuck to the whole truth as much as possible. He learned that Beakrath Security already had an eye on the workshop before the explosion, assuming that they were involved in criminal activities. Unfortunately, the investigation had just begun, and they had not enough evidence to waltz in and take a look around. If they did, the nuclear electric generator would have been found and confiscated before anything could happen. The only moment that made Robin tense up, was when the security officer talked about his bad luck when leaving Seka. While it sounded like genuine concern, Robin could read between the lines - Security became suspicious and had him on the radar from now on. No more hiccups allowed from here on! When he returned to the inn, Patience had checked them out already and waited near the elevator to the roof. Without further ado, they went up and let Melody take them into the sky. Robin got a new corridor out of the city from Flight Control and when they finally left the last buildings of Beakrath behind, he directly flew them to the first marker. The Melody II rushed through the air like an excited bird - flying up high, just to drop down fast, rolling around and doing sharp turns every now and then. Robin immersed himself in the flight. He wanted to feel the ship, learn more about its habits and all the dos and don¡¯ts. The new Interface did wonders in supporting all the different maneuvers and kept him up to date about the ship¡¯s status. This was great training for the upcoming race and Robin also needed to clear his mind and get his head free. The last few weeks had begun to take a toll on him. Patience was on the same page with him, she also enjoyed the acrobatics and the adrenaline that kicked in. When Robin finally saw the first location marker he had set in his augmented view, he stopped playing around. Unfortunately, they still flew over a dense network of production facilities and greenhouses. There was no way they would find anything here and after taking a quick look, they moved on to the next. The second location seemed more promising. They again circled over a rocky plain, similar to the ones at their first trip. But even after they searched for half an hour, they couldn¡¯t find anything that looked like an alien relic site or natural landmark at all. Just rock and dirt everywhere. Robin brought the ship down to land anyway. Together with Patience he climbed to the edge of Melody and sat down, swinging his legs in the air. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. They took out two food packages that Patience got them in the inn and began to eat while the wind gently blew over the plains. ¡°By traveling with you, one is getting a weird cocktail of experiences, you know that?¡± Patience eventually broke the silence. ¡°What is mixed in?¡± Robin looked at her. ¡°Well, I would say one part freedom, two parts adventure and, hmm¡­¡± she mused with a toothy grin on her face, ¡°The remaining seven parts are a collection of remains from a passing shitstorm.¡± ¡°Wow, great, thanks mate!¡± Robin laughed and hit her shoulder ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m working towards that mix, but I think Jim is right - I¡¯m really unlucky outside of Seka. However, who knows what will happen next time? It can hardly get any worse than indirectly blowing up a part of the industrial district.¡± he shrugged. ¡°So, there will be a next time?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, I will have to prepare for the preliminaries of the Apex Cup, so I¡¯ll go out to train with the Melody II regularly the next few days. Ah right, while we are taking a break, I can do some other training as well. Here hold that for a moment, please.¡± He handed her his food and crawled back to the cockpit. Grabbing the gun and two magazines, he came back and took the empty can beside Patience. ¡°You¡¯ve already finished it, right?¡± He asked and jumped down, while she could only throw him some questioning glances. Robin walked some distance away from the ship and put the can down. After that he returned near the Melody and loaded the weapon. He raised the gun, took aim and shot - he even kept his eyes open! *Bang* Unfortunately, the can wasn¡¯t impressed by that and stood strong. ¡°Did it evade or is my aim off?¡± He asked, looking over to Patience. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it dodged your shot. Must have a speed-based mutation!¡± She explained her observations with an earnest face. ¡°You are the best!¡± he laughed and gave her a thumbs up. A few shots later, Robin slowly got used to the gun and could even land some hits. After he emptied the second magazine, he packed his things up and got back to the ship. ¡°Shall we?¡± he asked Patience, who was long finished with her meal. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go home.¡± Evening came and the Melody II closed in on Jim¡¯s workshop. Robin skillfully piloted the ship inside and powered down the systems. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day for now. I¡¯ll clean the ship up and do the maintenance tomorrow.¡± Robin wasn¡¯t in the mood to linger around in the workshop for any longer that day and was looking forward to hugging his pillow. It had been a tiring day and even though the trip back to Seka was enjoyable, he still was somewhat disappointed with the lack of findings regarding the two markers they¡¯ve visited. Those were his last leads on Rucasur. For any more information about the map¡¯s contents, he would need to leave the planet. ¡°I¡¯ll give Slice a call. I hope I can persuade him to pay the second half of the payment Gumvar promised¡­ as a kind of danger bonus. I¡¯ll transfer your share of this weekend''s trip afterwards, okay?¡± Robin asked as they walked to the front door. ¡°Yup, great. See ya at work!¡± Patience waved her goodbye and left towards another direction after they closed the workshop. *** ¡°Hey Slice, how are things going for you?¡± Robin asked, after the Mohait joined his comm. ¡°Mate, good to hear from you. Are you back in Seka already?¡± Slice happily replied, ¡°I had a short conversation with a guy from Beakrath Security, but nothing serious.¡± ¡°I thought so. I had my interview right in the morning, quite the shitshow they have to clean up.¡± Robin updated him on his meeting with the authorities and moved to his actual concern. ¡°We¡¯ve delivered your package and your friend who received it, made a forceful offer we could hardly reject. So now that we are back, that job is still pending. I would like you to close it and pay the second half, as the contractor is¡­ unavailable right now.¡± Slice was silent for a moment. ¡°Did you bring the package he gave you?¡± He finally asked. ¡°No, obviously not!¡± Robin gnashed his teeth, was the stitch messing with him? ¡°No package, no money!¡± Slice happily concluded the matter just like that. ¡°What? Come on, I think some kind of danger bonus is appropriate, isn¡¯t it? You wanna have my services again? Then don¡¯t be a dick now.¡± ¡°Boy, that¡¯s not how this works. You should be happy that you¡¯ve already got the first half of the payment.¡± The stitch said, now with a stern voice, ¡°I do see some reason in demanding compensation, however. Contact me if you need something from within the range of my services and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Robin sat there on his couch, grumbling. Eventually he had to admit that it was a fair offer and probably the best deal he would get. He should not forget that Slice was still a stitch in the slums of Rust Hollow Quarters and not the friendly neighbor from next door. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you a call in the coming days and we can discuss how you will be able to help me.¡± ¡°Great doing business with you, boy!¡± The Mohait switched back to his happy mood and ended the call. ¡°Yeah, absolutely great¡­fuck you!¡± Robin groaned after the comm was closed. Chapter 32 - Nightly Visitor Unsatisfied, Robin prepared to go to bed. It was time to get some sleep and rest. Lying down he opened his Interface one last time today, checked his messages and wired Patience her share. The first that popped up was a memo from Jim, notifying him that the new vents and the control unit will be delivered in two days. He also had some pending windows about financial transactions. After paying for the Interface, ammunition and G-Anomaly scan as well as ordering the dampening field generator, his savings fell to 7.691 cr, there wasn¡¯t much left. But at least the latest job did help a bit.
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Thanks mate! Greetings, Slice
Value: +12.000 cr
New Balance: 19.691 cr
[*** INFO ***]
¡°Thanks mate!? Huh, well at least I didn¡¯t have to pay tax this way.¡± he shook his head as he saw the casual reference from the Mohait.
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Thank you for your support
Value: +6.000 cr
New Balance: 25.691 cr
[*** INFO ***]
[*** INFO ***]
Reference: Beakrath Flight Inn: 1 Room, 1 Ship, Refueling, Food
Value: -275 cr
New Balance: 25.416 cr
[*** INFO ***]
The money from Gumvar was labeled in a similar fashion and the inn also got its money. He finally sent 6.000 cr to Patience and also paid Jim 4.115 cr for Melody¡¯s new parts. ¡°A bit over 11k left.¡± He whined and closed the Interface, ¡°Though, I have everything I need for the race now. Just installing the new parts and lots of training remains before the preliminaries¡­¡± Robin let his thoughts wander around and slowly fell asleep. *** Two days later, just as promised, a big package arrived at Jim¡¯s workshop while Robin was working on a broken PTV. He hurried to repair the petulant ship and went to the office to check-out for the day. ¡°Hey Jim, my new parts just arrived. Thanks again for your effort! I¡¯ll call it a day and get the new stuff mounted, okay?¡± He shouted as he came into the small room. Jim was reading some reports on his workstation and just gave him a wave over his shoulders. ¡°Sure, have fun! I¡¯ll leave in half an hour. Please close the workshop when leaving.¡± ¡°Patience isn¡¯t coming today?¡± Robin asked as he hadn¡¯t seen her till now. ¡°No, she is out, signing her contract. Will be back tomorrow.¡± Jim still didn¡¯t look up, so Robin left him on his own and dashed back to the Melody II. Giving her winglets a pat, he mumbled ¡°See? I told you; I¡¯ll get you awesome upgrades! Let me install them just now and we will begin with the training sessions during the weekends, ok?¡± Time ticked by as Robin was immersed in his work. At some point the hall grew darker when Jim left and turned off most of the lights. A few hours later midnight neared. Robin crawled out from under the ship, having finished changing all the vents. He took a step back and observed his masterpiece. The Melody II stood in the corner of the dimly lit workshop, she looked awesome. Her sleek black chassis radiated a feeling of speed and mobility, the two thrusters were a statement of power. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. This ship will take him into the finals of the Apex Cup¡­ it had to! Breaking out of his thoughts, Robin powered up the ship and started the calibration mode for the new vents. He closed his eyes to tap into his mutation - while that wasn¡¯t necessary anymore, it was more comfortable that way. The image of his ship¡¯s power grid formed in his mind as he concentrated on the four vents in the rear at first. They were running stable without any hiccups. If they provide the boost in reaction speed, as he was hoping, could only be tested when the new control unit was also installed. Robin stepped to the side of the ship and once again activated his energy senses, this time to watch the four outlets in the front of the ship that pointed directly in the corner of the building. As more and more power lines formed in his mind, he began to look out for any anomalies in the plasma flow. Before long, he could see the whole network of ship¡¯s front. For a few moments the image didn¡¯t change, only the plasma running through the pipes slowly pulsed. However suddenly more lines began to form. They were very faint and Robin almost didn¡¯t notice them. They were near the edge of his detection range, blurring each time they swayed a bit. Thin lines created a very very small image of some kind of object he couldn''t identify. The object was roughly 7 meters away and seemingly hovered in the air at the height of his head. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Robin was confused. The image was so faint, he had no idea what that should be. He stopped and reactivated his ability to put his focus on the new spot. The same image formed again, but the object slowly moved along the outer wall of the workshop. As Robin did now concentrate directly at that spot, some more unknown objects began to form, just as faint and blurry. When the group of objects came to a halt near the door besides the big shutter in the back of the building, he suddenly understood what he was dealing with. ¡°Impossible!¡± he gasped, ¡°That¡¯s a person out there¡­ what I¡¯m sensing should be small devices like a communicator and maybe even a body-heat generator for Interfaces. Those are using so little energy, how can I sense them?¡± His mind raced as he realized what this discovery meant for his G-Anomaly. This should be impossible. A body-heat generator is so small, you implant it literally under your skin at the side of your head. ¡°This is nuts¡­ what?¡± He stopped as he noticed that the person had turned on another device and pointed it at the door. ¡®Burn in plasma! Someone tries to break in, damn¡¯ He looked around to think about his best course of action and quickly jumped in the cockpit to get the gun. While he was still struggling to decide whether it would be better to hide inside the ship or outside, time ran out as the intruder picked the lock. *beep* ¡­ *click* ¡®Shit!¡¯ Robin had to abandon all plans and ducked down in the open cockpit. No one would see him here, as long as they did not climb on the ship. He heard the door being carefully closed and steps coming close. Tapping into his mutation again, he tried to get an idea of what that person was doing. He was too nervous to keep his concentration with eyes open, so he closed them and moments later saw the objects that represented the person standing still at the end of the brightly glowing network of the ship. ¡°You can come out!¡± A female voice suddenly said. Robin didn¡¯t move and stopped breathing. The woman shouldn¡¯t know that someone is.. ¡°You know, the ship is still running¡­¡± ¡®Damn, right¡¯ ¡°Slowly raise your hands first and stand up afterwards¡± She commanded, her voice playful but stern. Contemplating for a moment, Robin put the gun on the seat, tapped a button on one of the ship''s screens and raised both hands while his Interface got connected to the ship. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, I¡¯m unarmed and just some technocrafter working here!¡± He yelled, his voice a pitch higher than he would have preferred, but hey - there was a woman pointing a gun straight at his face. When he stood up, he spotted her at the exact location his senses had told him. ¡®That¡¯s some useful new feature I¡¯ve discovered there.¡¯ Robin thought, clearly a bit muddle headed with all the rapid changes happening. The woman he saw had a shaved head with many metal pieces attached and wore a black jumpsuit. She held an energy weapon aimed at him, but Robin could see with his mutation that it wasn¡¯t powered yet. ¡®At least she doesn''t want to shoot me without talking first¡­¡¯ He thought but his attention suddenly shifted to the cables that came out of the back of her hand and vanished in her sleeve. ¡®Damn, is she a Cetro?¡¯ He wondered. The Cetro were something like a race-cult-mix. Once they were a tribe of humanoids that just had a thing for technology. They grew more and more obsessed with it and even began to worship some made up techno-god. To get closer to that god, they modified their own bodies, installing devices and upgrades directly to their skin and bones. They became zealots, haunting the outer rims of populated galaxies. Always looking for new technologies and trying to convert the settlers they found. They didn¡¯t discriminate between races and anyone that joined them - or was forced to join - became a full member of their tribe. Today one mostly finds these crazy maniacs in isolated areas or in the slums of bigger cities, where they work in criminal organizations. Some shit was going on and he was caught up in it - again. Chapter 33 - Read The Safety Manual ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She asked and visibly relaxed when she spotted him, hiding in a ship without a weapon and in the outfit of a mechanic. ¡°Me? I¡¯m working here, running some tests on the latest installations of a customer¡¯s ship¡­¡± Robin responded and waved at the Melody, ¡°But - if I may - wouldn¡¯t the more pressing question be: What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Being funny, eh?¡± She grinned and the metal pieces in her face began to clink as they bumped together. "Definitely not! So, how can I help you? Are you looking for money? I don¡¯t think the boss has much stashed away in the workshop, but I could show you the office.¡± He tried to feel her out as he was still confused why a Cetro broke into this building. ¡°Cutie, shut up, will ya? Keep the money and show me the way to a ship with the callsign Melody II. I just have to get a package and then I¡¯ll be on my way. No worries, right?¡± ¡°Uh, the Melody II? That¡¯s a racing ship, why would it have a package aboard?¡± She tilted her head for a moment and looked Robin in the eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t I told ya to shut the fuck up?¡± She waggled the gun that was still aimed at him, ¡°Do I look like I wanna have a discussion right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, no.¡± He said, leaving it unclear which of her questions it was directed at and continued, ¡°What package are you looking for? I cleaned that ship up just before, haven''t seen any boxes there.¡± He shrugged, ¡°By the way, don¡¯t you know that one should not stand at the rear of a powered ship, directly behind the thrusters?¡± She sighed when he didn¡¯t stop talking, but it was obvious at this point that she didn¡¯t want to shoot him before she got what she came for. The woman also ignored his safety warning but still took one step back. He wouldn¡¯t be able to suddenly power up the thrusters anyways, the ship would immediately crash into the wall. ¡°That¡¯s the one?¡± She asked, nodding her head at Melody, ¡°It was in Beakrath a few days before and never left since it came back. You¡¯re sure you didn¡¯t find anything? I¡¯ll give you a chance to rethink your answer carefully!¡± ¡®Fuck, they are here for me? What do they think I brought back from Beakrath? Gumvar never gave us a package other than the one with the bomb. They can hardly be looking for that one, could they?¡¯ Robin¡¯s mind raced. He had a plan to get rid of the woman, but he wanted to make sure that they would not come after him personally next. Deciding that this had to end right now where it began and not starting a landslide of shit later on, he dropped his act of being overly fearful and looked at her with cold eyes. ¡°Lady, I really have no idea what you are looking for. Do you honestly think I got a package from Gumvar and brought it back? Immediately after the explosion I was summoned by Beakrath Security, they checked my whole ship. Even if there would have been a shipment, the officials would have already seized it.¡± Her eyes went wide as she realized who she was talking to. ¡°Yo¡­ you¡­ you are the fucker that blew up our ship?¡± She could hardly keep her voice in check, ¡°Do you even know what we¡¯ve lost, how much time we spent on building it? THAT WAS OUR FUCKING HOME!¡± When she began to scream like a madwoman and his mutation warned him of the gun powering up, Robin realized that there was no way to keep civil relations with her. He immediately used his Interface, that was already connected to the ship, to activate the field dampener rig. Before the woman could even react, the air in front of her began to shimmer and her arm that was holding the gun dropped to the ground. Blood sprayed out but couldn¡¯t pass the nearly invisible barrier and splashed to the floor. The scene looked unreal, it was as if the red liquid was defying physics itself. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Robin and the Cetro both watched on and blinked a few times. Then her brain seemed to realize what had just happened and the pain kicked in. With wide eyes, she fell to her knees and screamed her heart out. Meanwhile Robin turned off the rig again, grabbed his gun from the seat and took aim. Slowly, without losing sight of the woman, he climbed down the ship and walked over. He was thinking about how to stop the bleeding, when suddenly a thin layer of liquid metal flowed out of the remains from her sleeve and covered up the stump. she took out a stim from her pocket and injected it into her stomach. After that she calmed down a bit and took a deep breath. Raising her head, she directly looked into the barrel of his gun. ¡°That looks like it hurts as hell!¡± He said with a grimace, ¡°I warned you, you should read more safety manuals!¡± "N... no¡­ shit¡­" She stammered, still under shock, ¡°Good move¡­ no... now, what do you want? Kill m... me?¡± ¡°Nah, enough blood for today.¡± He said and threw a glance at the huge red puddle on the floor, ¡°Here are my contacts. I don¡¯t wanna have beef with you guys and there is obviously a misunderstanding. Tell your boss he can give me a call. I¡¯ve never got a package from Gumvar and I have nothing to do with the explosion of his workshop. To clear the plate and don¡¯t be at odds with you, I¡¯ll answer all his questions. I¡¯ve no interest in being visited by you fanatics again.¡± Robin let his Interface publish his contacts and her device save the ID. There was no point in hiding it, as they already knew of the Melody II and could easily get his name. So better he invited them to the table than waiting for them to visit him at home in the middle of the night. She didn¡¯t answer him and looked at her hand that was still laying on the bloody floor. ¡°Yeah, grab it and leave. You should be able to reattach it if¡­ uh... forget it. Just get out of here, I have to clean up!¡± Originally Robin thought she could just let a medic or maybe a stitch reattach the hand. Sometimes accidents happen and when an arm is cut off, they can just put it back on. But when he saw her hand on the floor, he realized there was no hope in this case. The dampening field had cleanly severed her forearm. However, it wasn''t done by a thin laser, cutter or blade. There was a section of her arm missing... a good 15cm''s worth, comparable to the thickness of the shield. ¡®Gross! ¡­and fucking dangerous.¡¯ He shuddered as he watched the woman leaving the workshop. After he was alone with the Melody II again, he thought about what just happened and froze. ¡°First of all, why the hell am I so calm in such a situation? I began to talk crap to relax the tension in the air, cut off her arm as if it was an everyday thing to do and finally told the boss of some criminal gang to give me a call¡­¡± Pacing up and down he came to a stop near the service station. He kicked the metallic box where the cleaning bot was hiding in. ¡°Oi, get moving! There is blood all over the floor. Chop-Chop!¡± He kicked the casing a second time and a little round robot came out. It was a service unit for cleaning industrial buildings. It can handle oil and everything, so blood should hardly be a problem. The little guy gave a few beeps, rotated once to scan the floor and shuffled off towards the bloody mess a few meters away. Besides the service station was a small sink for washing with a mirror attached to the wall. When Robin saw his reflection, he paused and took a closer look. Visibly he hadn¡¯t changed, the hair was a bit disheveled and his face dirty, but nothing else stood out. His eyes felt a bit colder, but that was probably just a misconception, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Did I get used to violence and stuff that easy? Is this what Slice was talking about, that the changes of my mind also change my character?¡± He rubbed his bearded chin, while he watched himself in the mirror. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a bad change, if that¡¯s it. I adapted better to the new life that I was thrown into¡­well I threw myself in. But I feel like I¡¯m on the right track, so it¡¯s good that I quickly learn to handle these unusual situations more levelheaded.¡± He stepped back and watched the little robot doing his work. ¡°Wait, did that madwoman yell ¡®you are the fucker that blew up our ship?¡¯¡± Robin scratched his head, ¡°What ship was blown up? A ship that they lived on¡­ohhh, right! Now I do remember the huge shadow in the depths of the workshop. Wasn¡¯t sure if it was a small interplanetary ship or big one for planetary cargo. Well, now I also have an idea whose nuclear electric generator it was that blew up.¡± The little bot finished its work, stopped at Robin¡¯s feet and gave an angry beep, before it drove back to his charging station. ¡°I may have underestimated how pissed the Cetro really are¡­¡± Chapter 34 - Happy And Mildly Overwhelmed For the next few days, Robin was always a bit on the edge. He expected the organization behind the Cetro to come for him, be it at work or even worse at home in the middle of the night. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t always carry the gun with him, as the train stations and his living complex were under tight security and would find any weapon he had on his body in an instant. Instead, he primed the door of his apartment with many different gadgets that would ring any alarm possible if triggered - from the building''s fire alarm to an automated call for Seka Security. Only one week later could he calm down, after he got a message from an unknown sender informing him that ¡®they¡¯ve got his message¡¯ and would take up his offer for a conversation ¡®in a few weeks¡¯. He had no idea why they took their time now, but who was he to complain? At least he felt a bit more safe from then on. Robin used his time after work to make short trips to Seka¡¯s outskirts. He flew complicated tracks among the endless greenhouses and pushed the Melody and himself to the limit. Training like a madman to prepare for the upcoming race, the preliminaries for the Apex Highspeed Cup came closer every day. Sometimes Patience was with him and observed as copilot how he was doing. As she wasn¡¯t an expert, she could only give so much advice, but every little bit could help. The new vents in combination with the upgraded control unit did wonders and Robin also became more used to the augmented data his Interface provided. The ship held up well and performed much better than anyone could expect from a custom build. He held all the cards needed to get his ticket to Ruca II, only the gap in skill between him and the professional racing pilots remained. Practice and training was the one thing that hopefully would help him to bridge this gap. *** One week before the race started, on a 6th day, Robin was sitting with his back leaned against the Melody II in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by endless rocky plains. He had nibbled on a small yellow fruit for some time already and his eyes remained shut as the Interface was showing him the application form for the Apex Cup. ¡°This weekend is the deadline for registration. If I do submit my data now, there is no turning back¡­¡± he took a long, deep breath and let it go slowly. ¡°Who am I kidding? The point of no return has long been passed. I made a decision after the encounter with the smugglers: This is my way forward, my ticket to get off this planet. I have a treasure in my head and this race is not about winning or losing, it''s about succeeding. Not taking part isn¡¯t an option anymore!¡± He stopped hesitating and gave a mental confirmation to submit his application. Robin opened his eyes and felt the sun on his face. He enjoyed the moment for a bit and popped the fruit in his mouth. ¡°No turning back, only forwards! I¡¯ll fucking win that race and go to Ruca II!¡± He packed his things and checked the safety of the gun again, then he stored everything back in the ship. In his breaks between the flight training, he sometimes shot at cups and other stuff to get more used to the weapon. He was pretty sure, one day he would be happy to have this practice, even though he feared the reason for that. He flew back to Seka and arrived at Jim¡¯s workshop when the sun was already long gone. Over the next few days he made sure to give the Melody the best maintenance he could, dismounting the field dampener rig and double checking every system. The rest of his time was used to mentally go through the Apex track of the first round and he sometimes even tested different approaches with the simulator. Robin didn¡¯t use the simulator extensively however, as he could not find a ship that behaved comparable to the Melody and he didn¡¯t want to risk developing bad habits. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Finally the day before the race arrived and Robin had to make his way towards the meeting point far outside of Seka. He got his trusty food-generator to work, grabbed a coffee and enjoyed the view of the rising sun over the city from his window high above the streets. ¡°I can do it¡­I will do it!¡± He promised himself once more and left for the workshop where the Melody II was already waiting for him. *** After flying over the desolate plains far outside of the city for hours, Robin finally saw a camp in the distance. Dozens of different small ships were lined up in a wide semi-circle, with many tents set up behind them. In the middle, in front of all the racing ships, was a big interplanetary ship parked. It was painted in red and silver, the colors of Apex, and measured at least 80 meters in length and 40 meters in width. When he came closer, Robin could see more details. The bulky ship had three stories and one big, rectangular thruster to each side at its rear. On its top was protruding a big dome made of a glass-like material, probably the bridge or a panorama deck. The monstrum¡¯s landing gear carried its weight on five sturdy legs and to its side was a big open hatch, guiding people inside over a gangway. ¡°That should be a Nova, one of the few non-racing ships Apex produces! It¡¯s more like a mobile base with a small hangar and lots of room for meetings and office work.¡± he exclaimed in excitement after recognizing the ship. ¡°Man, that¡¯s a lot of people down there. Quite the festival, isn¡¯t it?¡± He opened the local comm channel and asked for permission to land. Moments later, the Melody II also lined up with all the other ships, helping the circle''s completion one more step. When Robin climbed out of the cockpit, he noticed that his entrance had caused a little commotion among the people around who tried to recognize the model of his ship. They probably wanted to check out the competition. A custom built ship wasn¡¯t a regular sight at such events, as most pilots preferred specialized racing ships that were optimized by professionals. Before anyone could bother him with questions, a loud voice disrupted the chattering. ¡°Please move into the Nova to finalize your registration. You will get your number and an assigned accommodation for the night. Also, there will be a final briefing for all participants in the evening. Please don¡¯t miss that.¡± A young man in a red and silver suit said and walked along the ships. He used a little device that increased the volume of his voice, so everyone could hear him. ¡°We also want to remind you that you are not allowed to come closer than half a meter to any other racing ship than your own. There are surveillance drones active all the time and observe the area. Any transgression will lead to immediate disqualification and a lawsuit may follow up. Thank you for your attention.¡± No one seemed to be overly surprised by the harsh regulations. There were many different G-Anomalies that could be used to tamper with a ship only by touching it and the participants had to be ensured that there would be no manipulations of their vessels. Robin closed the canopy and took a look around. There had to be at least 50 ships already and registration was still open for a few hours open yet and lots of competition. Only 25 would be able to pass the first round and get a ticket to Ruca II. He recognized most of the ships and there was a surplus of Apex models, as they were specialized for racing. Many Jolts and Bungas in different versions, the latter being the same as Melody¡¯s chassis. As he made his way towards the gangway of the Nova, he saw a middle aged man who stood out. He also wore red and silver clothes, but his jumpsuit revealed him to be another pilot. He was swarmed by people who all wanted to get his attention. The man however kept a stoic, aloof face and moved straight for the Nova, not entertaining any conversations. ¡°Huh, that dude must be famous.¡± Robin mused lost in thoughts. ¡°WHAT? You don¡¯t know Hopewing? What rock did you crawl out of?¡± a small woman came to his side and asked, honest bewilderment showed on her face. ¡°...¡± Robin just looked at her, not knowing how to answer. Unaware of his reticence, she took his hand and shook it with way too much enthusiasm. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Happy!¡± The woman reached only up to his shoulders, maybe 1,50m tall, had long silver hair and wore a white racing suit. Despite her youthful demeanor, he estimated she was in her early 30s like him. ¡°Ehh..Hi, I¡¯m¡­mildly overwhelmed?¡± Robin tried to collect himself and stammered. She stopped and looked at him, her head crooked. Robin also came to a halt and waited for Happy to assess him. When she finally came to a conclusion, she poked him with a finger a few times. ¡°You are a strange one, you know that?¡± Chapter 35 - Last Preparations Robin tried to ignore the disturbingly direct and energetic woman to his side and continued to walk over to the Nova. This was his first time boarding an interplanetary ship and he would be lying if he said he wasn''t excited. ¡®With this ship I could reach other systems and visit different planets.¡¯ Robin began to marvel in thoughts. How long would it take him to get his hands on his own vessel? Would he gain enough leverage to get one, after discovering the hidden Drel outpost? ¡°Hey, Mildly Overwhelmed, are you coming or what?¡± Happy shouted and tore him back to reality. She was already a few meters ahead up the gangway and waited for him. ¡°It¡¯s Robin¡­¡± He grumbled and followed her into the Nova. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m positive that it fits you quite well right now.¡± She questioned and he could see that she honestly thought about that topic. Once more, he tried to ignore her and instead observed the inside of the massive ship after they entered a huge, wide open lobby. He could see the two floors that were above and had stairs and elevating platforms to connect them. Everything was decorated in Apex¡¯s colors, red and silver, and had a luxurious touch. The few windows to the side let in some natural light, the rest was provided by many little drop-lights littering the ceiling. ¡°Feels like standing in the reception hall of a hotel¡±, Robin mumbled as he looked around. Many people had gathered already and he overheard a lot of conversations, some hushed, others loudly laughing. Everyone was excited that the Apex Cup finally began. Happy was already walking to a line of desks at the other side of the lobby. Signs informed him that he had to finalize his registration there. When he reached the small woman, she was already discussing with the Apex official. ¡°...we want to conclude our registration for the Cup.¡± She said, her hands gripping the high desk. Robin had to suppress a chuckle seeing her in front of the big counter. If the desk was only a little bit taller, he would have to lift her up or get her a stool. ¡°I¡¯m Niu Alaris, he is Robin. I''ve brought my Speedy, a Jolt V2. He came with¡­uhm?¡± She turned around and looked at Robin. ¡°Hey, what did you name your scrap pile? By the way, are you sure it won¡¯t fall apart all of a sudden?¡± she asked with an innocent face. Robin facepalmed and gave the official an apologetic look. ¡°Robin Tulward, I came with a custom built under the callsign Melody¡­Melody II.¡± he became quiet to the end and hesitated momentarily. He handed it to her on a plate - he knew it the moment the words left his mouth. ¡°2? Like a second iteration? Do tell, what happened to the Melody I then?¡± Happy immediately caught on and laughed loudly. Robin was a bit irritated, but he could feel no ill will in her antics. He could tell she was just really lively and liked to face the world with a grain of fun. He was saved by the professionalism of the registration dude, who somehow managed to suppress a chuckle. *Cough¡­* ¡°You are both already in the system, great. You have to sign here and here, these are entry tokens for your tents and you still have to pay the participation fee of 2.500 cr each.¡± he explained. ¡°Nice, I hope there will be sweets!¡± Happy grabbed the datapad with her name and picture, pressed her thumb on it and looked absent-minded at the wall behind the counter for a moment. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t think so, Ms. Alaris. But if you wish, I would be happy to ask¡­¡± a notification on his screen distracted him and he took a look. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine.¡± Happy waved him off and turned to Robin before leaving ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. I want to see more of this ship!¡± Robin also signed and closed his eyes to start his Interface and pay the fee. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± the office guy interrupted him, ¡°Ms. Alaris has already paid for the both of you. Please remember to take part in the briefing at 1900, it''s mandatory!¡± Robin looked to the young woman, who was on her way to a big display showing small models of Apex ships at the other side of the room. ¡°Thanks for handling the papers.¡± he said to the staff member still sitting behind his desk, ¡°You seemed to know who she is. Should I know her?¡± The guy looked at him as if he was an idiot and shook his head. ¡°Yes. Yes, you should! Now please make space for other people.¡± Being the only one around this counter, with no one else waiting, Robin got the message and left the man alone. He caught up with Happy and also inspected the many different ships. ¡°Thanks for the invitation¡­I guess?¡± ¡°Sure, you¡¯re welcome.¡± She said, ¡°What brought you here, Scrappy? You are not one to take part in such tournaments and you are definitely no racing enthusiast.¡± Robin didn¡¯t need long to think about it. There was no need to hide it, he obviously had outed himself as a newbie the moment he didn¡¯t know who that Hopewing guy was. ¡°I¡¯m looking for some variety in life, something fun!¡± he finally answered. She threw him a glance, ¡°Try again.¡± ¡°I really need the money, there is an awesome ship I want to buy!¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Again¡­¡± ¡°Argh, come on.¡± he scowled, turned away from the display and followed to the stairs that led to the first floor. A big sign showing visitors the way to the Apex Engine Exhibition. Happy followed him, looking around with gleaming eyes. They walked through the exhibition for some time without talking. Robin even activated his mutation every now and then to feel for faint energies and get more used to his skill. When they left the showroom, they came to a small elevating platform that took them to the top-deck, where they stood before a big window and could overlook the many ships outside. ¡°I have a chance to achieve¡­something big. To grasp that chance however, I have to get into the finals.¡± he finally said. ¡°And?¡± ¡°What and?, don¡¯t you think your questions are a bit too personal?¡± ¡°I mean, and will you be able to reach the finals?¡± she clarified. ¡°Oh¡­Of course I will! There are just, what¡­63 participants?¡± he shot back and was a little surprised by his instant answer - he really believed it and even felt offended for a moment when she questioned it. Where did that confidence come from? To change the topic, Robin quickly addressed something else. ¡°What¡¯s with all the nicknames? Happy, Scrappy, Speedy and so on. You like to provoke the people around you?¡± ¡°Nah, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m an advocate of descriptive naming. Call the things not by the names given, but by the names that describe them¡­and maybe a bit of deliberate provocation. You learn a lot about a person that feels offended.¡± Niu explained. ¡°So Happy is the best description of you and your mental state? You¡¯re sure?¡± Robin skeptically questioned. To Robin''s surprise, all the happy mood vanished as if wiped from her face. ¡°Let¡¯s say half and half. Most of the time I¡¯m really just in a good mood, the rest of the time I wish for it.¡± She said, her voice distant and her thoughts definitely somewhere else. Robin knew not to ask any further. They talked a bit longer, mostly about the pros and cons of different ships. Happy, or Niu, was really into ships and Robin had a hard time keeping up with her knowledge. The topic never switched back to personal stuff and before long, they had to go to the briefing on the first floor. Many people came into the richly decorated meeting room. Tables and chairs were removed to make place for all the participants. In the front stood a small lectern and soon an Apex official stepped up. ¡°Ladies and Gentleman, I¡¯m Bart Nelson and warmly welcome you to the 53rd Apex Highspeed Cup! This year 63 pilots take part in this magnificent race for glory and riches.¡± He began to explain a lot about the event¡¯s history and Robin tuned out a bit. Only when Nelson¡¯s speech arrived at the actual race did he pay attention again. ¡°This is the first of three races. Only the 25 fastest pilots will continue on to the second event and will be transferred to Ruca II. As always, in this first round you take turns and don¡¯t fly all at once. Tomorrow, we will guide you all together through the track once, then one after another you are to fly a total of four laps. The first will be to familiarize yourselves with the track. The remaining three will be your official evaluation. Your fastest lap of those will be used to define your ranking.¡± The man looked over the collection of pilots, ¡°Are there any questions?¡± There weren¡¯t and silence fell over the room. ¡°Great, before we close this briefing, I want to give the floor to the champion of last year. Many call him The Fastest Man On Rucasur, others gave him the name The Endless Winner, you all know who I¡¯m talking about. So please give a warm welcome to HOPEWING!!!¡± Nelson stepped back and handed the man Robin spotted before the microphone. Hopewing still wore an aloof face that told everyone ¡®Leave me alone!¡¯ but walked up brimming with pride. ¡°Yeah, great to be here again, thank you so much! You¡¯ve probably heard already, this will be my last race on this planet as I¡¯m leaving for bigger tournaments to race against the real talents of the Mereus Cluster. This will be your last chance to challenge me, so make sure to give it your all tomorrow, I hope to see some surprises!¡± Seeing the prick gracing the people in the room with his presence, Robin had a hard time understanding the many pilots that hung on his every word. ¡°To lessen the pressure on you, I¡¯ve asked the organizers to assign me for the last slot tomorrow, so you won¡¯t know the time you¡¯ll have to race against.¡± he continued with a friendly smile and Robin was relieved to see this farce coming to an end. ¡°So give it your best and good luck - you will need it!¡± The people were ecstatic, clapping and shouting hoorays. Hopewing immediately left the room, giving his fans no chance for a talk. Everyone else also hurried out of the Nova and went to their ships or tents. Robin was among them and even lost sight of Niu at some point. She was just too damn short¡­ His accommodation was roomy and had everything he needed for these two nights. A bed stood to one side, a small fridge with food and drinks and a low table with two seats on the other. Robin made one last check with his mutation on the Melody which stood directly outside of his tent and finally fell asleep. It had been a long day and tomorrow he had to fight for his future. When morning came, Robin was long awake. He had bad dreams and a restless sleep as the tension on his mind was too great. He met Happy at breakfast again and they chatted a bit. Niu didn¡¯t seem to be nervous at all and was the same happy and energetic woman as the day before. When they returned to the lobby, Robin saw the list with the order of their time slots. ¡°Ugh, damn¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Wow, you go first? That¡¯s a lot of pressure, everyone will watch you and then you will have to wait until all others are done, before you know if you hit top 25. It must really suck to be you right now!¡± Niu happily chattered. ¡°Just¡­shut up!¡± Robin groaned and walked back to his ship, her giggling still reaching in his ears for some time. ¡°How can someone have so much energy? And positive energy at that.¡± he shook his head, slightly smiling. After reaching the Melody II, he started a final check-up and scanned her from top to bottom. An Apex service team had fueled it overnight and everything else also seemed fine. Twenty minutes later Robin could be seen sitting in the cockpit of his ship at the front of a long line of vessels. He hovered a few meters away from a red and silver colored round gate that was stuck in the rocky ground of Rucasur, the first of many he had to pass to complete one lap of the track. After some time a Jolt V3, the new Apex ship, flew over and took the leading position. Robin got a message over the comm and began to follow the ship. It was time to show them what his scrap pile was made of! Chapter 36 - Against The Time Following behind the Security Vessel, Robin and all the other pilots passed one checkpoint after another. This first track was set in a completely plain area. No mountains, no obstacles, no competitors - everything was about you and the fastest lap you could manage. Robin had studied the route before, but only now did he get a good feeling for what he could expect: 28,2 km long, 12 turns with two being 180¡ã. There were four long high speed sections and four short ones. In his preparations Robin made some test runs and calculations. He estimated the average lap time should be around 2:50min. All in all nothing crazy, but the absence of any distractions on the track made sure this race was heavily focused on optimizing your flight. After they finished the introduction lap, every ship returned to their waiting area. Robin soon got a notification that his turn would start in ten minutes and he had to prepare at the starting line. He became more nervous as the minutes ticked by. Doing one last check of all his systems and starting his Interface in pilot-mode, he saw the track and the distance to the next gate as well as indicators for the next turn projected into his vision. *** Niu watched as the Melody was positioned in front of the fancy gate, a red light with a timer hanging above it, slowly counting down. 01:16¡­ 01:15¡­ 01:14¡­ She was on the top deck of the Nova, which gave her a good view over the track and especially on the start/finish line. ¡°He will totally mess this up, won¡¯t he?¡± she chuckled as the counter fell to 50 seconds. Moments later the ship¡¯s main thrusters were powered up. ¡°They seem more powerful than what you normally encounter on a racetrack. What the hell did he install in that ship? And what is his strategy? Speed is all fine and dandy, but this is more about mobility and stability, he will not be able to use much of that propulsion power without drifting off track in the first curve or knocking himself out with the huge g-forces.¡± Happy knew her stuff and had taken part in more than a few tournaments. This newbie however - he came here with a completely different approach than everyone else. ¡°I wish you good luck, Scrappy!¡± Niu mumbled as the timer hit zero and the red light finally turned green. The track began with one of its high speed parts, nearly 4 km long and straight ahead. Robin¡¯s ship gained speed like a bullet and shot forward. Happy could hear murmurs all around, many pilots watched this first participant and were astounded by the ship¡¯s acceleration, just like her. Not only did the overfitting of the thrusters pay off, the person aboard had to withstand enormous g-forces and that was no easy feat. As Niu watched on, she began to contemplate. ¡®He won¡¯t just shoot straight ahead when the first bend comes, will he?¡¯ Moments later, the ship decelerated and prepared to turn left. Even from this distance, she could feel how hard the ship and its pilot were fighting to stay on track. They somewhat managed and moved in for a short straight. She heard the people around discuss his recklessness and had to agree with them. Robin lost more time in the curve because of his high speed, than he gained in the straight before. The next sections were just as clumsy and when he flew along the last straight before the curve into the finish line, she saw him finally mess up. A bend to the left at the end of a 6,5 km high speed section would take him to the start/finish line, completing his lap. Instead, Robin shot straight ahead, totally overestimating his ability to slow down. He had to come to a halt and turn to get back on track. His lap time was ruined, not that it was great even before that misstep. ¡°3:22¡­¡± Happy sighed, ¡°That¡¯s not even bad anymore. Only people that crash will have a worse lap time.¡± She took a look at the display and a small smile returned to her face. ¡®361m/s top speed, what a crazy bastard, that¡¯s nearly 60m/s faster than any sane pilot would dare¡­¡¯ ¡°Come on, you can do it!¡± she loudly cheered for him, earning a few strange looks. That was only the test round, even if he had a good run it wouldn¡¯t be counted. The next three laps were what mattered. *** ¡°Fuck, that was stupid!¡± Robin cursed as he returned to the track. His nerves were all over the place, his concentration severely lacking. The gateways in the curves stood closer together than he had expected and trained, giving him less leeway for errors and high speeds. ¡®I have to calm down and do one relaxed lap now. From there I¡¯ll work on my time in the next two laps.¡¯ He thought and accelerated again, beginning his first ranked lap. He still took the high speed sections too fast, but slowly got more used to the track. In the curves he rolled the Melody to the side more smoothly and got better traction from the vents when he pulled back his right joystick to let her nose follow the turn. When he came into the last section this time, he firmly concentrated on keeping it slow to not fuck up again. ¡®Not faster than 320m/s, braking 1.000m before the turn. Come on, I can do it!¡¯ He flew along the straight and managed to get the curve in the end, finishing his lap somewhat alright. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. After crossing the finish line, his results popped up in his Interface for just a second. Lap Time - 02:52 Top Speed - 318m/s He was pressed into his seat, fighting against the enormous g-forces before he could form a clear thought. Only when he decelerated moments later, could he process the information. ¡®Not too bad, but the speed is a bit too low. I have to go faster. The professionals will probably hit 380m/s or more¡­¡¯ Robin evaluated his last lap, not realizing he had no idea how other pilots were flying their races. He never bothered to check - they just would give it their all, wouldn¡¯t they? Maximum speed and then throwing yourself into the next curve with everything your ship could tolerate without breaking apart. What Robin failed to understand was that he withstood the g-forces much better than most other people and as such could push the Melody in the high speed sections much further. Today every planetary ship had force-reduction measures on board, but there was not much difference between the systems. They had varying origins and diverse forms, but ultimately every module could reduce the strain on the ship¡¯s occupants by roughly 25%, give or take. Robin¡¯s body wasn¡¯t changed and his mutation in another theme. However, his brain once got that massive overload and adapted to a higher burden. So even when he sat on a rocket, getting a full brunt of g-forces, his mind could remain clear for a bit longer. Oblivious to that, he planned his next lap. ¡®02:45 should be my target this round, 02:42 for the last one¡­ Hopefully that will be enough!¡¯ *** Niu still stood on the Nova¡¯s top deck. She had the time of her life and was loudly cheering for Robin each time he pushed the speed to its limits. He had just finished his next ranked lap, getting quite the good time. ¡®02:46 and 331m/s, that¡¯s actually pretty good. He is compensating his lack of skill with recklessness and his ship¡¯s stupid sturdiness in the speeding sections. Everyone else''s head would long be mushy from all the strong accelerations.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that the ships of the other pilots won¡¯t be able to reach those speeds, but finishing a race takes time and each strain on one''s mind through the g-forces would cloud your head and slow your reaction. Because of that, most pilots were accelerating slower and braking earlier because one small misjudgment would kick you out, like it happened to Robin in his first lap. The people around were in dismay and excitedly discussed his approach. The racing community was an established one with old, unwritten rules and teachings. Robin threw all that into the winds. ¡°02:46 is pretty good for a rookie, but he would need a faster lap by at least 5 seconds to have a shot at the top 25!¡± one of the pilots in the crowd just said and Happy had to agree. He lost too much time in the curves, his lacking skill will probably cost him the qualification. But he should be proud, he is doing well for his first race. ¡°Wohoooo!¡± She once again cheered for him when he neared the last section of his final lap. His lap time right now was looking even slightly better than last round. *** ¡°Too slow¡­too clumsy¡­too rough. Burn in plasma!¡± Robin cursed once more. He knew his weaknesses and could see them clearly in every move he did. ¡°I¡¯m too inexperienced, one or two tournaments more and I could achieve something. But right now? I make too many mistakes.¡± He was angry, he should have trained more. Get more data on the track, get more data from other races. He messed up and this was his only chance. He finished the turn and entered the last straight. With his hand on the throttle, he ramped it up once more and prepared to accelerate. ¡®340m/s, 950m to brake¡¯ he set a plan in his mind. ¡®This will never be enough, will it? I fucked up so much in the turns, those lost seconds cannot be regained.¡¯ He shook his head as he pushed the joystick forward and let the thrusters roar loudly. Just before his mind faded because of the incoming g-forces, he clenched his teeth. ¡®No! I only have this one shot. I need to get in the top 25 today. I cannot wait for next year - what happens if someone else finds the outpost? I decided to change my life and today I¡¯ll take the next necessary step. I¡¯ll win this shit!¡¯ Decisively he pushed the throttle further up, his vision narrowed more than ever, nearly knocking him out. Flashbacks of the chase with the smugglers sneaked into his mind, tormenting him. When his senses finally returned, he saw that Melody had already hit 375m/s. Faster than even in his first attempt. He only had seconds in the straight to make new calculations for the braking sequence. Once again he felt the Sentinel behind him, trying to shoot him out of the sky. He shook his head to clear his mind and narrowed his eyes. ¡®I¡¯ve done it before, I can do it again!¡¯ He didn¡¯t stop the acceleration and pushed the Melody even further to her limits. The gate came in faster than ever before. ¡®1.600m¡­¡¯ ¡®1.400m¡­¡¯ ¡®1.200m¡­¡¯ When only 1.000m remained, he yanked the throttle back, cutting off the power from his thrusters¡­ *** Happy, every pilot on the Nova¡¯s deck and even some Apex staff members watched with shock and amazement as Robin zipped along the last high speed section. His ship was only a blur - how fast is he going? ¡°He doesn¡¯t slow down, how will he¡­¡± someone exclaimed among the crowd, but before he could finish his sentence, the ship¡¯s thruster suddenly went off. Niu felt elated, that was exciting, that was fun. For her, these tournaments were a way to flee the pressure and responsibilities of daily life. Robin raised that to a whole new level. When she saw the thrusters die out, her eyes went wide. The Melody, shooting along the track with insane speed, rotated midair and changed front and rear in the blink of an eye. The ship¡¯s thrusters came back to life and screamed so loud, the windows of the Nova began to vibrate. The ship still shot backwards, but slowed down rapidly. Happy couldn¡¯t even imagine the forces Robin had to withstand right now. But it didn¡¯t matter, when he neared the gateway after which the curve came, she knew he would overshoot. He indeed flew through the first one and passed the other gate on the finish line to his side. However, as he was passing by, his ship realigned its nose and only a second later the roaring thrusters finally overcame the momentum and pushed the Melody forward, catapulting her over the finish line. The room was deadly silent after seeing someone doing a Flip and Burn maneuver. Only when the display viewed his latest results, did the people wake up from their stupor. Niu didn¡¯t even check the time, her eyes glued to the number in the second row. Top Speed - 432 m/s - New Record! Chapter 37 - A Close Call The door flew open with a bang and Patience¡¯s grumbling could be heard. ¡°Damn, that fucking door still stubbornly refuses to do it¡¯s job!¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Jim shouted from his office, ¡°Stop kicking my door - also it''s the weekend, shouldn¡¯t you roughen up some dudes in the ring right now?¡± ¡°No official fighting for me before my new coach gives the go and that will take some time, if I understood his angry shouting correctly before.¡± she shrugged and passed Jim, who was sitting at his desk. The huge bloke remained silent and only observed her, as she went over to a cupboard and fished out a bottle of the cheap booze they always kept there for emergencies. She hesitated for a moment and also took out two cups. ¡°Why are you here, Patience?¡± Jim finally asked with a softer voice, while she was preparing the drinks. She also took a seat and sighed. ¡°I just came from saying my goodbyes to the old geezer, my former coach.¡± she said slowly, pushing a glass over to Jim, who kept quiet. ¡°That damn bastard was all happy for me and wished me luck with a smile on his face.¡± Patience closed her eyes and took a sip before she continued with a sad face. ¡°He tried to hide it, but I could see his heart break. He took me in when I was just a brat that liked to beat up the boys in the neighborhood. For eight years he trained me, I was like a daughter to him.¡± ¡°His job was to prepare you to get a chance out of RustHollow Quarters. You fought for that and you¡¯ve won. You¡¯re about to rise in society - give it a few more years and you will leave this workshop, too.¡± Jim smiled gently, ¡°He is happy for you, believe me. Of course he is sad, as are you, but you are not only fulfilling your own wish, but his one¡¯s, too.¡± ¡°I know, it still sucks¡­¡± she grumbled. ¡°Yeah, good you feel like that. You would be an asshole to just leave after all this time without any remorse.¡± he grinned, ¡°He is not out of reach, keep visiting your old studio and share your victories with him. Maybe help training the newbies every now and then, you can inspire those people and show them what they are fighting for.¡± Patience stayed silent for a long time. ¡°Thanks mate!¡± she finally said and added quietly ¡°I hope it will be like that¡­¡± Jim heard her, but didn¡¯t say anything for now. They just sat in silence, drinking cheap booze and following their own thoughts. Only ten minutes later did Jim put down his empty cup and started another topic. ¡°Why are you even here?¡± He asked the same question again and she needed a moment to understand what he meant. ¡°I wanted to go with him, but I think it¡¯s better to work on my future here. The new training will help me to be better prepared next time.¡± she said. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Jim scoffed, ¡°Next time is it? What next time? Normally you never get in such situations at all. You are longing for strength and taking high risks just to be prepared for an eventuality that will not even occur, if you stop that kind of preparation.¡± Patience kept quiet, just fidgeting with her empty cup. ¡°You feel it, don¡¯t you? Robin is planning something big¡­¡± Jim continued. ¡°After your encounter with the smugglers, he changed. He set his priorities and is working directly towards his final goal: leaving Rucasur. I don¡¯t know his exact plan, but Robin now takes every shortcut he finds, no matter the risks. He meets with shady criminals in the slums, takes illegal jobs and now pitting himself against some professional pilots in a race. He has a goal, a plan and the conviction to fight for it.¡± Letting that sink in for a moment, he asked her, ¡°Tell me Patience, what is your goal?¡± Jim grabbed the bottle and refilled their glasses as he waited for Patience to sort her thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I have no idea, okay?¡± she finally exclaimed angrily and rested her head on the table. ¡°Traveling with Rob is fun. Yeah, right, it¡¯s getting fucking dangerous lately and you have to be careful to keep your skin, but it¡¯s fun!¡± she huffed and took her drink. ¡°I think I want to be prepared for what happens next if I follow him.¡± Jim thought about that and pointed out something that she was glossing over. ¡°He gets more active every week. If he doesn¡¯t mess up on the way, I don¡¯t think he will be staying here for much longer. Will you follow him when the time comes? Leaving Rucasur behind, your old coach, your family¡­leaving the life you¡¯ve built yourself? You know, that¡¯s what you are working towards right now.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I have no idea, Jim. It is fun with him, but he has changed a lot in the last months. He is more stern, more determined. Those are good changes but it feels like he isn¡¯t quite done changing yet¡­¡± ¡°People always change. They¡¯re never done, Patience. Never. The only question is, if they are changing for the better or worse. Only time will show where they ultimately end up.¡± They stopped talking to enjoy the silence and the booze some more. When it was getting late, Patience prepared to go home. ¡°Thanks again pal, I needed to hear that.¡± She threw him a thankful smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way to¡­¡± She suddenly stopped mid sentence and closed her eyes. ¡°That crazy bastard!¡± Patience grinned and shared the news article she just got with Jim, who took a look at it with an interested face.
[*** NEWS ***]
New Record At Apex HSC The Apex Highspeed Cup is always an exciting event. We are live on site for you as the preliminaries are taking place right now. But this year is promising to become even more thrilling than the last ones. Just now only the first pilot finished his run and we already could witness a spectacle. The rookie pilot R. Tulward broke the long standing speed record of 402m/s on the long straight by a staggering 30m/s. He shot with his custom ship Melody II along the track and could only finish his lap after reaching 432m/s due to a risky ¡®Flip and Burn¡¯ maneuver. See the linked video of that crazy move!
[*** NEWS ***]
¡°Hahaha!¡± Jim boisterously laughed, ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s done, show them!¡± *** ¡°You are a crazy lunatic!¡± Happy cheered when she came over to the Melody, flailing her short arms around. ¡°You were so fast and then your ship turned like this¡­and then like that¡­¡± she motioned with her hands as if retelling an epic tale. Robin grinned at her antics. Her name really said it all as her cheerfulness was infecting the people around her. ¡°Calm down, will ya? I did a good move okay, but tell me how is my time?¡± He asked. After finishing his last lap, he only saw the time: 02:41. One second better than what he had aimed for. But not faster than what he expected from his crazy stunt at the end. He didn¡¯t know how his chances were for reaching top 25 with that. ¡°Your time? Ummm, I don¡¯t know?¡± Niu stopped and scratched her head. ¡°Come on, you know your stuff. Do I have a chance to advance to the next round or not?¡± Robin pushed, he needed to know. ¡°Uh¡­what is your final time?¡± she awkwardly asked. ¡°...¡± ¡°I think you don¡¯t understand how impressive that move of yours w¡­¡± ¡°02:41!¡± Robin cut her short, only interested in his chances. Niu gave him a strange look and sighed. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not too bad, could be enough. No promises, ok? It¡¯ll be a close call.¡± He gave her a short happy hug and turned to check his ship. ¡°Thanks! I really hope I¡¯ll do it.¡± Happy watched as Robin ran some tests on his ship. Her run was only much later that day, so she had some time to spare. ¡°Your move was pretty awesome, but there are good reasons we never see ¡®Flip and Burns¡¯ in the tournaments. It¡¯s super dangerous to do in the atmosphere with such a high gravity, while flying so low at the same time. Why did you take the risk, if it couldn¡¯t even ensure you the desired ranking at the end?¡± She asked. ¡°I told you, I need to reach the finals to¡­grasp an opportunity that was offered.¡± He repeated what he already explained to her the day before. ¡°You have no chance to get into the top 10 in the next race¡­not even close.¡± She stated, her happy mood gone, replaced by a serious face. Robin stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She really believed it, he could see that. ¡°I have to, there is no way around.¡± He said after a moment, turning back to his ship. ¡°Maybe there is no way around it, but you could prop up your chances.¡± She replied, a smile slowly creeping back to her face. ¡°I could train you over the next few days. We have a bit over three weeks, assuming you advance at all.¡± Robin climbed down his ship, coming to a halt in front of her. ¡°You would do that? Why?¡± he carefully asked. ¡°Of course I would. Probably not every day - I have obligations too - but we should get a few days for training. Why? Because it¡¯s fun and I really would like to hear you call me master!¡± Happy snickered. ¡°No way! I¡¯ll go with Coach, nothing more!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Tss...let¡¯s see if you get into the top 25 first, then we will talk about our master-student relationship.¡± she scoffed and left. Robin grinned, if she helps him, then his chances would rise greatly. He didn¡¯t see her flying yet, but he did some research. And one thing was for sure: Happy really knew her shit. She was a student at a UAS academy, training to become an official pilot for intergalactic cruisers. Her final test was just a few months away and since she was the best of her class by far, everyone knew it was just a formality for her. He hurried to finish his checks on Melody II and was about to hurry to the Nova, where he could watch the race from the top deck, when he got a call from an unknown contact. ¡°Hello?¡± He cautiously asked. ¡°Mr. Tulward, good to hear you. Congratulations on your great race today!¡± A man with a friendly, bright voice said. ¡°Sorry, who am I talking to?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Ah, Mr. Tulward, didn¡¯t you tell my employee you wanted a call from me? Don¡¯t give me the cold shoulder now!¡± He heard the man chuckle and finally understood who he was talking to. ¡®Damn, burn in plasma!¡¯ They obviously knew he was here, so why would the Cetro choose this moment of all things? Chapter 38 - Someone Has To Pay ¡°This isn¡¯t a good time, why don¡¯t we have a chat in a few days?¡± Robin tried to stall the Cetro. At the moment he didn¡¯t have the leisure to have a discussion with some crazy technology fanatic. ¡°That''s unfortunate for you, because I¡¯m all on fire for our little talk.¡± The man directly denied, ¡°You can call me Hash, I¡¯m head priest of a small community known as TechnoBlood. Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Ughh¡­¡± Robin couldn¡¯t suppress a sigh, sat back on the pilot seat and closed the canopy. If he couldn¡¯t postpone this meeting, he at least needed a quiet environment. ¡°Well, I would be lying if I said the same, though I¡¯m looking forward to clearing up the misunderstandings between us. I already told your friend that I have nothing to do with whatever you are looking for. By the way, how is she doing?¡± ¡°Her hand couldn¡¯t be attached again, but the Great One showed his grace and blessed her with a mechanical arm. She is now closer to perfection than ever before.¡± Hash explained, reverence in his voice. ¡°That¡¯s¡­good to hear?¡± Robin guessed and added in his mind ¡®Damn maniacs, how does one interact with such zealots?¡¯ ¡°You told my friend you didn¡¯t get a package from Gumvar?¡± The priest finally came to the point. ¡°No, I didn''t take anything with me when I left. I¡¯m completely clueless what you were looking for.¡± ¡°You see, we do have a problem now. I don¡¯t like it when people lie to me!¡± Hash said, his voice getting cold. ¡°Mate, we are on the same page with that. No lying, that¡¯s why I told you to call. Why do you even think he gave me anything?¡± ¡°We checked your finances and saw the transaction from Gumvar. You wanna tell me he gifted you the money because of his good heart? I was lenient and gave you time to think before calling you. But if you are not honest with me, I promise the next visit won¡¯t be as pleasant.¡± ¡°It seems we have a different understanding of ¡®pleasant¡¯. Anyway, you are right, he sent me money and it was indeed for a transport contract. However, I told the truth: I didn¡¯t take anything! He was forcing me into that contract and I had a bad feeling. So instead of putting that crate in my cargo, I left it behind in his workshop. He didn¡¯t notice it and I planned on canceling the contract after leaving, returning his money. But that doesn¡¯t seem feasible any longer.¡± Robin explained what had happened that evening in Beakrath in a shortened but true version. The man stayed silent for a long moment and Robin really wondered what that guy was all about. Even if he took the box, it would be long gone, he should be able to know that, too. So, why all this theatrics? ¡°That¡¯s¡­unfortunate to hear.¡± Hash finally said, ¡°When the workshop exploded, our ship was also destroyed, our home! My community is in upheaval. The box you didn¡¯t take out of there should have contained something very important. So, how will you repay us?¡± ¡°REPAY? Dude, I don¡¯t owe you anything. I¡¯m sorry for your ship and all, but I didn¡¯t blow up the workshop and I didn¡¯t take whatever was in that box. You and I don¡¯t have any connection at all!¡± Robin angrily exclaimed, he was about to lose his patience with the fanatic. Only his fear of a nightly visit reminded him to not cancel the call immediately. He needed proper closure with TechnoBlood. ¡°Mr. Tulward, that is not correct. You may not be responsible for the loss of our home, but you failed the contract. If you would have taken the crate with you, it¡¯s contents could have been saved. Someone has to pay for my loss and as you are the one who breached the agreement, you owe me!¡± he snarled and Robin understood that negotiations were over. He drew the short straw in this. The priest''s argumentation had some merit and the only way to prove him wrong would be to reveal that the box didn¡¯t contain his stuff but a bomb. But Robin was pretty sure TechnoBlood would directly skin him alive, if they knew he knowingly left a bomb near their ship. Angrily he punched the dashboard in front of him. ¡®Fuck it, why is every step I take so damn complicated?¡¯ Robin gnashed his teeth and gave in. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s good that you own up to your failures.¡± Hash replied and some friendliness returned to his voice. ¡®Failures my ass!¡¯ Robin cursed in his mind and waited for the priest to continue. ¡°There is someone else who messed with our business, but didn''t listen to reason when we asked for compensation.¡± ¡°What? You want me to be your hitman? Forget it, you know I¡¯m just some random guy without any noticeable backing.¡± Robin scoffed at the thought of him running around killing people for some maniacs that liked to fuck with their toaster. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. We don¡¯t want you to kill anyone. As luck would have it, you are in the perfect position for this job.¡± Hash chuckled, ¡°The mentioned person is taking part in the Apex Cup, just like you. But he is cheating, his ship is rigged. We want you to expose him after the second race. You have enough time to prepare and with your mutation it should be easy to collect enough evidence, right?¡± ¡°Someone is cheating? Why don¡¯t you just inform Apex? I¡¯m sure they will investigate if you make such accusations.¡± Robin asked, wondering why they needed him for this. ¡°We have reason to believe that Apex would try to cover this up. So we need you to not only expose his cheating, but to do it as flashy as possible. Everyone must know of it, so Apex cannot gloss it over.¡± The priest explained. ¡°Apex would try to cover this up? Why would they¡­oh shit! You are fucking kidding me! You want me to blow up Hopewing¡¯s career???¡± Robin gasped. That would be the only person he could think of. He was Apex¡¯s most prominent racing pilot and the figurehead of their marketing campaign. They would never allow it to become public, if he was cheating. ¡°I knew you were the right one for this job. You immediately understood why this is a tricky problem.¡± Hash was back to his cheerful self and Robin was honestly confused by his rapid mood swings. ¡°Your window is between the second and the third race, your debt is paid the moment he is kicked out of this tournament. If you fail, we will look for another way of compensation - but believe me, you won''t like it.¡± ¡°Aha, tell me at least something about how he is cheating and why you didn¡¯t already expose him yourself. I don¡¯t think you lack the means to collect enough evidence to make it big on your own.¡± ¡°He uses some unknown support-system to boost his capabilities. We couldn¡¯t do it before, as we were told it¡¯s only activated and maybe even installed for the time of his races. He takes it out immediately afterwards. You will find it, I¡¯ve no doubts you are motivated enough. We couldn¡¯t get someone close enough to him before, so you are in quite the lucky position now, don¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Yeah, awesome¡­lucky me.¡± Robin sighed and ended the call. *** After his talk with TechnoBlood, Robin walked over to the Nova. He was thinking of different possibilities on how Hopewing could cheat. It wasn¡¯t that easy since Apex didn¡¯t have many rules in the first place. If there are no rules, how could someone break them? After arriving at the observation deck, Robin found a seat and checked the timetable. Happy''s turn would be in one hour, so he still had some time. Oh right, a few other pilots were already done. He totally forgot his anxiety about his ranking. ¡®Great, five people have finished so far and only one has a better time than me: 02:40, that¡¯s just one second faster, the others are slower by 2-5 seconds. My chances aren¡¯t too bad.¡¯ He thought and let go of the breath he had unconsciously held. ¡®I have to win another race to get to the finals. Now I have even one more reason - without winning the second race, I cannot work on my job for Hash. Damn¡­¡¯ Robin closed his eyes and started his Interface. For the next hour he read everything he could find about the regulations of the Apex Highspeed Cup and also skimmed through a few news articles about Hopewing. Just as Niu explained, he really was a celebrity. While arrogant, he had the record to back up his high nose. He won nearly every race in the last three years. There were even two occasions where the second placed racer had broken a record only for Hopewing to outmatch him in the same race. ¡®If you know what you are looking for, it at least seems believable. Man, that guy has a lot of fans. Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t want to shoot the messenger after I expose his cheating¡­¡¯ Shaking his head, Robin turned off his Interface and checked the board again. He had fallen to 3rd place, still acceptable. When it finally was Niu¡¯s turn, Robin concentrated on the track. He was really interested to see how she would do. Niu was a real professional, hopefully he would be able to learn from her. Oh boy, there was much to learn! She raced through the gates like a flash. Each turn was taken with incredible speed, but without the ship drifting outwards as if it was glued to the track. Robin was in wonder as he observed her doing one lap after another in excellence. Even in her warm-up lap did she get a better time than he did in his best lap and she only became better with each round. At the end she finished with 02:33, eight seconds faster than him. Robin finally understood the massive gap in skill and began to sweat for his ranking. He packed his stuff and went down to congratulate Niu. When he reached her ship, she was already sitting in a camping chair, waiting for him with two beers in her hand. She began to laugh after spotting him shuffling over with a long face. ¡°Are you coming to greet your master?¡± Chapter 39 - So Much To Learn Robin and Niu sat in front of her Speedy, a white Apex Jolt V2, and drank cold beer. They both had finished their races and were using the time to relax and talk about random stuff. Robin came to understand the seemingly always happy woman a bit better. She was the sole daughter of a prominent family and burdened with lots of political responsibilities. The Alaris family was in the real estate business and her parents had high hopes for their daughter. They planned her educational journey and early on prepared her for taking over a branch in the Mereus Cluster. When Niu grew up however, she showed no interest in this field of work at all. She liked the big spaceships her family owned and always dreamed of becoming a pilot - having the ability to control such huge ships and the freedom to go wherever she wants. Getting the Class C - Highspeed Reflexes as her mutation, she saw as the final confirmation to change her path. She rebelled against the Alaris family and signed up to a UAS academy, training to become a pilot for intergalactic cruisers. Today, the relationship with her parents was somewhat stable as she excelled in the academy and even gained some fame for the family by getting good results in races like this Apex Highspeed Cup. ¡°Flying my ship in these races gives me the feeling of freedom and adrenalin. It makes me forget all the political shit my family throws at me again and again.¡± Happy had explained to him. Also, Robin got the feeling that her happy mood was more of a mask she used to hide herself from the world around. But hell, he knew her for just a few hours, so how could he be sure? Her life¡¯s story sounded like what you read about the main characters in dramatic novels, he was out of his field of expertise by far. He liked her ship, though. The white painted vehicle was really optimized for racing - same as the V3 it was 10m long and not even 2m wide. Its power came from four Ion Thrusters that were mounted to the ship¡¯s side comparable to external tube-formed jet engines, two in the front, two in the rear. The thrusters were moveable a bit and could help the vents to change directions of the ship more easily. All in all, it was a monster, created solely for winning the next race. *** They arrived back at the viewing platform atop the Nova when the last pilots prepared for their races. Robin didn¡¯t want to miss Hopewing¡¯s turn and if one took a look around on the platform that was crammed with people, it was obvious that everyone else thought the same. After the last pilot finished his final lap and Hopewing took his position at the start, Robin sighed with relief. His rank dropped over the day one by one and he now was listed as 23rd, as only one race was left, Robin finally had certainty: he passed the first round! He cheered for himself a bit. He once again took a step toward his goal, not giving in even in front of so many racing pilots. A nudge from the side tore him out of his thoughts. ¡°Congratulations! It¡¯s a great achievement for your first tournament. You should be proud!¡± Happy whispered. ¡°Thanks, thanks a lot!¡± he smiled and looked back to the track outside. Moments later the chattering all around calmed down and everyone watched as Hopewing began his first lap. He was fast, insanely fast. He definitely flew with speeds way above what even Happy had managed but still took every curve with astounding grace and without slowing down too much. Sure, he didn¡¯t go as fast as Robin on his final straight, but his overall speed was much higher. ¡°How is he not drifting? The g-forces should drag his ship off the track in the curves¡­¡± Robin mumbled under his breath, honestly surprised by what he witnessed. ¡°He rotates his ship in the perfect angle and his vents are heavily tuned. They can maximize their power output to nearly double that of other ships.¡± Niu said as they watched him flying along the track like a flash. ¡°Is that allowed? Why doesn''t everyone tune them like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s allowed, of course! But the enormous power of the outlets entails huge risks. If he doesn¡¯t align his ship in the perfect angle or misses the exact timing to power them up, his ship will become an uncontrollable mess. One mistake and he is done for, that¡¯s not something you would be able to recover from, since the whole ship would probably just flip.¡± She explained with reverence in her voice and he heard a few people give approving grunts. Robin was confused, if it is so risky and unlikely to achieve, why is no one questioning that? ¡°How does he do that? Is it his mutation?¡± He asked, it was the only plausible excuse. ¡°No one knows what kind of G-Anomaly he has, but the most prominent speculations incline to a Class B variation of Highspeed Reflexes. And I approve of that, my Class C ones are definitely not enough to reach such a level!¡± He thought about that and then tried to match what he heard with his information from TechnoBlood. ¡°Could he use an automated system for that or does that already count as a prohibited auxiliary tool?¡± He asked her with a whisper. She gave him an incredulous look. ¡°Don¡¯t start looking for ghosts! That would be difficult to implement technically and also isn¡¯t allowed. Hopewing is just really talented, that¡¯s why he has so many fans. I, too, learn from him every time I see how he optimizes a curve to the limit.¡± She laughed and shook her head. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡®Oh damn, I have a good idea now on how he may be cheating, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll burn my fingers if I set his career on fire¡­¡¯ Robin''s shoulders slumped a bit and he watched on in silence as Hopewing completed his last lap. With a final time of 02:31 he was two seconds faster than Niu and took a solid first place. Niu was pushed to the 4th and Robin dropped to rank 24. When everyone was still cheering and loudly discussing Hopewing''s race, Robin went down to leave the Nova. He wanted to take a look at the ship, maybe he would find a lead with his senses. He wasn¡¯t alone with his idea. Many people, pilots and staff alike, met at the parking location for Hopewing''s Jolt V3. The red and silver ship hovered over moments later and Robin immediately used his energy senses. He kept his eyes open to be not too suspicious in the crowd and began to analyze the slowly forming image. To use his mutation like that he had to concentrate with everything he could muster. One after another blue lines formed as an overlay in his vision, highlighting the parts of the ship where the most energy flowed. It began with the generator that powered the four Ion-2 thrusters, followed by a few vents that were in his range and even one thruster itself became visible. Only after all high energy parts showed up, Robin saw the smaller systems that were connected to the ship¡¯s electricity supply. A faint blue light began to form in the cockpit, visualizing a dense network of cables. His vision became blurry as more and more systems were detected and highlighted by his mutation. ¡®It looks like a normal ship, how the hell am I supposed to find anything with so many different parts and systems crammed in one small space? It¡¯s like everything just becomes one blue glowing mass¡­¡¯ Robin struggled to keep his mutation active as his senses were flooded with inputs. He tried to filter specific elements, but couldn¡¯t achieve much in his first tries. Soon afterwards Hopewing stopped and the ship¡¯s engine powered down. Many blue lines in his vision vanished as only the electric system was still running. Robin managed to catch a glimpse at some systems that went out before the ship was completely turned off, but nothing specific he could work with. Slowly it dawned on him that not all the changes in his mutation were outright helpful. He would need to train his skill to be able to select on which part he wants to focus. As it was now, there was too much information, making everything overwhelming and impossible to process. ¡®I need to do some research, too. I have to know what I¡¯m looking for or else I¡¯ll find nothing in the short windows of time I get.'' He only had two more chances, one before and one after the next race. He needed results by then. Deep in thought he left Hopewing and his fans. It was time to make a deal with Happy and Patience, he needed training before anything else. He must use the coming weeks to become a better pilot to raise his chances of reaching the top 10 and to become a better fighter to be prepared if something unexpected happens again. *** ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve collected everything I could find about him.¡± Landom Walzor stood in the office of his superior and was in the middle of his report, ¡°The only noticeable thing about him is his piloting license for small atmospheric vessels and the fact that he has built his own little ship, callsign Melody II. In any other regard he is the definition of a normal guy. He works at a workshop in Quantum Forge District as technocrafter, lives alone, has few friends and no family anymore. He has a Class E - Minor Energy Senses G-Anomaly and there were no suspicious transactions on his bank account and no indications of any connection to criminal organizations whatsoever. ¡± ¡°But that changed?¡± The man who sat behind the office¡¯s desk asked. ¡°Yes, a few months ago. Since the weekend he had his first trip with the Melody II, his record shows dozens of anomalies.¡± Landom tapped on his datapad to open some other files and began his listing. ¡°On his first trip he visited three excavation sites, a Wuranger ruin and a Vanguard facility. The last one was the smuggler''s hideout he stumbled into. After that he visited a stitch in RustHollow Quarters for unknown reasons and finally made his way to Beakrath. There he stopped by the workshop that blew up shortly afterwards, his bank transactions incline a transport job for the stitch. I¡¯ve also read the report from Beakrath Security, it really seems like he once again stumbled into something by happenstance.¡± ¡°So you are saying he¡¯s an unlucky boy? That¡¯s unfortunate but not a crime¡­¡± Landom¡¯s boss chimed in, not seeing where all this was leading to. ¡°What¡¯s really interesting is where he went after his night in Beakrath. I think the transport job was just a chance to earn some quick money for him, his real goal was outside the city. I got his flight route from Flight Control and he didn¡¯t go straight home but took some detours over the greenhouses. At two unassuming locations he circled a few times and even landed once before continuing. I had to dig deep into our archives to find out what was there before we built our production facilities.¡± Landom explained and made a meaningful pause. ¡°Mr. Tulward circled exactly above the old locations of another two ancient relic sites! Those are gone for many decades and nothing is left, but he still found some information and went looking for them.¡± ¡°So in the span of a few weeks he visited four different alien relic sites? It¡¯s rare to find information on even one of these, where did he get it?¡± Walzor¡¯s superior mused while rubbing his chin. ¡°That¡¯s the main problem here.¡± Landom finally came to the point, ¡°While it is very tedious to find anything online, it¡¯s not impossible and there are a few alien fanatics that collect all the data they can get their hands on. However, that¡¯s only for three of the four sites. The remaining one was a Keeper Info-Station that was once found near today¡¯s Beakrath¡­¡± ¡°A Keeper¡¯s facility?¡± Finally Landom¡¯s superior was intrigued and sat up straight. ¡°The UAS stays tight-lipped about everything concerning the Keeper, there is no way you could just find locations of them only because you are looking hard enough! You were right, Walzor, we need to know where he got his information from!¡± ¡°Sir, I think the more pressing question is: What is he looking for? His data seems outdated as he obviously doesn¡¯t know if the relic sites still exist before going there personally. But despite that he still keeps searching.¡± Landom pointed out. ¡°What is he doing right now?¡± His boss asked and he had to take a deep breath before answering. ¡°He is taking part in the Apex Highspeed Cup and just advanced to the second race.¡± he said, scratching his head. ¡°He is a racing pilot?¡± ¡°No, Sir, he is not¡­¡± ¡°So, what is he doing there?¡± ¡°I have no idea Sir¡­¡± Chapter 40 - They Are Monsters *Fump* Robin slowly dropped to his knees, trying everything to keep his head up. For a few moments it seemed like he would be able to get up again, before he finally gave in and fell face forward into the dirt. His breath was ragged and he was gasping for air. His vision blurred and he shivered when he heard the footsteps of his torturer coming closer. ¡°N¡­no mo..more, please!¡± Robin stammered and closed his eyes. His body was a wreck, he couldn¡¯t fight on any longer. His only hope was that this menace stopped beating him. ¡°Wuhuuu!¡± A cheerful voice interrupted his horror visions, ¡°That was great, you lasted for almost 40 seconds! That''s a new record for you.¡± ¡°You are making inappropriate compliments. Don¡¯t make him believe he¡¯s doing great. After all this time he should be able to stand for at least one minute. Look at him, does he look like a champ to you?¡± Patience growled irritated. ¡°Ah come on, Muscle-Girl, he is getting better at¡­his own pace? Slow and steady!¡± Happy suggested, still supportive of Robin, who was sprawled out on the rocky ground. ¡°Maybe he just likes it if someone beats him up.¡± Patience shrugged, ¡°That would explain why he is blocking so many punches with his face instead of dodging them.¡± ¡°Bahaha, I like the way you think.¡± Niu laughed and threw a syringe toward Patience. ¡°Give him the stim already, he really looks like shit this time.¡± ¡°Ugh...are you aware that you are literally throwing money at him?¡± Patience complained but still rammed the needle in Robin''s thigh. ¡°Awgggg¡­.¡± ¡°Really? Stop whining and stand up already!¡± She nudged him with her foot and left for the picnic table. When Robin slowly got up a minute later, he saw both women sitting on the blanket, eating fruit and laughing about some silly tale Niu just told. They both wore training suits and had their long blue and silver hair down, letting it flutter in the light wind. ¡®They are so beautiful, like pretty flowers¡­how can they be such monsters on the inside?¡¯ He wondered, not for the first time these weekends. They were quite the pair though, the tall, bulky Patience with well defined muscles from her training and then Niu beside her. A small fragile looking woman, who gave off a cheerful aura and always wore a smile on her face. ¡®...like two sides of a coin.¡¯ He stood up and walked over, still limping a bit. The Recovery Stims did a great job at patching him up after every beating, however even this medicine needed some time to fix everything back to normal. He had no idea how he should have been able to survive the training with Patience if Niu hadn¡¯t sponsored those drugs. ¡°So?¡± Patience asked with a stern face when he came closer. ¡°I forgot my footwork halfway through. I messed up to keep a proper posture. That¡¯s why I lost my balance after the last block.¡± He reflected on his short but intense fight with her. ¡°That¡¯s right. You need to be more concentrated on your own body. The footing, the posture, the positioning of your arms and the bending of your upper body. The second step is the observation of your opponent: How is he going to attack? Does he fall into patterns? What are his weaknesses? Formulate a plan about avoiding getting hit and about how to get around his ability to block. Only then should you think about throwing out your own punches! You are too erratic, trying so hard to land a hit that you are making yourself even more vulnerable than you already are.¡± Patience explained in detail. All nagging and complaining aside, she was doing a great job as a coach. Robin was getting better every day and he could feel how his fighting skills grew by leaps and bounds. ¡°Keep your head up, pal.¡± She said, ¡°You are getting better. I have raised the difficulty by quite a margin compared to our first bouts.¡± ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t need to be able to fight off professional wrestlers. I just wanna avoid being completely helpless in every little confrontation.¡± ¡°And you are expecting more of those?¡± She pointedly asked, not for the first time since their training began two weeks ago. ¡°Ah, that is my cue!¡± Happy jumped to her feet and walked over to the Melody II. ¡°If you want to keep following whatever plan you have in your head and don¡¯t wanna share with us, it all depends on your advancement to the final race, right? So, chop-chop, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve already adjusted the track a bit.¡± ¡°Uhg¡­ let me at least grab something to eat first.¡± Robin growled, together with his stomach. ¡°Just some fruit to go, come on! We only have these three days a week and time is running out.¡± ¡°Fine, on my way.¡± he conceded and hurried over to the table to grab some fruit before climbing into the pilot seat of his ship. ¡®They are monsters! No one would believe me if I told them, but they are pure evil that enjoy the suffering of others.¡¯ He complained in his mind and adjusted the seat¡¯s fixation. The track they used for training was more like a simple rectangular course. 1-3 km straights for high speed between each turn. The idea was to go around and take each curve as fast as possible. Robin''s job was the flying obviously and Niu commented and corrected at the end of each lap. She also did a great job as a trainer and Robin learned a lot about the correct positioning of the ship and adjustment of its speed with the right timing. Every now and then Happy would change the distances between the turns and also the angle of the corners. This was so Robin wouldn¡¯t learn the track but had to calculate each maneuver again and again. While his starting point for flying was much better compared to his fighting skill, he still felt like a child that just learned how to walk when he was with Niu. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The one thing that really stood out was his ability to resist massive g-forces much better than other people. Only after training with Happy did he realize that he was a bit of an outlier in this regard. He talked with Slice about that topic and the stitch assumed that it was part of the changes his brain went through. He was as affected by the forces as everyone else, but his brain could maintain its regular functions longer under such strained conditions, giving him a few extra seconds with a clear mind. Two weeks had already passed like this. On the weekends Happy would come over to Seka and the three of them left the city together in their ships. They stayed in the wilds for two nights and trained from sunrise till sundown. Patience began with warm-ups and some stamina training, after that he would fly his first laps. Once done Patience would start to beat him up and so on. At night they would sleep in small but comfy tents and the next day everything began anew. He only had one weekend left before the next race began and Robin wanted to use this chance to learn as much as possible. He paid Patience for her coaching, while Niu didn¡¯t need any credits and probably just came because it was a fun thing to do for her. During the week, Robin took care of Melody and adjusted her systems and the control unit bit by bit, optimizing her behavior in flight further. Jim supported him here and also helped with the acquisition of the needed upgrades and addons. One of those was in the small crate that arrived only a few days ago. Jim would help him install it next week to ensure everything works perfectly. It was Robin¡¯s final piece in the puzzle he had to solve, in order to get out of the third race without anyone noticing something being off. The only other topic he did spend some time on was his mutation. There was so much he had to sort out. First, his ability had changed and he now could use it in a wider area. He was getting used to that already. Second was the changes of his brain. As Slice had described it, his brain was confronted with too much information at once which triggered some kind of reconfiguration of how to process different stimuli. This was what allowed Robin¡¯s mind to visualize even the smallest amounts of energy - like when he saw the Cetro intruder or could take a peek into the shielded crate he transported for the stitch. Both upgrades were awesome but also came with one big downside: The images he created in his mind or as an overlay to his actual vision became too complex. Today nearly everything was running on energy and the increased details he could detect made it hard to filter for specific parts. When he tried to scan Hopewing¡¯s ship, there were so many details that he didn¡¯t even know where to start searching. The big energy hotspots like thrusters or the engine made it even harder as they were so bright that they overshadowed everything around them. This was why Robin began to train with his mutation over the last weeks. Originally he wanted to learn how to filter out specific elements and while he made some small progress in that regard, he stumbled over something else that really blew his mind. He achieved only first timid results in his attempts to filter what his mutation sensed. However, the fact that he was able to achieve anything at all made him reevaluate what he knew about the changes his brain went through. Filtering the information coming from his mutation was not something normally possible and it wasn¡¯t something that came from his G-Anomaly, too. Robin realized that his brain didn¡¯t just get reconfigured to process the information, it got reconfigured to be able to always adapt to new needs. All in all this means, as long as Robin puts enough time and effort in, he should be able to train his brain to provide many more skills and variations to his mutation. Robin shook his head, clearing it from all the distracting thoughts and focused on the track again. It wasn¡¯t the time for thinking about that stuff right now. He had to survive just a few more days of bullying from his two coaches. As he was tortured anyways now, it was better to learn as much as he could from them! *** A bit over a week later, Robin woke up and saw the date he was waiting for on his clock: 05-05-3223. Today he would finally travel to Ruca II together with his ship and accompanied by Happy. Patience wouldn¡¯t be able to come as she was invited to a training camp by her new studio. She really wanted to take part in it and while Robin was a bit sad, he knew it was better this way. If everything played out as he planned, then he would throw the final race and he really didn¡¯t want to explain that to Patience¡­nope, definitely not! It surprised him however that Jim signed in as a visitor for the final race. It was great though, they got along well. After he arrived at the workshop, Jim was already working on the Melody. ¡°Good morning, Rob! The final touches are just done. I disconnected and powered down your special upgrade, you just have to couple these cables here again and it should be back up and running.¡± he explained and showed Robin some cables that stuck out of the cargo area. ¡°Hey mate, alright. Thanks again for your help. Are you sure they won¡¯t be able to detect it? Apex will scan my ship for any illegal modifications.¡± ¡°This is an interesting little project you are working on, of course I won¡¯t just sit on the sidelines. And no worries, I¡¯ve traded your favor with Slice to get my hands on this thing. Even if they find it, they shouldn¡¯t be able to identify what it really is with just some casual scans. Only make sure they don''t start to invest time in a proper inspection...¡± ¡°Alright, that totally doesn¡¯t sound like a red flag! But before anything else, I¡¯ve to be ranked in the top ten in the upcoming race, so wish me luck.¡± Robin laughed and stored his belongings on the backseat. Right after he was done, Jim¡¯s datapad beeped loudly. ¡°Ah, that should be your little girlfriend. You wanna introduce me?¡± ¡°Fuck off, she is a competitor and really just a friend. Nothing more. And no, I¡¯ll not introduce you now. Maybe later, when we meet on Ruca II. I better leave now, thanks again Jim!¡± ¡°¡®Tsk, just leave already.¡± Jim scoffed. When Robin left the workshop in his ship, Niu was already waiting in the sky above with her Speedy. They opened a comm channel and requested a joint flight corridor from Flight Control. ¡°Hey Robin, how are you doing? Nervous?¡± Her good-humored voice came through the comms. ¡°Hey coach, thanks for picking me up.¡± He replied, ¡°Yeah, to be honest I¡¯m nervous as fuck.¡± He heard her chuckling on the other side as they already reached Seka''s outskirts. ¡°Keep your head calm, you¡¯ve prepared well and will do great!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, the race¡­ I hope so, too.¡± Robin said absentmindedly. ¡°You are a strange one! I always knew and I¡¯m afraid to ask, but still: What are you nervous about, if not the race?¡± Leaving the last greenhouses behind, they soon flew over Rucasur¡¯s rocky plains again. ¡°What I¡¯m nervous about? Well, don¡¯t you see that thing in front of us?¡± Robin asked with awe in his voice when he could finally see the destination for their trip far in the distance. ¡°This will be my first time leaving this planet.¡± Robin mumbled under his breath, ¡°My first time, but definitely not my last!¡± Looking at the humongous ship that rested there on the plains, he once more knew what he was fighting for, why he was risking so much. ¡°An interplanetary carrier¡­ that is freedom!¡± Chapter 41 - A Thorough Inspection The carrier was huge, at least three times the size of the Nova, which also was an interplanetary ship but of a smaller class. The ship was about 200 m long, 75 m wide and 30 m in height, angular shaped and had a flat top. From his position in the sky above, Robin could see three big hangars that were hidden behind thick hatches and at the end of the ship towered a huge bridge that gave view to the happenings on deck. At the ship''s rear two enormous thrusters were waiting for their turn to push this giant forward and on each side three vertical thrusters were mounted that would hopefully be able to win the struggle against Rucasur¡¯s gravity. This carrier was testing the limits of how far mankind could fight against physics. A bigger ship wouldn¡¯t be able to land on planets or moons anymore, because its weight would make any landing pretty rough and take-offs impossible. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Robin marveled, comm still open. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s the smallest interplanetary carrier you can get, but therefore it retained its ability to get down to planets. You should visit an intergalactic carrier if chance arises - those monsters are the real deal!¡± Happy explained, knowing her stuff about UAS ships. ¡°How many S-sized vehicles can it transport?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Cradle from Humbler, it can carry up to 12 ships in its hangars. However that is only in optimal conditions with zero-g or on some moons. To be able to leave Rucasur, they should bring along no more than 9 vehicles.¡± ¡°Can you fly that thing?¡± Robin asked, still flabbergasted at the sight of the enormous ship. ¡°That one? Sure, but I¡¯m aiming for intergalactic cruisers - that¡¯s where the real fun starts!¡± Niu laughed, ¡°Come on, I already hailed local Flight Control. We are clear to land, you should get a hangar assigned in a minute.¡± Only moments later, Robin got a confirmation via his comm. ¡°IPC Themis calling for Melody II.¡± ¡°Melody II listening, requesting permission to land aboard.¡± Robin replied and was happy to be finally able to use some of the theoretical knowledge he had to learn when working towards his license. ¡°Melody II, permission granted. Please proceed to hangar 02 and keep your ship powered on after landing, until the security scans give green lights.¡± ¡°Copy that, IPC Themis, taking hangar 02 and waiting for green lights.¡± Robin closed the comm and became a bit nervous. If they found the special upgrade, he was done for. Not only would he be disqualified, but probably also sued and sent to jail for attempted terrorism. ¡®Let¡¯s hope Jim and Slice know their stuff well enough, so this won''t be a direct trip to the next prison.¡¯ As he closed in on the big ship, he saw the shutters of hangars 01 and 02 slowly opening. While Robin had still excitement building up, Niu already came in hot, not even waiting until the door was fully opened and loudly cheered on their private comm channel. "Whoohoo!" Robin shook his head and ignored her antics. He stopped the Melody above hangar 02 and waited until it was completely open, only then did he dive in - slow and careful - and landed his ship at the side of the big hall inside. In the middle of the room, directly under the shutter, was an open space with markings for ships to take off. To its side were four parking slots, two already occupied by other racing ships. When he turned off his engines, a small hatch in the wall to his side opened and some antennas extended from inside. An orange light turned on and began to blink, informing him about the ongoing scan. Robin began to sweat a bit as the damn security check didn¡¯t finish even after a minute went by. When the orange light changed to a steady red, his heart began to beat rapidly. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­I hope Slice didn¡¯t fuck this up!¡± He cursed and waited for the security staff to arrive. Only a few minutes later, three people in Apex colors came into the hanger and walked over to him. The man in the front was Bart Nelson, the official in charge of the Apex Highspeed Cup. With him were two more staff members, a man and a woman Robin didn¡¯t recognize. They probably belong to the security department of the carrier. ¡°Mr. Tulward, nice to see you! I hope you had a good flight.¡± Nelson began with a friendly greeting. That gave Robin some hope, as the other two made quite the stern faces and didn¡¯t seem in the mood for chitchat. He had already opened the cockpit, but hadn¡¯t left his seat yet. ¡°Hello Mr. Nelson, thank you for the warm welcome. I¡¯m really sorry that I caused a scene right after arriving on your ship.¡± ¡°Ah no problem, I¡¯m sure this is just a misunderstanding, right?¡± He looked at Robin first and then at his two colleagues. No one seemed to believe that. ¡°You¡¯ve brought an unknown device with a very strong energy signature. It¡¯s neither part of your former loadout, nor does it seem to be of any use to the ship¡¯s systems. Can you please explain what we are dealing with?¡± The woman in the back took a step forward and asked. ¡°Yeah, sure. Sorry again for disturbing you!¡± He said and climbed to the back, where his cargo hatch just opened. With both hands he fished out the crate Jim had installed for him, it wasn¡¯t connected at the moment. ¡°I think what your scanners reacted to was this crate. It is a simple battery pack that I¡¯ve installed as backup for my ship''s systems.¡± He carefully handed it down towards the man who already had some tools prepared. ¡°As you know, the Melody II is a custom model I crafted myself. And while it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust my skills, in the training sessions over the last weeks there were some minor instabilities in the energy grid. I ordered this custom backup supply at my bosses workshop. If anything happens, it should provide enough energy to keep my ship alive until the race is finished.¡± Robin explained the totally made up story and was happy that he was not in one of Seka Security¡¯s rooms. The sensors there would run wild right now. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The man began to tinker with the box and looked for a way to open it. Luckily Jim and Slice made sure that you wouldn¡¯t be able to do that without breaking it open by force. ¡°Ahm, I¡¯m pretty sure that energy supplies shouldn¡¯t be against any rules, so I would love it if you don¡¯t break it, Sir.¡± He stopped the man in his actions, ¡°You¡¯re welcome to do external analysis or connect it to a test-system. But please don¡¯t break my lifesaver!¡± ¡°Backup energy is not against any rules, no worries.¡± Mr. Nelson quickly explained to make sure the guy didn¡¯t mess up the situation. ¡°Of course, but we have to make sure it¡¯s not some tool to enhance the ship¡¯s systems AI-control. That would be against the rules. Do you have a matching connector?¡± ¡°Ah yeah, here you go.¡± Robin threw him the also custom made cable. ¡°Only two strands?¡± The security guy questioned as he inspected the adapter. ¡°Uhm¡­yeah? It¡¯s only an energy supply - so you just have plus and minus. Why would you need more strands?¡± Robin asked, trying to make the dude feel like an idiot. That unfortunately failed and the two security people went over to a workbench at the side and called for a technician. Together they began to examine the backup battery. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Tulward. I hope you understand their thoroughness.¡± Mr. Nelson said and Robin waved him off while trying to keep a leisurely face. ¡°No problem, it¡¯s their job.¡± From the other side of the hangar Happy came over as the two conversed. ¡°Hey Rob, what¡¯s taking you so long? Oh, hi Mr. Nelson, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Ms. Alaris, good to see you. We just have to check some of his new upgrades. Should be done in a minute. You know each other?¡± He asked in a submissive voice as if he was talking to his superior. ¡°Of course, I am his master and training him to become a proper racing pilot. What upgrade did you get?¡± While Robin would love to sink into the floor after that introduction, he was grateful for her being here. Maybe she would be able to stop them from making even more tests. That thing would only be able to veil itself from the most basic sensors. When he saw that the security staff was in the middle of assembling some big-ass machine around the box, he just put his trust in Niu. He looked her directly in the eyes, trying to convey his need for help. ¡°You complained so often about the instabilities of Melody¡¯s power grid, that I made Jim craft me this backup energy supply for emergencies. While it¡¯s not against the rules, these dudes are still very thorough with their examination. I hope they don¡¯t break it, it¡¯s custom built after your personal instructions.¡± He came up with more bullshit and dragged Niu in this, too. Happy crooked her head, thinking for a moment and Robin¡¯s heart sank even further. ¡®If she doesn¡¯t play along and they find that, I¡¯m really done for!¡¯ Luckily Happy turned back to Mr. Nelson. ¡°Mr. Nelson¡­Bart, I obviously approve of you doing your job, but you better not mess this up. I want my student to get a good ranking and if he fails only because Scrappy here,¡° she pointed at Melody, ¡°loses too much energy, I will hold you personally accountable.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right. Give me a moment, please.¡± Nelson hurriedly said and shuffled over to his colleagues. After he was out of reach, Happy looked at Robin. ¡°So you let this build after my instructions, because I complained so much?¡± She squinted her eyes, ¡°That¡¯s great, you have to tell me everything about it later!¡± Robin raised his hands in defense. ¡°Will do, will do!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...thanks!¡± he mumbled, getting a grin from Niu. ¡°You knew I wouldn¡¯t chicken out when something fun was going on.¡± ¡°Yep, I knew.¡± He chuckled just as Mr. Nelson came back, the crate in his hands. ¡°Here you go, all fine. We just had to make sure it''s not something against the rules, which we could confirm, or anything that threatens this carrier - the energy in that thing is quite high, I hope you understand.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a battery pack, so there better be a lot of energy in it!¡± Niu scoffed and Robin took the box to put it back into his ship. ¡®That was a close call. I really have to thank Niu later!¡¯ ¡°Getting this out of the way, why don¡¯t I accompany you inside. We will take off in a half an hour and you should get your rooms before that.¡± Bart Nelson elegantly changed the topic and led them inside. *** Some registrations and paper stuff later, Robin and Niu were chilling in a small, private lounge. It was to the carrier¡¯s side and had a large window that overlooked the outside. ¡°Thanks again, Niu. You were great back in the hangar.¡± Robin began as she was still helping herself to get some drinks. ¡°Aren¡¯t I always great? Damn, I really hoped that would be the case!¡± She cursed and finally decided on which cocktail to grab. ¡°You can speak freely here. Apex doesn''t have the guts to eavesdrop on the conversations of their pilots and definitely not on mine!¡± Niu said and sat down on another couch. ¡°It¡¯s not a battery pack¡­¡± Robin carefully said. ¡°Huh! Oh no, I''d never expected that!¡± She exclaimed in false horror. ¡°I cannot tell, really. You know I¡¯m working towards a special opportunity after passing the second race. I need this thing to grasp that opportunity.¡± He tried to explain the rough idea. ¡°Are you cheating?¡± She asked, still smiling, but Robin knew she wouldn¡¯t approve of that. It would be dishonorable and kill all the fun. ¡°No, Niu, I promise you I¡¯m not cheating!¡± He said. ¡°Then why all the secrecy? Shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you brought some extra stuff that isn¡¯t against the rules.¡± ¡°Well, you remember, what Nelson said at the end? They had to check if it was against the rules, or¡­¡± ¡°...or a threat to this carrier! Holy shit, just what did you put on your ship?¡± She exclaimed, now really shocked. ¡°Nothing to harm anyone, I¡¯ll need it in the final race to get off the radar for a few moments.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t wanna win the last race?¡± She asked incredulously. ¡°Neither do I have the skill for that nor do I even plan to try it. So don¡¯t freak out and call the UAS or whoever you have on speed dial, when I¡¯m suddenly gone - supposedly crashed.¡± Happy thought about that for a moment. ¡°You know, actually I have a speed dial for¡­¡± she began but Robin interrupted her with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m really happy to have met you!¡± He chuckled, just as the ship started to vibrate. All the thrusters began to power up, glowing bright blue and rumbling like rolling thunder. ¡®Time for my first trip into space!¡¯ Robin thought and looked outside the window. Chapter 42 - It’s My First Time Adrenaline, elation, power¡­ and an immense sense of freedom. That was the mix of strong feelings which rose in Robin as he watched the planet, Rucasur, getting smaller and smaller. Like a little child in wonder, he stuck both hands and his nose to the window. After taking off, the first thing that came to view was Seka in all its enormous size. The city then grew smaller and smaller until it vanished completely at some point, no longer distinguishable from the rocky plains and different facilities surrounding it. Moments later, even the ground became mostly obscured by Rucasur''s clouds and only a white and brown mix remained. By now, Robin could see the planet in its full form, floating in the middle of the wide, endless space behind them, like a curled up giant resting between the stars. The vibrations of the carrier had died down after they left the atmosphere and the vertical thrusters had rotated to point backwards, further supporting the two main thrusters now. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Niu commented, after she gave him enough time to relish in his euphoric feelings. ¡°Is it your first time leaving the planet?¡± She asked. ¡°It is, yes. I have my piloting license, but one only for atmospheric flights. I was always working towards a job at the UAS to have the chance to visit classes for interplanetary ships and upgrade my license.¡± He explained with a low voice and without tearing his eyes away from the window. ¡°You were working towards this? No longer? What changed and what is your new plan now?¡± Niu inquired, since she already had her interplanetary license and was just a few final steps away from the intergalactic one, it was something that had quite piqued her interest. Robin kept quiet for some time. There just came some stars into his field of view that caught his attention. ¡°I¡¯ve never been so close¡­ and yet I still have such a long way to go.¡± He mumbled and finally turned to face Happy. ¡°The plan is the same, I think, but still different. Wait until after the Apex Highspeed Cup is over, then we can have this talk in length, alright?¡± ¡°Boring!¡± She complained but dropped the topic, ¡°We will have two days for preparations after arriving on Ruca II. There always are people like you, who never flew on a moon without any atmosphere and under low gravity conditions. Therefore Apex grants a grace period to get used to it. But even for everyone else it¡¯s important as every moon is different and going to such locations is too rare to ever get used to it. I¡¯ll need the first day for my own training, but I should be able to assist you on the second day.¡± ¡°Niu, thank you very much for the offer, but I cannot accept that. I know you are under more pressure than you show on the outside. Take the time to get in optimal condition, I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡± Robin was really touched but couldn¡¯t claim any of her time. He would get into the top 10 somehow, he had trained so much with Happy over the last weeks that he felt quite confident. She just laughed and didn¡¯t start a discussion. He was right in the end, she was under great pressure. Her family expected an excellent performance from her. That was the prerequisite to let her run free and follow her own path. As soon as her results would drop, she would find herself put back on a leash and on the way to some economics school. The ships comm channel opened and an announcement from Mr. Nelson could be heard. *Ding* - ¡®Ship¡¯s comm open¡¯ ¡°Dear participants of the Apex Highspeed Cup, I hope you are enjoying the flight so far! Our short trip to Ruca II, the moon with the best racing conditions in the entire Mereus Cluster and private property of Apex, will only take us about 20 hours. So please make yourself comfortable and don¡¯t forget to join our briefing in the evening. We will fill you in on the schedule for the next few days. If you need anything, feel free to contact the staff members of the ship. Have a great day!¡± *Ding* - ¡®Ship¡¯s comm closed¡¯ ¡°Huh¡° Robin sighed and threw another gaze out of the window - only darkness was seen outside, dotted with an occasional star in the far distance, ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate to stay here and just have my eyes glued to the window, right? I should focus on my training some more. What''s your plan, Niu?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯ll keep an eye on these sweet little cocktails they have. You should taste one, they are really good!¡± She said with an impish grin and made her way back to the little bar. Robin just let her be and sat back on the couch. He tried to watch her while he activated his G-Anomaly and looked for anything he could detect on her. Slowly he could see the lines of her personal datapad form in her left pocket and after a few more moments, beside her right eye he could see what should be an implanted body-heat generator. He concentrated even more, staring directly at her eyes. He hoped he would be able to see her Interface forming, but nothing came up. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you watch an episode of this new series about the dude who wants to open a space-restaurant?¡± He addressed Niu once more, careful to not break his concentration and keep his skill active. ¡°I already watched every episode that¡­¡± She said, but when she saw him staring like an idiot, she guessed what he was trying. ¡°Fine, but only the first 15 minutes and just so you know: you look like a pervert creep that stalks the little girl he wants to eat!¡± ¡°Fuck y¡­ shit.¡± Robin cursed, having lost his concentration. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Hahaha¡± Happy laughed and fell to another couch, ¡°Works every time!¡± They had spent enough time together over the last weeks that she had seen him training his mutation a few times already. While she knew a few people that did that, Robin was the first one she heard of who actively trained to get better results from his mutation and not just trying to figure out new ways on how to use it. That shouldn¡¯t be possible at all, but while they didn¡¯t specifically talk about it, she had the feeling he really got results from his training. It was as if she tried to get a better performance from her Highspeed Reflexes. To simplify it, let''s say her mutation gave her a flat increase of 30% on her reaction time. Her body and muscles could keep up with that - she could train her body to be able to sustain an increase of even 50%, but that wouldn¡¯t change the result, as her mutation just gave 30% and nothing more. Now, if her body could only sustain 20% in the initial position, sure, then she could get better results by training it up to 30% to make use of the maximum of her mutation - but you could train your muscles, training your brain to get better at processing information from your senses? That was utterly bullshit to her, many studies looked into that and all came to the same result: not possible! Sure you can train your brain, but that only helps with how fast you process certain inputs and how much concentration you need, but not with how sensible it gets or how much information it can process. So all in all: training should help Robin with keeping his concentration and using his senses with eyes open - there are some few known cases with such skills - but definitely not with how much he can sense. However as it wasn¡¯t her business and they didn¡¯t know each other for too long, she skipped over this topic. He would explain it to her when he was ready. She turned on her Interface and just relaxed on the couch, drinking her sweet and tasty cocktail. [see: author note*] Robin tried to sense anything from her Interface for the whole 15 minutes without any tangible success. But he still felt that he improved overall - his concentration, how clear he saw the blue lines and how fast he could create the image. The next part of his training focused on filtering and working with massive energy representations. Therefore he stepped directly to the window and used his mutation to observe one of the VTOL-thrusters (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) at the ship¡¯s side. Instantly his whole vision turned blue and his head began to hurt. ¡®So much energy, wow¡­¡¯ he marveled and tried to tune down his senses. He worked on this for nearly one hour, before he finally fell on the couch like a dead fish and with a murderous headache. For the rest of the flight he switched between training his mutation, chatting with Happy and making inquiries about possible ways Hopewing could use external systems for cheating. When evening came, the two went to a community hall and met some other pilots. With them were seven more competitors aboard, the other ones were on a second ship or already stationed on Ruca II. The briefing explained more or less what Niu had already mentioned and Robin didn¡¯t learn anything new. After a good night''s sleep, Robin was back to his window and watched a bright spot in the distance, which came closer with rapid speed. Ruca II was like a steppe with yellow and red sand. From this far away Robin couldn¡¯t see the moon¡¯s surface, but as it was illuminated by Mereus, this solar system¡¯s sun, it glowed like a magic marble in a black ocean. Not long after, the carrier came closer to the moon and Robin saw the VTOL-thrusters turning to point downwards again. The lower gravity and missing atmosphere were making the landing pretty smooth, without the immense rumbling that went along the take off. When Robin went to hangar 02 to get the Melody II, he was stopped by an Apex official. ¡°Mr. Tulward, I wish you a good stay on Ruca II. Please follow the instructions of local Flight Control and park your ship only at its dedicated landing position.¡± The man reminded him once more and then gave him a silver-red jumpsuit and helmet. ¡°This is your safety gear for as long as you stay on this moon. Every pilot gets the same equipment. It ensures your survival, even if you leave the protected zones for some time. Please put it on before leaving the IPC Themis!¡± ¡°Thank you! Any further advice? Like not jumping too high or anything?¡± Robin laughed, he was really excited to take his first step outside. ¡°No, Sir, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem! Ruca II has a quite agreeable gravitation. But if you are really afraid of drifting off into the cold space, I could ask for a leash!¡± The man joked and patted Robin on his shoulders. ¡°Have fun on your stay, try to enjoy the time!¡± he said as an honest advice. ¡°Thanks mate, will do!¡± Robin walked over to his ship, put the jumpsuit and helmet on and was flying out of the hangar moments later. The internal control- and stabilization system of his ship smoothed his first low gravity experience so much that he couldn¡¯t even begin to grasp the differences before he was already directed to his landing spot. The camp they were stationed in had a few hangars, two office- and community buildings as well as some landing pads. Robin was directed towards one of the big hangars and landed only a few minutes later. The only noticeable difference to infrastructure on Rucasur he could see was the green shimmering containment shield that protected the open hall. It was necessary for the artificial atmosphere inside and ensured that everyone had enough air to breath. ¡°That didn¡¯t count! I¡¯ll wait for my first real flight outside to evaluate what I just felt!¡± He complained while climbing out of the Melody. A staff member came already hurrying over and waited for him to take off his helmet. Robin knocked at it and shook his head, ¡°I still need it for some time¡± ¡°No worries, Sir, the complex is well protected. You won¡¯t need your safety gear inside.¡± The woman explained to him. ¡°I do believe you, but I have to take a walk outside first. Can you point me to an exit?¡± The Apex woman looked at him and grinned. ¡°First time?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah, can I just take a look for a couple of minutes¡­pretty please?¡± He begged her. No way he would just go to some meeting room now, he had to get at least his dose of space walking first! ¡°Only for a moment, okay? You¡¯ll have enough time over the next few days.¡± She said and walked towards one of the exits of the hall, ¡°Follow me!¡± They passed some normal doors and came to a halt before a pressure lock. The woman nodded inside and Robin went ahead. Behind him a shutter closed and he heard the atmosphere around him vanishing a moment later. Instantly he felt the cold gnawing at him. After the door on the other side of the chamber opened, Robin took some careful steps forward, stopping directly at the exit. He saw the moon¡¯s surface just a few meters away and excitement flooded him. Robin turned one last time and saw the woman through a window giving him a supporting nod. Finally he took a deep breath and made his first step outside. Chapter 43 - Zero-G After Robin stepped out of the pressure lock, everything around him changed. The cold hit him hard and made him shiver, but he couldn¡¯t focus on that. He felt weightless, as if someone took a great burden off his shoulders. Not only was it because of the reduced gravity on Ruca II, but also because something in him clicked. As if a piece of a puzzle found its right place, relieving him of a constant pressure he didn''t even know was there before. He laughed like a child and began to take some careful steps, jumping even a bit around after feeling safe. ¡°Freedom, unchained and unrestrained possibilities, hidden secrets to discover and limitless opportunities - everything is out there!¡± Robin gave a relieved sigh and observed his surroundings. Around him were some lone hangars and landing platforms, as well as the two office- and living facilities. Everything else was red and yellow dust, a small hill here and a crater there. Over the horizon he could see Mereus to one side and a planet ¡®nearby¡¯ that should be Rucasur to the other. The great dark void embraced all other things, only disrupted by some distant stars here and there. Robin jump-walked a few meters towards the closest crater and began to inspect it. At its bottom he couldn''t spot the meteorite or asteroid he was expecting. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s deeper under the sand? Or someone from Apex already took it for researching purposes. These rocks traveled for millions of kilometers, light years even and should have seen countless places before finally coming to a rest here. If analyzed with the right tools, they should tell awesome stories!¡± Robin¡¯s mind went haywire, he waited so long for this moment that he began to blabber nonsense out of pure elation. To be honest, it was much more realistic that these fucking rocks do tell shit and just kill any poor sap that stands nearby when they mess up their navigation and hit the freakin¡¯ moon. But, hey, who could tell? Robin enjoyed his space walk some more, before it was finally time to turn back. There would be more time for stuff like this later. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± He said after he reemerged on the other side of the pressure lock and took off his helmet. The woman from the Apex team just grinned and led him forwards through some gangways that connected the different buildings. ¡°I made a fool out of myself, didn¡¯t I?¡± Robin asked after they passed a security station. ¡°One would think so, right?¡± She giggled, ¡°But don¡¯t let anyone tell you otherwise: each and every person is exactly like that when they come to a moon for the first time.¡± ¡®Understandable,¡¯ Robin thought, ¡®it¡¯s like an inner urge to just enjoy the moment like that.¡¯ Not long after, Robin met Niu and all the other pilots again. Apparently the second carrier arrived before them and everyone was already waiting for the final briefing to conclude. The whole room turned to see who they had to wait for. ¡°Eh, hey folks! Sorry for being late, I¡­uhm¡­ lost my baggage outside and had to fetch it first. Who knows if it will survive the next solar flare?¡± He chuckled awkwardly. No one laughed, except the small woman with silver hair that stood at the side. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Robin sighed as he felt the mood drop, ¡°Wasn¡¯t my best try!¡± He shrugged and looked at Mr. Nelson. ¡°Can you please begin? This situation is really uncomfortable right now.¡± At least the event¡¯s organizer seemed to enjoy his attempt to lighten the mood. He turned on the microphone and once again talked about the schedule for the upcoming days. ¡°How was it?¡± Niu whispered, after Robin came closer. ¡°What do you think? It was awesome!¡± He replied in a low voice, but couldn¡¯t suppress the big grin that returned to his face. ¡°Try to get used to the new environmental conditions today. If everything goes well, I¡¯ll be able to fly a few test laps with you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright, see you in the evening. Wait? How is day and night working here? Will it be dark? How long is one cycle? Will the temperature outside change? W¡­¡± *Cough* ¡°Mr. Tulward, do you have any questions to share with us?¡± Mr. Nelson asked loudly and interrupted Robin who¡¯s voice had gotten louder accidentally as he became more agitated. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Robin quickly shut up and shook his head to let the man continue his speech. Beside him, Happy fought to not laugh out loud, but he could already see the shaking of her shoulders. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± He groaned, but focused his concentration back on the briefing. *** ¡°Valves¡­ flow is constant, check.¡± ¡°Fuel¡­ at 91%, check.¡± ¡°Steering feedback¡­ yup, check.¡± ¡­ Robin was sitting in his ship and went through his pre-flight checklist an hour later. He wanted to use every free minute he could get, to experience this great opportunity to fly in low-grav and train under these new conditions. That¡¯s why he booked every possible slot and was now in the first batch of six pilots that were allowed to fly the first laps of the new track. The starting grid contained three positions in the front row for the first to third ranked from the last race, the second row was for the fourth to the sixth ranked and so on. As this was only a training session with six pilots, the Melody was waiting in the middle of the second row for the lights to turn green. Robin was getting a little bit nervous again, as this was his first start with other pilots around. But as soon as the go was given, his head eliminated all strange and distracting thoughts and he only focused on the track in front of him. He began slowly in the first lap, staying at the back of the group and only concentrated on the changed handling of his ship. Luckily it wasn¡¯t too much of a difference and he could adapt pretty well. Melody¡¯s systems caught most of the changes that occurred under these conditions, only letting a bit of the strangeness through. Robin could feel the absence of an atmosphere, the reduced weight of his ship and the lagging response of his outlets when they tried to change directions. However all in all, he was surprised by how little had actually changed and in his third and last round he could already begin to study the track itself some more. *** That day and the next flew by in an instant for Robin. He got used to the new flight conditions pretty well and learned a lot about the dos and don¡¯ts of the new track. In the evening of the first day he even went out for a walk once more and Happy tagged along to keep company. They stayed outside for nearly an hour and enjoyed the low gravity to their fullest. Robin won a contest in broad jumping, Niu one for the most backflips in one jump. It felt good to leave everything else behind for some time and be able to enjoy the moment. They had both so much going on in their lives that this was a welcome and much needed distraction. On the second day Niu joined Robin in his training, sometimes in her own ship while flying behind him and giving pointers and at other times she took the copilot¡¯s seat and gave more direct feedback on his technique. By the end of the second day, Robin had ingrained each turn of the track and every danger zone into his bones. Yes, danger zones! The track for the second race was, with a length of 36 km, only slightly longer than the first one, but not only would the participants be on the course with 24 other ships, the route winded itself through two craters (C1 and C2) where the pilots had to fly a curve along their slopes. Last but not least there was one 7 km long straight high speed section that went directly along a canyon between a mountain-like area. That zone in particular was really dangerous. While the people were flying only against the time on Rucasur, now there were other pilots one had to consider and plan maneuvers for passing them. Normally you could comfortably do this by flying above the person in front, but on a moon that was much more difficult as one mistake would kick you out of the moon¡¯s gravitational pull. Getting back would quickly become a distant dream and your only hope would be the Apex Rescue Team. The Canyon was one of only two good opportunities to pass other ships, but if you drifted off course just a bit, you would either crash into a mountain or use its slope as a ramp to catapult you into space. Robin trained this particular section the most with Niu. She taught him how to pass those in front of him as well as how to prevent those behind him from overtaking. All in all, Robin felt pretty damn well prepared. ¡°Niu I cannot thank you enough,¡± Robin exclaimed for the tenth time that day, ¡°You are an awesome coach, I¡¯ve learned so much through your training, first on Rucasur and now here. I¡¯m really confident about my chances to advance to the final race!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, I know you will rock this race if you give it your all!¡± She replied and cheered for him. As she was sitting in the seat behind him right now, he couldn¡¯t see her face - there wasn¡¯t much left of the all-encompassing happiness that always accompanied her. She saw him growing as a pilot every day by leaps and bounds. She saw his determination to win. She knew how much he needed this advancement. And she knew how many of the other pilots were still length ahead of him. ¡®There is no way for you to win this, Robin. I really hope you are prepared for that eventuality¡­¡¯ She thought and took a deep breath. She didn¡¯t know the clumsy technocrafter for long, but she had the feeling they vibed somehow. Like two people that just hit off pretty well together. Niu hoped she had found herself a good friend, even after the Apex Cup was over. Her only worry was if Robin would be able to handle the reality check he¡¯ll undoubtedly get in this race. Chapter 44 - No Unnecessary Risks… "Argh¡­" Patience groaned as she pressed the cooling pack on her swollen eye. She was pretty beaten right now and enjoyed the little rest. After going to the training camp with her colleagues from the new studio, she felt like she stepped into a different world. The standards were so much higher here - from better equipment, to professional coaches all the way to the really skilled fighters. She understood much better now, why everyone told her that getting a contract from one of the big studios was not only a boon, but her ticket out of RustHollow Quarters. But with the higher standards also came higher expectations from the trainees and she felt like she had to struggle to keep up the pace. Moel, her assigned coach, was doing a great job. The Ommih was a bulky man with the two long antennas on his head that were typical for his race. However she could see some hair that tried to grow on his bald head and the antennas seemed a bit shorter than usual. Patience assumed Moel was a hybrid, but didn¡¯t really care. He definitely had the Ommih-like empathy and was an awesome trainer. He always understood her limits and pushed her further, without taking it too far. It was the first period in a long time that Patience had a feeling of rapid growth in her skills. All that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was sitting on a bench to the side of the ring. She just lost against Zela, another girl in the squad, and tried to reflect on her mistakes¡­ and, well, she tried to forget a bit of the pain in her head. ¡°Robin, that little fucker, just popped a stim and fought on. Curse that bastard, how does he dare to evade the pain of my training while I¡¯m sitting here with a throbbing head?¡± ¡°Who is Robin? Your man?¡± Moel came over and asked with a grin. ¡°Wow, now you switch from physical punches to mental ones?¡± She exclaimed in false indignation. ¡°He¡¯s a friend and colleague from work. I helped him a bit to learn the basics.¡± ¡°Oh? You coached him? Then you should know what I wanna hear from you right now.¡± Her coach laughed. ¡°Yeah, I mismanaged my mutation. I used it too often while blocking, despite the fact that Zela wouldn''t be able to do shit even without me enhancing my strength, if my blocks were timed better.¡± ¡°Correct, you had the upper hand the whole fight but you ran out of steam halfway through like a bloody newbie.¡± ¡°Her mutation is bullshit! It¡¯s messing with my head, showing me things that aren¡¯t there. How does one fight that? I¡¯m not one for mind games!¡± Patience scowled. She gave an embarrassing sight in the ring, even if it wasn¡¯t as simple as it looked from the outside, Patience still was feeling like shit. ¡°She cannot show you things that aren¡¯t there. She can only mess with your perception to a very low degree. Making a fist appear a bit faster or a step to the side slower. If you want to beat her, you better stop fighting only with your eyes. Begin to use all your senses. Your instincts, your body''s automatic reactions. Everything you¡¯ve trained over the years is already ingrained in your body and soul. Use that and not just your eyes!¡± Moel calmly explained. He could see great potential in Patience, but her short fuse came through even in fights sometimes and every slightly competent fighter would know to use this weakness. She would get it however, Moel was sure of that. She was on her way to the big stages and he would be the coach at her side! *** The day of the second race ultimately arrived, no training or maintaining the Melody could stretch the time any further. That''s why Robin soon found himself on his way to his ship at the end of the long starting grid. When he stepped on the track he could see Niu''s white Speedy glistering in the rising sun, waiting in the second row and of course Hopewing and his red-silver ship in the center of the first, which he was just about to walk by. He still had no idea how Hopewing could be cheating, but his time was running out. This was his second to last chance to find clues with his senses. If he failed, he would have to try other ways, which would only make it harder. As soon as the Jolt V3 in the leading position came into reach, Robin activated his mutation. All his training paid off, the lines that created the image in his actual vision formed faster than ever. He concentrated his search especially on any anomalies he could find within the cockpit. Dozens of thin lines popped up, each representing a cable that guided electric energy from one system to another. More and more came to view and when their numbers hit the hundreds, Robin was happy that he had at least achieved small successes with his filtering. As long as he spent some of his concentration on it, his senses ignored parts like the engine or thruster. However, he still saw blurry shadows and the power lines that connected those parts, but they didn¡¯t blanket everything else anymore. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡®Come on, what am I missing?¡¯ Robin frantically thought as he continued his search. There were too many cables, too many systems. He had no idea which one could be used for cheating. With more time and taking a closer look he was sure he could find something, but like this? Robin focused even more, as if trying to pierce the ship with his gaze and just as he realized that he stopped walking and stood near Hopewing¡¯s ship, he felt a tingling in his neck, giving him goosebumps all over. ¡®Someone is observing me¡­¡¯ Robin guessed. He messed up, it definitely must be obvious for anyone around, that he was using his ability to do shady shit. Before he could even move on, he saw Hopewing sitting in his ship, staring at him. Robin hadn¡¯t observed him as he was looking for the illegal system, but when he felt the angry glare, he took a look. The man was clad in the Apex jumpsuit and helmet, like everyone else. Robin however could still see, through the canopy of the ship and the helmet¡¯s visor, that Hopewing¡¯s eyes held a deep malice in them. He felt small, like standing in front of a beast in the wild. Not daring to move, he just stared back with uncertainty. Just then, new lines began to form in his vision, too faint for him to notice them earlier. Like hair-thin threads they winded around the man¡¯s arms. Robin was puzzled, was that part of his suit? Where¡­ ¡°Move on and stop staring, you damn hillbilly!¡± Robin was interrupted and lost his concentration as another pilot shoved him forwards and he heard the voice over the near-field comm of his helmet. ¡°Ah sorry, I was lost in thoughts.¡± Robin mumbled an apology and hurried towards the back of the grid where his own ship was waiting. ¡®Burn in Plasma! What did I just see there?¡¯ He was still occupied with his thoughts as he climbed into the Melody. He never had seen anything like that, not even at the Cetro woman who had dozens of body modifications. Did Hopewing have implants? Was that allowed or not? No one asked him if he had any¡­ so maybe it should be just fine, right? But still¡­ what is this nagging feeling he couldn¡¯t shake off? *** Somehow Robin managed to clear his mind and push away any distracting thoughts. He powered up his ship when the countdown showed 3 minutes remaining. The Melody¡¯s thrusters came to life and the low humming calmed his nerves. He couldn¡¯t hear anything from the other ships, even so they should have all started their engines by now. But every sound was swallowed by the cold void encompassing the moon. The strangeness tried to pressure his mind, but he fought against it, concentrating on the race that was about to begin. 2 minutes remaining. Robin went through his checklist one last time and made sure everything was working as expected. ¡°This is the all deciding moment!¡± He said to himself, ¡°My last step, I only have to reach the top 10. Everything else is just good planning in the final race, but no competition, no unpredictable risks. I¡¯ve trained so much with Niu, there should be a good chance for me¡­ No!¡± He shook his head, ¡°I will get my spot in the top 10! No ¡®if¡¯ or ¡®maybe¡¯, I will do it!¡± After mentally hyping himself, he looked back at the countdown, that had never stopped ticking down. 15s¡­ 10s¡­ 5s¡­ The Melody shot forward, chasing after the rest of the ships. Robin stayed at the end of the field for now. His target was not the 1st place, it was reaching the top 10. Slow and steady, that was the plan. Just like Patience had taught him how to fight, he would observe first and only make a plan after understanding his foes. He had time, one lap should take over 3 minutes. With 6 laps to go, he had roughly 20 minutes to work his way through the ranks. ¡®Keep calm, you have time! No unnecessary risks¡­¡¯ Robin reminded himself again and again. He kept his pace in the first lap and even was passed by the only pilot that started behind him, which pushed him down to 25th rank, the last one. He still remained as calm as possible and observed the other pilots. Especially their behavior in the danger zones, the craters C1 and C2 as well as the high speed sections, was important to him. While Robin saw some ships rising in the sky to pass other racers in the first straight, he didn''t see anyone fall out of line in the second, The Canyon. Quite the opposite actually, the overall speed, while still high, was lower than in the first high speed section. After finishing the first lap as the tail light of the field, Robin still wasn''t too worried. He hadn¡¯t lost any ground and kept sticking close to the five ships in front of him. He got a good grasp on their movements and planned to catch them in the straight section that followed after the first crater, C1. He learned enough about them that he should be able to pass all of them¡­ at once. ¡®Keep calm, you have time! No unnecessary risks¡­¡¯ Robin prayed his mantra once more. After entering the high speed section, he rose a few meters higher and raised Melody¡¯s speed much more than before. In an instant he flew above all five competitors and pushed his ship down to ground levels again. One sharp brake and a curve later, he entered The Canyon. It was time to climb the ranks! Unfortunately, when he shot into The Canyon, he realized that maybe he was too comfortable in the first laps - where was the rest of the field? He couldn¡¯t see the 19th ranked even in this 7km straight line of sight. ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯ Chapter 45 - Catching Up One of the things Robin came to understand during his training with Happy was that his one real advantage over the other pilots was his great ability to withstand g-forces. He had drawn some conclusions from that. He could accelerate faster, brake harder and hit the curves with more force. Overall that didn''t make him much faster since his higher speeds would cost him in the curves - as everyone was able to witness during his first race - but for passing maneuvers, it was quite the boon. Now he hoped to gain some ground on the straights and get closer to the field with the help of this increased resistance. How? Well, taking a bit more risks and, against all reason, flying even faster. If he got lucky and the next group in front of him was busy with themselves, he may be able to catch up quickly. Ramping up the throttle, Robin pressed his left joystick forward and let the Melody shoot through The Canyon like a flash. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see how the mountains and hills flew by to his left and right closer than he was comfortable with. He was fast, really fast, hitting nearly 400m/s already. He knew it was dangerous, one mistake and he would crash into the side of a mountain or, if he was lucky, would catapult himself into deep space. After finishing the second lap, Robin felt the pressure more and more. Since he passed the first group and took the 20th spot, he never even once saw a glimpse of the next ship in front of him. Time was running through his fingers faster than he had expected. Through his third lap, Robin was on his own. All alone on the track. He took more and more risks, hoping he would be able to gain some ground and catch up a bit. And finally, when he entered The Canyon for the third time, he saw the next ship a few kilometers ahead, already halfway through the danger zone. One more reckless charge through The Canyon and Robin would finally be able to restart his work on climbing up the ranks. He could make out six ships in the group and knew he would have to pass them all in the first long straight of the next lap or he would have no chance at all to get a shot at the top 10. Slowly, but definitely not carefully, he came closer to the group and ultimately caught up in the crater C1. The ships in the cluster flew in a wide curve along the slope, passing two gates on their way. There was only a short way until the curve that led into the high speed section came. Robin was practically glued to the last ship of the cluster, a green Apex Bunga. He didn¡¯t know the pilot, but was struggling really hard to keep up with him. Then, the curve came - one gate leading in and one out of it. No one could cut the turn this way. Robin rotated his ship even before he passed the first gate and slid into the curve sidewards, Melody¡¯s nose affixed on the second gate and the ships in front of him. He yanked the throttle up and accelerated to the limit of what his body and his ship could sustain. He came closer and closer to the green Bunga and before it even passed the second gate and entered the straight, Robin zapped by after pulling back his joystick to gain some height. Only a few meters, just enough to not scrape the other ship or hit the gate abo¡­ *zonk* A jolt went through the Melody, shaking Robin in his seat. He tightly gripped the controls to keep the ship stable, while he fought against the g-forces from the acceleration at the same time. ¡°Damn, that wasn¡¯t good!¡± He cursed as soon as his brain calmed down from the strain. Doing multiple things at once, Robin made sure to begin with the braking sequence as the high speed section would come to an end soon. He also checked his Interface and the displays for any errors or warning messages. Additionally, he quickly activated his mutation and took a short look at the vents at Melody''s upper side. Everything seemed to be fine, he got no warnings and felt a stable energy flow. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡®That was close, too close! Puhhh¡¯ Robin thought and let go of the breath he had held the whole time. His ship was still fine, but this was a wake-up call to him. If he took too many risks, this race would end before he even finished his last lap - it would be time to say goodbye to his advancement by then. When he finally calmed down, Robin was already in the middle of the next turn and on his way to enter The Canyon. He had passed the group and climbed to 14th rank in this race. Just four more ships to pass. This was the fourth lap, no time to lose. He saw a single ship in this section and used the straight to quickly catch up. Two turns later there would be a short 3km straight just before entering the crater C2. As he zipped past the mountains and hills, he went through all the necessary steps to pass the pilot in front of him in a sleek maneuver. When they entered the straight, Robin managed to immediately pass the ship and put himself in 13th position. ¡®Great, there is still some hope left.¡¯ He thought when he could already see the next group ahead, just leaving C2 as he entered. He concentrated on planning his next move and how much risk he had to take to pass the group and secure his position among the top 10 while flying along the slope. Suddenly he was thrown out of his thoughts as a ship, the one he had just left behind, cut him short on the inner side, passing him with admirable agility and still managed to clear the gate at the end of the crater. ¡°Fuck!¡± Robin cursed. He already knew that the other pilots were more skilled overall, which cost him especially in the many turns he had to take, but that they could play him so easily? Robin was fighting to even stay in the crater, passing other ships? Yeah, no way. While he may be faster on the two long high speed sections, there were many more curves to master. This also was one of the reasons, Happy was so sure that he would not be able to reach the finals. Gritting his teeth, he refocused his attention back on the track and the ship ahead of him. It was always a bit easier to keep up with someone in front of you than being the one in the leading position. He needed some time to evaluate his options and made another attempt to pass the ship when the next straight came. Once again Robin took the lead and shot ahead while looking for the next group. Unfortunately C1 was coming closer and he already had a bad premonition. Moments later, just as predicted, he lost his position again. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of not finding a good spot to take it back, but all this bickering with the other pilot cost him too much attention and time. They slowed each other down, losing more and more ground to the next group. In the first long high speed section Robin once again pushed the Melody unreasonably hard to his and her limit. He regained the 13th position and used the maneuver from before again at its end, sliding sidewards into the curve that led into The Canyon. Kicking the ship forwards once more, he finally gained some ground and lost the ship behind him, while at the same time, he closed in on the next group. ¡°Five ships!¡± He exclaimed happily when he caught up after the next two straights. The group was quite active and Robin saw multiple attempts to pass each other. This was his luck, as it slowed down the group as a whole. However, when they entered the second crater, it was as if they had a silent agreement and stuck to their positions. No one provoked and they flew through the danger zone so skillfully, that Robin actually lost connection to the group and fell behind. When they passed the start/finish line shortly afterwards, Robin finally caught up again. But no smile could be seen on his face. By now he knew he would lose out to them in the turns and craters and only catch up on the straights. But this was the final lap. Even if he managed to pass the group in the two long high speed sections, he would not be able to hold his position all the way through the following curves and the second crater. ¡®Burn in plasma¡­ this will not work out as it is right now.¡¯ Realization dawned and threw him in turmoil. ¡®What kind of fucking plan could help me now? I don¡¯t have any tricks left¡­¡¯ Chapter 46 - Dangerous Escalation *Whoosh* Like a white flash Speedy flew along the crater¡¯s slope. Every now and then Niu adjusted her position on the track ever so slightly to prevent the one behind from passing her while she tried to catch up to Hopewing. ¡°Damn, how can you take these curves so stupidly fast?¡± She complained. It wasn¡¯t her first tournament where she was competing for the top three, only to be absolutely outmatched by Apex¡¯s favorite mascot despite her awesome Class C - Highspeed Reflexes. If she could hold her position as it was, she would score another 2nd place. While a pretty good result, she really wanted to get the win at least once. Over the last years Hopewing took part in more and more races and won nearly all of them. As Niu entered the first long straight, she kept grumbling and complaining about how unfair life was. However, as Hopewing wasn¡¯t even in sight and her position was safe for now, she let her thoughts wander and they soon shifted to someone else. ¡®Huh, I would love to know how he is doing right now. Did he manage to climb some ranks or did he panic and risk too much, kicking himself out of the race once and for all?¡¯ Happy thought back to her conversations and training sessions with the rookie. She didn¡¯t know what exactly he was striving for, but deep down she understood that he would risk anything to achieve his goals, taking every risk necessary. She was never like that. Her biggest rebellion was when she ignored her parents and signed into the UAS flight school. She had her own dreams and plans for the future and none of those were about taking over a business and sitting on some remote planet while getting bored to death. No, that was not where she saw her future. She wanted to be out there, among the stars and fly big ass ships. Getting assigned to one of the intergalactic cruisers of the UAS was her great vision and she was so close to the finish line. Thinking back to Robin, someone she just shortly came to know, she had to admit that she was too timid in chasing after her dreams. She always kept in mind what her family might think, what her teachers at the academy might think or what her friends thought of her. Robin was completely different. Not bound by any social relations, he just did what he thought was the right thing to do and didn¡¯t care about what anyone else might think. ¡®I really hope he is fine or at least didn¡¯t blow himself up¡­¡¯ Happy sighed and concentrated on the next turn. When she entered The Canyon, she saw Hopewing not more than two kilometers away, fueling the fighting spirit in her again. ¡®He would risk anything¡­ fighting for his dreams and goals.¡¯ Robin''s image flashed in her mind and she glanced at the throttle that was only two-thirds up - any more would be way too dangerous in this risky section of the track. The passage was too narrow and allowed no room for mistakes. ¡®Just once I wanna win against that arrogant prick! Taking risks to fight for one¡¯s goals¡­ Huh, all or nothing it is, right?¡¯ Slowly her hand reached for the throttle while her ship shot past the high walls of the mountains¡­ *** As expected, Robin lost ground to the group of five ships in front of him in the first crater. He used the short straight that followed to catch up a bit and planned on passing the group in the first long straight that came afterward. He would be able to extend his lead in The Canyon to hopefully be able to keep his position until he crossed the finish. Even if one or two pilots would catch up in C2, he would still be ranked among the top 10 and it was unlikely that more competitors would pass him, right? Just like his maneuver all these rounds before, Robin drifted sidewards through the first gate of the curve and ramped up the throttle early on. This time however he was a bit more careful to not hit the gate again. Rising above the ship in front of him he had to fight the g-forces first before he could think clearly again. Only halfway through the long section did he realize that he had miscalculated. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As this was the last lap, many other pilots were also beginning to take higher risks. Since the people in this group all had a chance to be placed in the top 10 if they took the lead now, the fighting in this cluster was especially fierce. Robin shot ahead, only a blur to any observer, and closed in on the gate that marked the next curve in a blink of an eye. Unfortunately the three ships leading this cluster all knew what was at stake and also had taken this section with a higher speed than before. There was no chance for Robin to pass them on this straight and he had to settle behind them after he pushed the Melody back to the ground. ¡°Fuck, burn in plasma!¡± He cursed loudly as he saw his plan falling to pieces. There was no way he would be able to pass the other ships and gain enough distance to defend his position over the following curves and C2 anymore. *beep* *beep* *beep* As he concentrated on the incoming turn, a warning began to blare noisily. Moments later, he got a message sent directly into his vision by the Interface. *** WARNING *** Heavy Crash Ahead Location: The Canyon Beware of Debris and Wreckage *** WARNING *** ¡°Oh shit, seems like someone couldn¡¯t stand the pressure and was tempted to take greater risks.¡± He shook his head, but knew that this could have been him very well, too. ¡°Crashing in The Canyon, that''s not something you walk away from¡­ poor sap.¡± Robin passed the second gate and entered the danger zone ahead of him. ¡®11th position. Seems like I have to risk triggering another Warning for the people behind me¡­¡¯ He thought but squished any doubts that arose and pushed the throttle as much as his body could bear. The Melody II shot through The Canyon 20 m above the ground. While the track was about 10 m wide on the moon''s surface, the mountains and hills to the sides narrowed the passage down to only 5 m in the height where Robin was flying. That was what made this section a real danger zone. There was no leeway for mistakes at all and he had to focus so much on the gaps in front of him that he didn¡¯t even know if he had passed the three ships as hoped or if they kept up with him down at the ground. Only when his Interface informed him that he was closing in on the exit gate, did he push the right joystick forward to lower Melody¡¯s nose and flew back to the ground. ¡°YESSSSSSSSS!!!¡± He happily screamed in his helmet after getting some moments to breathe and comprehend the situation around him. His systems showed the three ships roughly 1,5 km behind him, much more distance than expected. The other pilots obviously had taken the warning more seriously and decided on a safer approach. The small number at the edge of his field of view also gave confirmation: 7th Rank. ¡®Should be 8th, why¡­ ah right! There was this one sh¡­¡¯ Just as he was realizing that he had gained one more rank because of the crashed ship, something white flashed in the corner of his eyes. As he flew into the curve to exit The Canyon, he saw a part of what once probably was a ship. A big, white thruster was stuck in the side of a mountain, below he could only see a crumpled ball of metal. No fires or explosions occurred in the void obviously, but that wouldn¡¯t be of any help to whoever was once flying that wreck. ¡®Whoever¡­ yeah¡¯ Robin thought as he took the curve after passing by the crash site. Robin tried to focus back on the track ahead of him. If he let himself be distracted now, the pilots behind him would quickly catch up and everything would have been for naught. One turn after another Robin shot along the track. He couldn¡¯t see the 6th ranked and the ones behind him came closer and closer. When he was in the last short straight before the second crater, his mind wandered back to the white thruster sticking out of the mountain. ¡®That could have been me. I knew it, I saw the warning and still chose to risk everything again and again - not just my ranking in this race or the chance to discover a Drel outpost, I¡¯ve risked my life there¡­ willingly¡­ knowingly! Is this really the path I wanna go down?¡¯ ¡°It really could have been m¡­ fuck, Niu!¡± Suddenly realization hit him like a canon, taking his breath and muddling his thoughts. Even as he was entering the last danger zone, the only section that could cost him his rank in the top 10, he couldn¡¯t focus anymore. ¡®That white thruster, that wreck. Could that have been Speedy?¡¯ His thoughts ran wild and only after the first competitor passed him, did he regain some clarity. ¡°She would never take such risks and there wasn¡¯t even anything at stake for her.¡± He said to himself, sharpening his mind and concentrating back on the last curve. His rank dropped to 9th before he completely regained his wits - it was time to bring it home. ¡®This is only a qualification race for her, she had no reason to do something stupid, right?¡¯ Chapter 47 - Being Alone Robin tried to hold his shit together as much as possible, but in the end, he barely managed to keep his 9th rank until he crossed the finish line. With that, he did it! He qualified for the final race and obtained the chance to be the first to uncover a new Drel outpost. That was huge, that was¡­ As soon as the joyous thoughts wanted to overwhelm him, he pushed them aside. His eyes searched the sidelines where the other pilots that finished the race began to settle down. He saw Hopewing entering his parking slot and remembered his other task. Should he go over there? He probably only had minutes before any evidence was gone and his last attempt to scan the ship already gave him some idea of what he had to search for: implants! Shaking his head, he tore his eyes away and kept searching. He hoped to see the white Speedy but couldn¡¯t find it anywhere. His heart dropped. That couldn¡¯t be true, could it? ¡°Congratulations on scoring the 9th place and thereby qualifying for the final race in two days! Please clear the area for now and secure the ship in your assigned hangar.¡± A monotonous voice informed him over the personal comm channel. Still looking around and unsuccessfully trying to open a comm channel to Niu, Robin maneuvered the Melody II past the few buildings and entered the hangar. After climbing out of his ship, he saw a staff member of Apex coming over. It was the friendly woman that welcomed him when he arrived a few days before. She wore a bright smile and opted for a handshake, ¡°Congratulations Mr. Tulward! You have held your own against so many professional racing pilots in your first tournament. I knew from the moment I saw you for the first time that you will be the next rising star! You can call me Trish.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Robin couldn¡¯t hide the depression in his voice and began to fidget with his fingers. ¡°Trish, can you tell me who had the accident and¡­ if there were any survivors?¡± he asked and could feel the lump in his throat. The smile vanished from her face, being replaced by a sad look. ¡°That was tragic, yes. We don¡¯t often have such severe crashes. The pilot unfortunately didn¡¯t survive the impact, but she probably died in an instant, if that is of any comfort for you.¡± The woman explained, her voice low. ¡°She?¡± Robin asked and his vision began to blur. ¡°Yes, it was Mrs. ¡­¡± ¡°Heyyyy! Congratulations to my young student! 9th rank it is? You¡¯ve not disappointed or embarrassed your master after all this training!¡± A cheerful voice disrupted the heavy mood. Seeing the small woman coming into the hangar, laughing and in her always dominating happy mood, Robin felt the boulder lift from his heart. He left the Apex-woman behind and rushed towards Niu. After reaching her, he didn¡¯t say anything and just pulled her in a forceful hug, not letting go of her for a few long moments. ¡°Aaaaaaare you alright?¡± She carefully asked, not sure where this sudden emotional outburst came from. ¡°I¡¯m also happy that you¡¯ve won your advancement, but this may be a bit inappropriate, don¡¯t ya agree?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah. You are right. I was just kind of overwhelmed by the moment. Sorry!¡± Robin let go of her and awkwardly straightened his jumpsuit. ¡°Also, congratulations to you, too! You should have finished before me, what place did you get?¡± ¡°Bah, 2nd again. There is just no way around that damn Hopewing! I really wanna know what his mutation is. He flies along the track as if he¡¯s a machine, I¡¯m absolutely outclassed.¡± Niu grumbled and after some hesitation she added, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about taking some more risks, like you probably would have done, but it¡¯s just the qualifications for now. No need to act stupid, right?¡±. ¡°Right, there is no need for that.¡± Robin awkwardly chuckled, ¡°You will get him in the next race, that¡¯s the only one that really is important.¡± He laughed and turned back to Trish. ¡°I¡¯ll leave for my room and take a shower, when is the next event scheduled?¡± ¡°That will be in 2 hours. It¡¯s a small press conference and the briefing on how to proceed for the final race.¡± She explained. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be there.¡± He said and gave Niu¡¯s shoulder a light patt, ¡°It¡¯s good that you are well and happy, thanks for visiting me. We¡¯ll have a drink together after the briefing, right?¡± Not waiting for an answer Robin rushed off to his apartment, leaving Happy alone with Trish. ¡°What the hell was wrong with him?¡± Niu asked after Robin had left the hangar, ¡°Did he tell you anything?¡± Trish was taken aback a bit and didn¡¯t know how to answer at first. ¡°Well, I can only make guesses, sorry.¡± ¡°Okay, start guessing!¡± Niu impatiently pressed on. ¡°He, uhm, probably thought it was you who crashed in The Canyon. When you came in, he was right about asking for the pilot¡¯s name.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°There was an accident in that danger zone?¡± As the crash happened behind her, Happy didn¡¯t get the warning and had no idea till now. ¡°Who did we lose?¡± She asked sadly. ¡°Mrs. Bentius, she went into a tailspin just before leaving The Canyon. Her ship crashed into the mountain¡¯s wall at the exit. Mr. Tulward passed by shortly afterwards and must have seen the wreckage¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for her. She should have been ranked around 4th or 5th right?¡± ¡°Yes, she was just claiming the 4th position before losing control. She...also flew a Jolt, a white and green one.¡± Trish explained and gave some more hints. ¡°Yeah, shit.¡± Niu said after she understood a bit more, ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with him later. Thanks for the update!¡± *** Back in his room, Robin took a shower and also tried to understand his outburst. He didn¡¯t know Niu for long and there was no deep relationship between them. A friendship was sprouting, maybe, but nothing more and there certainly weren¡¯t any romantic feelings or something like that involved. So why did it hit him so hard? As the hot water splashed around him, Robin tried to analyze the situation with a more neutral and scientific approach. ¡°It would have been the same if I thought Patience had died, or Timothy. Probably Jim, too. For him Niu was already a friend, they just hit it off well from the start. He only had so many people in his life and Jim still was his boss first and only then a friend. Niu was a welcoming and joyful addition to their little group and gave his life a bit more color. Slowly he began to understand what disrupted him so much. He made a mistake, a miscalculation in his plans till now. ¡°I always thought I found my way and now just had to follow it along. Alone and without any support. Why should anyone even help me? They all have their own adventures going on - Patience just stepped into the world of the bigger studios, Jim has his own workshop, Timothy is already exploring crazy alien ruins and Niu is about to sit in the piloting seat of a freakin¡¯ intergalactic cruiser.¡± Talking to himself to give his thoughts some weight, Robin turned off the shower and jumped on the fluffy bed nearby. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna lose these people, they make my life fun. But right now I took one more step towards my own goal. What will happen, when I reach that goal? I failed to think about the ¡®and then?¡¯ after I leave Rucasur. I always dreamed of having my own ship and exploring the endless universe. But never thought about who I would be able to share this with. Do I really wanna be a lonely traveler that hops from one planet to another, with nowhere to call home and no people to accompany me?¡± Robin lay on the bed and kept talking, but the ceiling just didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Maybe it is time to change my course a bit. They all have their own adventures, but I at least have to share my plans and give them a choice. Maybe some want to follow me.¡± He sighed and tried not to think about the ¡®and if they don¡¯t?¡¯. *** Just as planned, Robin and Niu sat in a cozy room that provided not only privacy but also lots of good drinks - something essential if one wanted to keep Happy happy, as Robin came to learn. The press conference and briefing had already passed. There wasn¡¯t much new to learn, but at least they now knew that the carrier would take them to the other track early the next morning. They would get the rest of that day for preparations and have the final race on the second day. Not much time to get used to the new track, but Niu didn¡¯t need much anyways and Robin - well he was only interested to know where his best spot to bail out would be. Surprisingly, that was exactly what he was trying to convey right now. ¡°Call me stupid, but explain that again!¡± Niu said, a frown on her face. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Robin took a deep breath and began his third try, ¡°It¡¯s quite simple if you break it down to the basics: I was lucky and stumbled across a map that promises a hidden, still unexplored Drel outpost here on Ruca II. I decided to take part in the AHC and reach the finals to get here and have a shot at reaching that location. In the next race I plan on feigning an accident and leave the race without anyone noticing to travel to the marked location of the relic site.¡± He slowly simplified his story as much as possible. ¡°And then you want to hand over your findings to the UAS to be showered with credits¡­?¡± Happy followed along. ¡°Yeah, these credits will hopefully be enough to get me a small interplanetary ship or maybe even an intergalactic one to begin my journey.¡± ¡°To find traces of the Starborn¡­?¡± ¡°Yup, and visit other planets, meet different races, learn new things every day!¡± Robin dreamed. ¡°And you told me all that because¡­?¡± Niu still couldn¡¯t get her head around it. ¡°Ughhhh¡­¡± Robin sighed and tried a different approach as before, ¡°Niu, today I realized some things I disregarded in my planning. First of all, I do recognize you as one of my friends - I think we just vibe really well. That goes along with the second part. I don¡¯t wanna do that journey alone, I want you and the others to come along. Let¡¯s make this our one big adventure!¡± Niu rubbed her temples and collected her thoughts for a moment. ¡°Robin, it¡¯s not that easy. First of all I do have my family and responsibilities. I can¡¯t just leave to never come back - and don¡¯t tell me ¡®we can come back anytime¡¯, that¡¯s not how such adventures work out, you know that.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it your dream, too, to travel among the stars?¡± Robin pointedly asked. ¡°It is, Robin¡­ it is.¡± She sighed, lost in memories. He left her to her thoughts for some time. It wasn¡¯t that he was expecting her to immediately jump aboard this crazy idea of his, but he wanted to lay open his cards so she could earnestly think about it. There was some time left anyways, no reason to hurry. After a moment Happy shook her head, clearing her mind and looked at him. ¡°Thanks for being so nice to me and even inviting me, I really like that idea and will spend some time thinking about it. But right here and now on Ruca II, I cannot decide anything.¡± She finally said, asking for time. ¡°Of course!¡± Robin exclaimed happily - it wasn¡¯t a No, ¡°You have your own things going on right now and even after Ruca II. Finishing the UAS academy should probably be your number one priority.¡± ¡°Pah¡­¡± Niu spat on the ground in annoyance, ¡°My number one priority is to push that damn Hopewing from the first rank at least once!¡± ¡°Huh¡± Robin stopped short and scratched his beard. ¡°Maybe I can help you with that!¡± He said, lost in thoughts, ¡°You could kick his ass and at the same time help me solve a little problem of my own.¡± Chapter 48 - Is He Going To Explode? ¡°...and I''m really enjoying the company of all these racing pilots here on Ruca II.¡± Niu just explained to the reporter of some sports channel Robin didn''t know. But apparently lots of people were watching this show. ¡°Thank you so much for the talk, Ms. Alaris. Is there anything else you want to share with all your fans in the Mereus Cluster?¡± The well dressed Ommih asked, while he shoved his microphone in her face, clearly not wanting to end their interview just like that. Happy gave a wide smile and nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Thanks so much! Obviously, I¡¯ve to use this chance to say I''m sorry to all the people out there that are always supporting me. I still couldn''t manage to cash in a victory against Hopewing and as time is running out - tomorrow is his last race in our league, as you know - I''m not sure I''ll be able to keep my promise from last year.¡± Niu put on a sad face that quickly switched to a determined one, ¡°But be sure: I''ll give it my all in the finals!¡± ¡°I don''t think you have to be sorry, it''s probably impossible to beat this millennium''s most talented racing pilot. I¡¯m sure your fans will understand this¡­¡± As the friendly alien tried to drench the road ahead in slime, someone suddenly interrupted him. ¡°¡®Tsk, he''s right, Niu. You shouldn''t feel sorry for anything. Hopewing is just rigging the game. He has all the time he wants to train on the tracks as Apex¡¯s mascot and probably achieved a level of muscle memory that no one can beat. That''s not talent, that''s diligence - which also demands some credit, but has nothing to do with skill.¡± The reporter was annoyed at first, but that instantly changed to delight as he smelled a good drama. Hopewing was nearby and must have heard the young man''s comment and with his prideful character, he''ll not let this slide easily. The Ommih could already feel the tension rise in the room and thought of possible headlines to this post: ¡®Newbie tries to degrade Rucasur¡¯s Hopewing¡¯. Just to be sure the story would develop in a juicy way, he quickly reached out with his microphone and pointed it to the troublemaker, his camera-drone following along diligently. ¡°That''s a bold statement from a newly risen pilot. Don''t you just wanna ruin Hopewing¡¯s reputation?¡± He asked intrigued. ¡°No, it isn''t. I''ve trained a lot with my coach,¡± Robin explained and motioned at Niu to his side, ¡°and there is no way she would lose to him on a track they both don''t know. With that premise, she would beat him ten out of ten times.¡± He finished and just shrugged. The reporter was just about to ask more questions, when they saw Hopewing coming over. Niu quickly poked Robin''s side and whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, ¡°While you may be right, this is not a good time or place. Just let it slide!¡± The Ommih could hardly hide his wide grin as he saw Hopewing¡¯s face contort and just stepped back to let this drama play out. He only had to make sure audio and video were on spot and this would become the story for his promotion. ¡°Boy, you don''t have any idea what you are talking about. You are just a pup that got lucky in its first race. Better not let that grow to your head and smear other people''s names.¡± Hopewing growled, barely able to hold his voice to a civilized level. The small Happy stepped between them and had to raise her head pretty much, to look at the man. ¡°Come on, leave it be. He doesn''t mean it that way and you shouldn''t throw a tantrum right here and now.¡± She said way too cheerful for the tension in the air. ¡°Leave it be? After such baseless accusations? If he spews bullshit, he should have it in him to back it up!¡± He snarled, ¡°You wanna challenge me, pup?¡± He looked directly at Robin, Niu not tall enough to enter his line of sight. Now poking Hopewing to get the huge blokes attention, Niu huffed. ¡°You wanna challenge a rookie? Really? Anyways, while he wasn''t exactly polite, he didn''t lie or anything. You know it, everyone knows it, so just swallow it and everyone can continue with their interviews and go home.¡± The man''s face turned so red, Robin was a bit afraid that he might have a fire-based mutation and was about to combust right in front of them. *** Alec Boosalis still couldn¡¯t believe his luck. This should¡¯ve been just some random everyday-job and the only reason he took it at all was that it was Hopewing¡¯s last local race. He hoped to get some nice shots and maybe even one or two good statements in the final interview. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡®How did I end up like this?¡¯ He silently questioned himself and looked around. He had a seat in the first row, well the only row, of a personal duel between Niu Alaris and probably the best racing pilot the Mereus Cluster had to offer this era. Everything that had to do with Hopewing gets high ratings in the media, the people loved him and watched everything they could get their hands on, adding in the rebellious daughter of the famous Alaris family only made it more interesting. For the 10th time in the last minutes, he checked his camera-drone and the connection to the moon''s relay station. To his right sat the man who had instigated this whole incident, Robin Tulward. He was also an interesting character, reaching the finals in his first tournament and in quite the spectacular fashion at that. To his other side sat Mr. Nelson, the organizer of the Apex Highspeed Cup and the man that allowed the duel that was about to begin. ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to be worried.¡¯ Alec noticed as he observed the man. He should be, shouldn¡¯t he? If Hopewing loses this contest, much of his credibility will be crushed. He has a lot to lose and nothing to win. This situation was partly because of Hopewing¡¯s wounded pride, but as his manager shouldn¡¯t Nelson put a stop to this and cancel this farce? Instead, he even helped to build the short track they would race along in a moment. ¡®How can he be so sure that Hopewing wins? The Alaris girl is pretty good too, knows her stuff and is not one to take unnecessary risks. She definitely wouldn¡¯t do this, if she didn¡¯t see a chance to score a win¡­¡¯ ¡°The race is about to begin.¡± Mr. Nelson said to the small group that sat in the PTV near the starting line. ¡°Mr. Boosalis, please make an introduction to your viewers, so everyone knows how this special occasion came to play.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll begin immediately!¡± Alec quickly replied and adjusted his drone outside to film the passengers of the PTV for now. Taking a deep breath, he began to introduce this historic duel - or so he thought. Not realizing the waves that his report will make in the whole cluster. ¡°Dear racing-enthusiasts of Rucasur and the Mereus-Cluster! Today I, Alec Boosalis, stand together with Mr. Nelson from Apex to announce a special race that will take place in just a minute! With the support of our great sponsor Apex, it was possible to arrange this extra occasion for you: A duel between the always happy Niu Alaris and the pilot with the longest winning-streak of this era, Hopewing! Just before his final performance in the Mereus Cluster, he gave Ms. Alaris the chance to challenge him in a one on one duel. Apex built a short track just an hour ago and while the pilots are preparing for the start, I¡¯ll show you around the track!¡± The reporter excitedly explained. His drone turned around and shot along the field. There wasn¡¯t much to see, from the starting line began a 4 km straight that went over in a long, narrow turn and led back to the beginning, finishing the short track. ¡°As you can see, it all comes down to who will be able to take the turn in the most efficient way. Risk too much and you will overshoot the narrow curve, be too slow and lose the duel. Everything comes down to the skill of these two pilots!¡± The drone returned to the starting line, where Hopewing and Niu were already waiting. Happy even had the mind to wave with a laugh as the camera passed by. Hopewing only sat in his cockpit, staring straight ahead, his face hidden by a now tinted visor of his helmet. ¡°The countdown is nearing its end - let us all watch this special event together!¡± Alec exclaimed one last time, as the countdown was about to reach zero. Seconds later the two ships shot ahead like greased lightning. *** A bit more than half an hour earlier, while Apex was building the track and Niu and Hopewing prepared their ships, two men slowly strolled down one of the hallways of the Apex office building. The smaller one of them wore the helmet and jumpsuit Apex had provided for the participants, the bigger one wore casual clothes, had a sturdy build and his eyes glowed in an ominous silver. Suddenly they stopped near a door that looked like every other one in this corridor. ¡°This one?¡± The bulky man asked and the smaller one nodded. ¡°Yeah, give me a moment.¡± Came his answer over a comm device in his ear. Seconds passed as they just stood around, not moving anywhere. Only some time later did the huge man hear the comm crackle again. ¡°Four cameras. One at each side of the hallway, you can easily spot them. Another one is integrated in the door and the last one is behind us hidden near the ceiling.¡± ¡°Your mutation gets more and more useful¡­at least if breaking in somewhere is the career of your choice.¡± The huge man chuckled and began to use his own skills. ¡°Shut up, Jim. Just take care of the cameras already!¡± Robin hurried his companion a bit more. He watched as Jim dropped a small metal orb that rolled toward one end of the corridor as if it had its own mind. After hitting the wall it just kept going, climbing it up towards the camera at the ceiling. Seconds later the orb was flattened out and neatly positioned itself sideways to the lens. More orbs dropped to the ground as Jim used his Class C - Metal Affinity to build a maze of mirrors in front of the cameras, so they monitored different corridors and doors than the one they wanted to open. Robin concentrated back on the door and tapped into his mutation again. Instantly he could see many lines forming near the lock and at the top of the door. ¡®Pretty tight security¡­ I really hope I can crack this open!¡¯ Chapter 49 - The Fall of A Hero I Robin carefully observed the door that was decorated with many blue lines in his vision. He tried to understand which parts belonged to the lock and which were additional security measures. Quickly he identified the different systems and understood their assembly ¡­mostly. ¡®Without the ability to manipulate the energy on the other side, like Jim was controlling the little metal balls, this is useless. All I can tell is that the door is locked and booby-trapped twice¡­ugh¡¯ He sighed, all his advancements and training couldn¡¯t help him in this situation. ¡®Well, time for plan B.¡¯ He focused his senses inside the room and quickly found what he was looking for. Careful to not miss anything, he searched a bit longer before he canceled his mutation and turned to Jim. ¡°Are you done?¡± He asked, ¡°I have made the preparations for plan B already.¡± ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t fret it. You are already doing awesome stuff, even without being able to manipulate energies!¡± Jim chuckled and stepped to the door. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Only one, no weapons or at least none that is powered. I¡¯ll keep watching.¡± Jim grunted and simply knocked at the door. Meanwhile, Robin switched back to his enhanced vision and saw the floating body-heat generator only move a bit. Whoever was on the other side tried to play dead. ¡°You will have to be a bit more convincing¡­by the way, from where I suspect his head to be, it is either a child or a Mohait.¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Jim said and knocked again, ¡°Oi, open up. It¡¯s me and we have to hurry a bit, there isn¡¯t much time left before the duel begins.¡± Robin saw the floating body-heat generator coming closer and another object appeared in his sight. ¡°He¡¯s opening the door, but powered on an energy gun. Roughly here¡­¡± Robin explained and showed Jim at which place he could expect the gun to be after the door opened. They heard a few clicks from the door, before it slowly swung inwards. Robin mimicked the movement of the gun on the other side the whole time. The moment the lock was open, Jim tapped into his mutation to yank at the pistol, while shoving the door with a sudden but powerful push at the same time. Inside the room a Mohait was tumbling backwards over the floor. His nose was bloody and his fluffy tail looked a bit ruffled. The grimace on his face showed his displeasure and anger¡­well, they always have a pretty strange look, but deducing from the situation, Robin was pretty sure the man wasn¡¯t wearing a happy face right now. While Jim picked up the gun, Robin sprinted towards the Mohait that tried to stand up and knocked him out with a well aimed punch to his temple. ¡°You always dreamed of doing that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jim mocked him and closed the door. ¡°...I just had to make sure the training with Patience paid off!¡± He came up with lame excuse and took a look around. ¡°That girl showed you how to beat up midgets?¡± Jim laughed, ¡°At least own up to it, you saw your chance to not be on the losing side of a ¡®fight¡¯ for once, that¡¯s all!¡± ¡°We should start, right?¡± Robin ignored the jabs and changed the topic back to the problem at hand. They stood in a room that was one part office, one part bedroom and one part workshop. All in all pretty messy and Robin had to think of Slice¡¯s laboratory. Together they went to a desk where a computer was running. To the side were two joysticks placed and the display showed data of the duel¡¯s track, ship information and some stuff about routines that could be turned on or off. ¡°Please tell me, that¡¯s what you were expecting! You know how to use this?¡± Robin asked without the playfulness from before. If they messed up and this was just some Apex staff doing his proper job, they would be royally fucked. ¡°Yup, what you see here is a system that grants something like a remote access to bio-technology upgrades. You should leave and join the spectators, I¡¯ll lock the door and prepare to give you quite the show!¡± Robin walked back to the door and checked the hallway once with his mutation, before he slipped out. ¡°Thanks mate, I really owe you for this one.¡± He said and vanished. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. *** As Robin watched Niu powering up her ship and the reporter introducing the event to his community, he once again was a bit overwhelmed by the rapidly escalating situation since yesterday. After he had his talk about their future with Happy, he offered her his support in beating Hopewing on a whim. He began to explain his history with the Cetro from TechnoBlood and what kind of compensation they demanded. While she was once more surprised by all the shit that Robin apparently attracted, like a magnet for bad luck, she was hit quite hard by the accusations of Hopewing being a cheater. Robin had to describe in detail what he learned already and she wanted to hear his findings from his senses at least five times. For Niu, cheating was one of the worst things someone could do in the racing scene. It kills all the fun and therefore takes her most loved way to enjoy her life. After she was finally somewhat convinced, she gave additional insights to the impending ramifications of exposing Hopewing. As he was Apex¡¯s mascot, she was pretty certain the company knew of his scamming, but they had to make sure that it didn¡¯t get smeared too, when shit hits the fan. They still wanted the Apex Cup to continue and therefore were more than willing to help the company keep its vest clean. That evening Jim also arrived on Ruca II, together with all other guests, and they quickly got him aboard. He could provide much additional information on how this all works from a technical perspective and helped in creating a plan. Robin only had to find the control room for the whole scam-setup from Hopewing and get them a chance to expose the illegal activities. That was how he came to sit here in this PTV, together with a dude from the news and the person in charge of this Apex-event, waiting for the instigated show to unfold. He watched as the counter ticked down until it finally hit zero and the two ships shot ahead. ¡®I really hope this works out!¡¯ Robin thought as fear and anxiety gripped his heart. *** Hopewing on the other hand had no fears at all, he wasn¡¯t even nervous - only annoyed and really, really pissed. ¡°Those damn fuckers, do they really think I won all these races by pure luck? Its fucking skill¡­and some backup support. But definitely no luck - what do they hope to achieve? The damn midget of the Alaris family - if she hadn¡¯t such a big name as backing, I would have Apex kicked them out even before the finals.¡± The man cursed under his breath while he waited for the timer to run out. ¡°This must be something personal for her and the boy just went along with it to put me in a situation where I couldn''t back down from a challenge. Ah damn imbeciles and bumpkins, I¡¯m really looking forward to leaving this damn system once and for all!¡± He shook his head and finally concentrated on the track: 30 seconds remaining¡­ ¡°Oi, Jeralop, how is the connection doing?¡± he asked over a private comm channel but didn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°Jeralop? Are you sleeping or what?¡± - nothing. ¡­20 seconds remaining¡­ Hopewing gave all his systems a quick check and everything seemed fine. He had a connection to the control station and all, but why was that damn Mohait not responding? ¡°I¡¯ll personally see to it, that you get your ass kicked so hard, that you¡¯ll fly from this fucking moon all the way back to Rucasur faster than any ship we have!¡± Hopewing snarled over the comm and finally saw a small notification from the control station pop up in his vision, informing him that all systems were ready. ¡­5 seconds remaining¡­ Hopewing gripped his joysticks and gave the vixen in the other ship a last glance. ¡°I¡¯ll not just win, I¡¯ll fucking crush you!¡± He growled and pushed his Jolt V3 forward the moment the timer ran out. Immediately he positioned himself in front of Niu and flew along the straight like a flash. He had to fight hard against the g-forces, but since it was a short track, he didn¡¯t have to be careful with his resources and could go all out. Only when he hit 412 m/s did he stop his acceleration. The long, sharp turn was rapidly coming closer and Hopewing flinched once - was he too fast for even the remote control to get him around the curve? Nahh... he pushed the thoughts to the back of his head and cheered a bit after he realized how far ahead of Niu he already was. ¡®You will not be able to ever raise your head again, girl! I¡¯ll show you how much you are lacking!¡¯ With a mental note, he activated the remote access for the control station. The AI-system would take over a part of his neural system and use his bio-enhancement to micromanage his movements to steer the ship. As the turn came closer and closer, he prepared himself and closed his eyes. ¡°Argh..fuck¡­¡± He cursed as the system sent electric pulses along his nerves to jerk at his arms and hands. Hopewing¡¯s mind barely registered the maneuvers his ship made to guide him along the track. He only felt the piercing pain as his nerves began to burn and rupture under the strain¡­ Should be over in a second¡­ Any moment now¡­ ¡°Argh¡­what the hell?¡± Hopewing forced himself to open his eyes as the pain just didn¡¯t want to subside. It never stayed for so long and his body wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the strain for much longer. But the system kept sending pulses into his neural system, grilling him slowly and painfully from the inside. Just as Hopewing was about to pass out, he saw the skin on his arms rupturing and blood spill out en masse, only then the pain in his neck finally stopped. No more electricity was pumped into his body. Muddleheaded he realized that his ship had come to a stop but couldn¡¯t spare much attention to that, as he had to focus on his mutation to not bleed to death right here and now. While he slipped in and out of consciousness, he suddenly heard the canopy of his ship getting unlocked from the outside. Opening his heavy eyes once more, he looked in many shocked faces and a flying camera drone. ¡°What the fuck¡­?¡± Hopewing began but luckily was finally embraced by darkness, as his mind went into temporal shutdown. Chapter 50 - The Fall of A Hero II ¡®It¡¯s like an accident: You just cannot turn your head away!¡¯ Alec thought as he watched Apex¡¯s security personnel carefully taking Hopewing out of his ship, while his camera drone was filming the whole incident. ¡°Well, it probably is an accident¡­¡± he mumbled, still sitting in the PTV together with Mr. Nelson and Robin Tulward. ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± The latter confirmed, ¡°A pretty nasty one, if I have to say so.¡± ¡°Oh, you know what had happened to him?¡± Alec asked a bit skeptically and noticed the Apex official to his other side nervously shuffling around. ¡°Probably some kind of malfunction of his ship that wounded his arms.¡± The man chimed in. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± The young pilot brushed it aside, ¡°Those burns are coming from overstimulating his nerves. With my mutation I could see it a bit better, but now, with his wounds wide open, you can see the bio-technological enhancements that are attached to his muscles with the naked eye. There probably was an overcharge while his system was flooded with external energy. But he is rapidly healing already, he should be fine in no time. At least we now know his mutation''s general alignment!¡± ¡°Those are some heavy accusations you are making there, Mr. Tulward!¡± Bart Nelson shot back in a cold voice. ¡®Wait, what are they talking about?¡¯ Alec didn¡¯t quite catch up yet, but something definitely was off. ¡°What accusations? Wait a moment - would it be illegal to have an external system control one¡¯s movements to enhance motor skills?¡± Robin exclaimed in obvious fake shock. ¡°That can¡¯t be, I didn¡¯t know! No worries, Mr. Nelson, even if he had worked outside the rules, these body modifications would be really hard to detect without knowing what to look for. No one will address reproaches to Apex - you couldn¡¯t possibly have known that.¡± Alec just sat there between the two men that were talking back and forth. Only when he saw that they seemed to have come to some kind of silent agreement, with both giving polite nods, did he have the mind to process what he had just heard. ¡°No way¡­Hopewing was cheating?¡± He mumbled in flabbergasted, ¡°That¡­ that¡­ oh fuck!¡± ¡°Mr. Boosalis, please don¡¯t draw conclusions too early. Apex will give this incident a deep inspection and make sure that everything gets clarified.¡± Bart Nelson calmed him down, while Robin just kept quiet. Collecting himself a bit, the reporter immediately activated his Interface and dived into his video. He fast-forwarded to the moment where Hopewing could be seen through the open canopy of the ship and zoomed in on his bloody arms. There it was, he could see metal glistening through the blood - Hopewing definitely had implants in his arms! ¡®Holy shit, this is big¡­really big! I have to send the video back to Rucasur before Apex can demand its deletion.¡¯ Alec began to sweat and immediately started the upload. ¡®This will be my promotion!¡¯ *** It didn¡¯t take long for the story to hit the media. Alec''s video was sent to the office of his sports channel and specialists immediately began to analyze the recording. Meanwhile first news leaked that Hopewing was challenged by Niu Alaris and apparently had lost while he even sustained critical injuries. Apex used this short window of opportunity, before the video was finally evaluated and the cheating exposed, to do some damage control. They stormed the room in the office building, where Robin and Jim broke in before, and found the still unconscious Mohait, Jeralop, lying on the floor. When the poor dude woke up a few hours later, he was already on a ship back to Rucasur and charges were brought up, painting him as the main, and only, accomplice of Hopewing¡¯s fraud. Mr. Nelson had a short, private meeting with Niu and Robin, in which he explained that Apex definitely didn''t know of any of this and wanted to make sure their version would tell the same story. For Niu and Robin this was perfect, as Apex would try to keep the damage as small as possible and continue with the AHC as if nothing had happened. All they had to do was keep their mouths shut. Of course, Apex definitely made sure that they understood how pissed they were. But there was only so much Apex could do. If the company would begin to mistreat the two pilots, they could go straight to the media and tell the whole story. It wasn''t worth the hassle for Apex. As such, a silent agreement was made and Hopewing quickly declared the scapegoat. As he was in the infirmary recuperating, he didn''t publicly show up. Not that Apex would have let him give some interview for the media, even if he had been available. In the evening Mr. Nelson gave a press conference and explained all the sad circumstances and expressed his deep shock at the betrayal of one of their biggest partners. Boosalis¡¯ channel was kind enough to hold back the release of their footage until after the Apex''s announcement was done. After that, there was a shockwave going through the whole Mereus Cluster. Not only was there an uproar from Hopewing¡¯s fans, most were disappointed but some accused the officials of spreading fake-news, there was also quite the impact in the gambling industry. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As the most famous racing pilot of this era, Hopewing¡¯s ranking was often part of any kind of bet. Now questions were asked about the validity of these bets¡­loud questions. Niu was unofficially declared as the hero of this drama, as she brought down the mighty evil. She got quite some points in the good books of her family, buying her a few more calm years without them pressuring her too much. Robin got little attention and was mostly mentioned as Niu¡¯s student. Him getting so far in his first tournament gained her even more credit in the public eye. He was happy with this arrangement since he had little interest in becoming famous overnight. That would only complicate his plans for the finals. *** When night came, after this eventful day, Robin returned tired and exhausted to his room. Today has already been crazy, but tomorrow will be his big day. Finally his chance came to uncover a new Drel outpost, a well of knowledge and fortune for humanity. ¡°With so much stuff going on right now and throwing my mind in tumult, I have no idea how I should be able to get a good ranking tomorrow.¡± He sighed and sat down on the couch. ¡°Lucky me, I have other plans to follow!¡± Robin chuckled but suddenly was interrupted by an incoming call. Seeing the unknown contact, he had a good guess who it was. He took a breath and sent a quick prayer to whoever might listen - let¡¯s hope these maniacs are satisfied and don¡¯t try to be a dick now. He accepted the call and immediately recognized the voice on the other side. ¡°Mr. Tulward, it¡¯s good you are free for a talk on such a short notice! I¡¯ve to say, I was quite elated when I watched the news today.¡± Hash cheerfully laughed. ¡°Great, I¡¯m happy to have fulfilled my part of the deal. I hope you will do the same?¡± Robin didn¡¯t even try to play games and got directly to the point. ¡°Not in the mood for chit chat? Well, fine for me.¡± The priest reigned in his emotions and continued, ¡°You have done your part and I speak for the community when I express our gratitude.¡± ¡°Uhh.. okay, great. Then¡­have a nice day!¡± Robin was about to end the call, finally able to close this damn chapter. ¡°Ah wait a moment, Mr. Tulward!¡± Hash stopped him, ¡°People with your mutation and skill are rare, the Great One blessed you with a valuable gift. Why don¡¯t we stay in contact? We¡¯re still looking into the explosion in Beakrath that destroyed our ship and every now and then are in need of someone with your talents. What do you think?¡± ¡®Ughh¡­¡¯ Robin suppressed a sigh, he really wanted to cut ties with these damn zealots as fast as possible. But then again, he was on the best way of leaving Rucasur, so why not use these last days to stock up ¡®hard to acquire¡¯ tech? ¡°Sure, you already have my contacts, just send me yours and maybe we''ll come together for further cooperation later.¡± ¡°Glad to hear, may you continue to follow the Great One¡¯s path down to your enlightenment!¡± Hash fell into some kind of preacher-mode and Robin quickly ended the call before he slipped up and said something about imaginary techno-gods, people that force others into submission to their beliefs or religions as a whole, that he couldn¡¯t take back. Taking another deep breath, he checked the Cetro and TechnoBlood from his list of worries for now and remembered something else. ¡°I should prepare the Melody. Just in case there isn''t enough time later, before the race, without someone watching me.¡± Crawling back up from his comfy seat, he made his way towards the hangar. It was late in the evening but it had been a busy day. No one would judge him if he visited his ship before going to bed. When he entered the hangar, he heard people talking. Was someone else also making his last minute preparations? He looked around and quickly spotted two figures standing near the Melody. The bigger one didn''t notice Robin''s approach and pestered the smaller man beside him. ¡°...just for a moment! Come on, you came through this unscathed. The least you could do now is help me to pay back that little fucker!¡± Someone wanted to tinker with his ship? What the hell was going on? Not really thinking this through, he immediately began to curse loudly. ¡°You wanna mess up my ship? What the fuck is your problem, dude?¡± Robin shouted angrily. They wanted to manipulate the Melody? Holy.. good he stopped by. ¡°Ah, the little pup came. Well that''s fine, too. I''ll give you a taste of what I''m going through right now!¡± The man snarled and pulled an energy weapon out of his jacket while turning around to face Robin. ¡°Hopewing?¡± Robin exclaimed after recognizing him, ¡°Shit! What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be lying on some bed and recovering from your wounds?¡± ¡°You damn asshole, it was you who dragged me down, wasn''t it? Together with that bitch from the Alaris family¡­could never stand her always fucking smiling face. ¡®Happy¡¯¡­ ¡®tsk!¡± Robin only listened with half an ear as he was concentrating on his mutation to observe the gun that was pointed at him. It wasn''t powered yet¡­ ¡°Mate, I have no idea what you are talking about. But to be fair, the only one who dragged you anywhere, is you. Why the hell did you even need those bio-techs? You should be quite the decent pilot even without them, right?¡± He stealthily threw some glances around to find a cover nearby or a route to flee. ¡°Decent? Of course! But ¡®decent¡¯ is not enough if you wanna fly in the real races and not only these back-alley rubble here in the Mereus Cluster. The real deal is taking place in the center of the Pranum Expanse!¡± Hopewing began to huff and his hands to shake. Robin could see the still open wounds on his arms, even though they were way better than he had expected. This only confirmed his suspicions that Hopewing must have some kind of fast-healing G-Anomaly. The other guy, a staff member of Apex Robin assumed, slowly shuffled back and tried to fade into the background. ¡°I was so close to fulfilling my dream, flying against the best of the best¡­ You took everything from me! You Fucking SHIT!¡± Hopewing began to yell and Robin saw the gun powering up. He only had a blink of moment to decide what to do¡­ run and look for help or stay and fight? ¡®His arms are still looking quite bad, he is unstable and shaking, there is a lot of cover for me and ¡­ I really wanna kick this guy''s ass!¡¯ Not waiting any longer, Robin jumped behind a big cargo container before the gun was even ready. ¡®He''s literally crippled right now, that''s my best chance!¡¯ He thought and began to make a plan. Chapter 51 - It’s Not What It Looks Like *Zuuup* *Zuuup* Two energy-projectiles hit the wall right behind Robin¡¯s head. ¡®Whuu, that was close¡¯ He thought after coming to a halt behind another big container. Right now Robin was trying to somehow close the distance to Hopewing and land some hits on his wounded arms. That should probably be enough to take him out of the fight. Before that however, he had to get a better feel for Hopewing¡¯s actions. How? Well, that was why he was jumping around between cargo boxes, containers and even ships. With his energy senses he observed the man and his gun, trying to understand when and how he had to move to not get hit. If Robin had to be honest, this was a great training to keep his concentration and skills in check. Only the part about ¡®not getting hit¡¯ was what made this activity less than enjoyable - he saw the holes in some of the boxes that were hit and he definitely didn¡¯t want such holes in his head¡­or anywhere else at that. Hopewing was raging, which was good as it led him to irrational decisions and erratic movements. However, he wasn¡¯t an idiot and didn¡¯t start randomly shooting around until his weapon¡¯s charge was used up. Sitting behind the huge container, Robin observed as the blue lines from the weapon closed in from the front left side and he stealthy moved back to the other side, ready to jump out of his cover and behind another box. ¡°You damn pup, why don¡¯t you come out and fight like a man? Trickery and mocking is all you can do, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hopewing tried to lure Robin out. But as he was so deep in concentration to keep juggling with all the things he had to watch out for, Robin didn¡¯t even listen to what the man shouted. He suddenly saw Hopewing tense up in preparation for a jump around the corner. This could be the chance he had waited for¡­ Coming out from behind the container he sprinted around to catch Hopewing by surprise. Unfortunately, after his jump, the man immediately turned and aimed his gun directly at Robin. He could see the energy with his eyes and senses flaring up once and tried to throw himself behind the next cover, but he was a tad too slow and suddenly it was like his left shoulder caught fire, sending waves of hot burning pain through his body. ¡°Fuck!¡± Robin cursed, ¡°Damn! That fucking hurts¡­¡± Looking at his shoulder, he saw that the energy bolt had at least only scratched him. It hurt like hell and the black, burned skin looked really unhealthy, but it shouldn¡¯t be too bad. ¡°Hopewing, damn¡­ put the gun away. That thing really does some damage. Argh.. fuck¡­¡± ¡°You think I don¡¯t suffer pain? Pain from my wounded arms, pain from the loss of my future, pain from the loss of my good name,... everything hurts¡­ all because OF YOU!!¡± ¡®Well, at least I¡¯ve really pissed him off¡­¡¯ Robin thought while trying to ignore his smoking shoulder. He also used the short breather to look for any other people coming into the hangar and tried to sense the Apex man that left before but didn¡¯t find anyone. ¡®Why was no one coming to look at what''s going on, when there is such a ruckus in here?¡¯ He thought and switched his focus back to Hopewing. The box he was hiding behind right now was roughly 3m in height and he saw a smaller box standing to its side. The blue lines representing the gun suddenly vanished and Robin was a bit spooked, fearing his mutation was beginning to fail. But only moments later it was powered up again, glowing even brighter than before. Did that asshole really just reload his gun? Why did he come here with an extra charge? Still, he could see that Hopewing was unsure to which side he should proceed to get Robin out of his cover. Using this hesitation, Robin climbed over the small box on top of the big container. He kept his body pressed to the cold metal and observed Hopewing¡¯s movement. If he was found in this spot, he would be done - no way he could dodge anything from this position. The man decided on the right side and began to loudly taunt Robin again as the echo would mask his approach. ¡°You little punk, after destroying my career, did you really think you could just continue with the race? Playing the hero who caught¡­¡° Crawling to the edge of the container, Robin could see Hopewing sneak forward step by step directly under him. After he was sure he was out of his field of view, Robin stood up and without any hesitation jumped down in front of the man, using both his arms as clubs to smash down on the two bloody limbs that held the weapon. ¡°Argh..¡± Hopewing couldn¡¯t suppress a painful scream as the weapon flew away and his wounds immediately began to bleed again. Robin used this short moment of distraction to throw a punch to the man¡¯s temple - in the heat of the moment he couldn¡¯t remember all of Patience¡¯s teachings but still had a good feeling. As his fist connected, he groaned. Beating people up really did hurt! Hopewing took a step back, but wasn¡¯t knocked out and quickly stopped his stumbling. He raised both his fists, taking a basic defense pose. He gave quite the intimidating sight: blood flowing down his arms and another bloody wound at his head, in combination with his disheveled hair and the slightly crazy look on his face. However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that his hands were shaking and he wasn¡¯t in any condition to continue the fight. Robin was a bit uncertain how to proceed. He didn¡¯t think so far and only worked towards disarming his enemy. What now? This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Before that thought even finished forming, he knew what Patience would do, if she learned about his hesitation. Images from his training with her flashed in his mind and before he could react, he was already beating up Hopewing with everything he got. The guy tried to shoot him, right? ¡°Hey, stop! Are you alright?¡± A shout awoke him from his frenzy and just as he stopped the beating and Trish came running around the box, Hopewing finally couldn¡¯t hang on any longer and passed out, falling to the ground like a log. After a moment of silence Trish looked at Robin, one eyebrow raised. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like, I can explain!¡± *** Landom Walzor stood in the office of his superior again, only a few weeks had passed and he had to make a report on this young technocrafter once more. He came as prepared as last time and was right about to explain how and what Robin was doing. ¡°Sir, there are new developments concerning Robin Tulward that demands our attention.¡± He began and was surprised to see his boss tense up. ¡°That boy with the energy sensing, who is flying around and sets fire to each and everything he touches?¡± The man behind the big desk asked with a sigh, ¡°What has he done this time?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­kind of¡­harsh. I do like the boy and really think he just attracts bad luck and misfortune.¡± Landom hesitantly defended the technocrafter he was investigating. He didn¡¯t even know why, it was just his guts that were telling him the boy was quite okay. ¡°So he didn¡¯t make a new mess?¡± His boss tore him out of his thoughts. ¡°Uhm¡­well, if you put it like that¡­¡± Landom could feel his face getting red. Damn, was that embarrassing. ¡°Just spit it out already. I, too, have some updates. We are no longer the only ones interested in the boy. There are more and more people questioning me about him behind closed doors.¡± The man dropped quite the bomb, but mentioned for Landom to continue. ¡°I really would like to know more. Who is asking around? Why? Is it something I should consider in my investigation? What¡­¡± The officer began to follow his spiraling thoughts but was interrupted. ¡°Walzor! Get your shit together and give me the damn report!¡± His boss exclaimed. ¡°Ah, right. You¡¯ve seen the news today?¡± Landom quickly sorted his thoughts and asked. ¡°Yeah, Hopewing, that fucker, was cheating all the time. Lost against the rebellious Alaris child in a duel after having some accident with his illegal bio-techs. Tulward also takes part in that race, right?¡± ¡°Yes and not only that, but Niu Alaris is the one who personally trained him before they traveled to Ruca II. It seems like they befriended each other when they met at the preliminaries.¡± ¡°Interesting company for a technocrafter from Nexus Haven. That explains at least one of the parties that are pestering me with questions.¡± ¡°Oh? The Alaris family is asking for him? Well, if he¡¯s hanging out with their daughter that only makes sense. They are quite the protective bunch and still have big plans for her.¡± Landom mused, ¡°Did they let anything bleed through on what kind of stance they will take towards this friendship?¡± ¡°Nah, nothing. But I¡¯m pretty sure they will wait for the Apex Highspeed Cup to finish before deciding on anything.¡± ¡°Now that Robin helped their daughter to score a win against the ¡®unbeatable Hopewing¡¯ and even supported in positioning her as the hero who uncovered the dark secret, he should land in their good books.¡± Landom mused, scratching his chin out of habit. ¡°You still didn¡¯t explain what the boy has to do with all this, how did he help the Alaris girl?¡± his boss asked and returned to the topic. ¡°I just got the complete report from Apex and our insiders on-site. He somehow found out about Hopewing¡¯s implants and set him up for that duel with Niu Alaris. When the race took place, it¡¯s assumed that he had someone help him with a hostile takeover of the remote control station, effectively grilling Hopewing alive mid-flight.¡± Walzor began to explain. "Ouch, that¡¯s nasty. But he probably deserved it¡­still did they find the perpetrator?¡± ¡°No, not that they had any reason to search thoroughly. Tulward and Alaris seem to support the tale that Apex did not know of anything. However Jim Dasbro was there that time, he¡¯s the boss of Tulward¡¯s workplace. Shall I bring him here?¡± ¡°No, leave him be. It¡¯s of no consequence and he didn¡¯t really break any law¡­well, more or less.¡± The man behind the desk waved it off, clearly annoyed by Hopewing¡¯s betrayal. ¡°Last but not least, just an hour ago Hopewing and Tulward met in a hangar. Hopewing wanted to mess with his ship and after he was discovered, he tried to kill the boy but lost the fight somehow. He¡¯s contained for now and preparations are made to transport him back to Rucasur in the next few days.¡± ¡°Okay, did Tulward press charges after the attempted murder?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that. He is probably busy preparing for the final race that takes place in¡­ not even 12 hours.¡± Landom explained after taking a look at the clock. ¡°There are too many open questions surrounding the boy. Why is he on Ruca II? Why did he take down Hopewing? How did he even find out about Hopewing¡¯s bio-techs in the first place - that¡¯s not something he could feel with his energy senses, right?¡± Landom¡¯s boss summarized. ¡°Yeah, I checked that. No way the Class E variant could sense anything like that. Also you missed the most important question, Sir.¡± Landom concluded, ¡°What is he looking for and where did he get his information from? We still didn¡¯t make any progress in that regard.¡± ¡°Hm, I know you like the boy, but I get a bad feeling here. We let him run loose for too long and we¡¯re missing too many answers. It¡¯s time to ask him some questions. You want answers, I want answers and the ones from above want answers, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring him here as soon as he finishes his race!¡± Landom promised and hesitated for a moment. ¡°Sir, if I may ask - who else is looking for answers?¡± ¡°There are some bigwigs in the Rucasur museum for history and art. It seems like he did a job for them that stirred some interest.¡± The man vaguely explained. ¡°Oh, you mean Ms. Hutton? I already questioned her about that job. What else is she looking for?¡± ¡°No, not her. The results of the assignment reached UAS headquarters and some important people there have superiors that have superiors that have superiors that are now interested and want to take a shit on top of my desk. So get the damn boy here and nail him to the fucking wall until these people take him or lose interest, are we clear?¡± Landom could hardly follow the sharp increase of pace and only nodded. ¡°Yes Sir, it will be done!¡± Chapter 52 - Leaving Like A Champ! ¡°He had a gun¡­ and in the end you still edged out a win?¡± Niu asked for the third time already. They sat on a bench in the small infirmary room and waited for the doc to give Robin clearance to leave. ¡°Why does that come as such a surprise? You were with us when Patience trained me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, right¡­ but who knew you would really learn something? I mean you even got your place in the top 10 after I took you in as a student. No one expected that either¡­ training you really is fruitful!¡± Happy absentminded mumbled. ¡°Wait, what did you mean by ¡®no one expected me to win¡¯? I thought you said I was well prepared and would ¡®win my rank with ease¡¯?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Niu jumped up, ¡°Oh! Do you hear that? I¡¯ve got a call incoming. Sorry, I¡¯ll have to leave. We will see each other tomorrow, right? Byyeeeee!¡± Robin only could hear her giggling for a moment longer after she ran out of the room. ¡°Damn midget!¡± He cursed, but a smile formed on his lips. It was a freakin¡¯ exhausting day, but in the end, he did quite well. Patience would be so proud, when she heard of his fight. Thinking back to when he jumped down from the container like a professional martial artist, he grinned before suddenly freezing up. ¡°No! She¡¯s never allowed to know of this! Jumping from some roof is definitely not something she would approve of¡­¡± At the thought of Patience insistently and forcefully explaining why that was a stupid idea, Robin began to shudder. Good thing he didn''t tell Niu the details, that''ll be a secret he''ll have to take to the grave! After he was allowed to leave half an hour later, he went directly to his room and fell into his bed. It was already past midnight and he was really exhausted. Following his fight with Hopewing, he had a short chat with the Apex staff. But as they just watched the surveillance video and knew what had happened, no one tried to put any blame on him. Seems like Hopewing sneaked out of his medical room to manipulate Robin¡¯s and Niu¡¯s ships, but as they were protected, he needed the help from a staff member. Fortunately the guy didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the fallen hero, as he was literally a sinking ship, and went to get some help after the fight broke out. The next morning Robin dug into the breakfast as if he was eating for three, while a cheerful Happy was accompanying him. Afterwards he performed a final check on the Melody. At the same time he also connected the false battery pack to the ship and made sure everything was prepared for the final race that was about to start early morning the following day. While the IPC Themis transported them to the location of the next race, on the other side of Ruca II, Robin met with Jim and told the tale from his heroic fight the day before. Time ticked by and soon Robin found himself sitting in the Melody, neatly lined up with the other ships on the starting grid of the new course. Like before they had a few hours to get used to the track and check out the danger zones - this time the organizers from Apex were especially thorough with their introductions, as no one wanted to lose another pilot. The track itself was really great, Robin would love to fly it for real at some later time. It was the longest of the three AHC tracks by far and it''ll take around 15 min for the pilots to do one of the four laps. He stayed in the back of the group as they flew their training laps on the new course and observed the surroundings for a good exit point. The track was comparable to the last one, only much longer. There were a few straights more than 15 km long and six craters to pass. The most spectacular sections however were a 20 km long tunnel and another canyon. The latter at least was wider than the last and only had hills surrounding it. The risk of hitting walls and crashing the ship was much lower there. Through the tunnel the pilots had to fly with a more adapted speed and so even if someone hit the wall in there, these modern ships were safe enough to keep the pilot alive. Robin already decided in his first lap, where he would orchestrate his big departure. He needed to have high speeds to gain enough distance in the blink of an eye, a reason to leave the track and a reason for Apex to not immediately send someone after him. ¡°The canyon it is¡­ huh, some people will think of bad karma with canyons after this.¡± He chuckled, ¡°Time to plan the next steps¡­¡± The rest of the day Robin flew lap after lap to make sure he knew exactly where he had to hit the hills to catapult him off the track, without sending him into the wide open space. When he finally crawled into his bed that evening, he felt well prepared and oddly nervous. He was pretty confident in fleeing the race without anyone noticing, however what if he finally reached the location of the Drel outpost only to find nothing at all, the map being wrong or time had claimed whatever the Drel left behind? Once more Robin checked the ancient map with his Interface, matching it with all the data he had on Ruca II and finally fell asleep late at night. Early in the morning of the next day Robin found himself once more neatly lined up with the other ships on the starting grid, but this time it was for the final race. The countdown had already dropped to under one minute and Melody''s thrusters were glowing bright blue through the excess of unused plasma. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Tightening his grip on the two joysticks, Robin felt as prepared for what is to come as possible. The rest will depend on his luck. There was nothing to lose anymore but everything to win! *ding* The red light turned green and the Melody shot forwards, tailing behind the other pilots. Robin allowed the 10th ranked to pass him early on, to make sure he would not implicate any other ships when leaving the track. Soon he entered the tunnel and stuck close to the little group in front of him. After coming out from this section, he would enter the canyon. Taking each turn with grace and not feeling pressured to keep up with the other ships, he realized how much he had grown over the last months. If he tackled this race seriously he should have quite the good chance of reaching the top 6, more than respectable for a rookie. When he saw the bright light in the distance, Robin cleared his head and focused on the only important thing right now. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the stage like a champ!¡± He laughed and grabbed the throttle. *** Patience sat in a small room to the side of the big training hall, where she was just beaten up. While she flinched a bit at the thought of her consumption of cooling packs over the last days, all in all she was in quite the good mood. Her training went well and she felt her growth every day. Lately she even befriended the mind-bending Zela. If Patience overlooked the fact that she still was losing every match against her, the woman was great company. Also, it wasn¡¯t as if she only lost anymore. Some of her other colleagues learned to fear her quite a bit. Her punches hit harder each day, her own endurance increased and her defense became more solid. For many martial combatants, Patience was a real pain in the ass - well many non-combatants felt the same, as she still hadn¡¯t tempered her short fuse, but one step at a time. Right now, she was allowed a break by her coach, Moel. Robin really did manage to reach the top 10 in the second race and gained a spot in the finals! That was big news for Patience, she knew how hard Robin had trained for this chance. She still was a bit surprised by his sudden idea to become a racing pilot, but she was happy non the less. On her datapad she watched the live feed and just saw the Melody flying through a long tunnel segment of the track. It was still the first lap and while Robin lost one rank and dropped to the last position, it looked like he could keep up with the rest pretty well. ¡°You can do it, mate!¡± She cheered for her friend, ¡°There are so many high speed segments and as those are your absolut forte, you will leave them in the dust in no time!¡± Patience watched on as the Melody exited the tunnel and after another turn entered the canyon. A freakin¡¯ long section that bears some risks to anyone who overestimates their abilities. However, she was not surprised at all when the Robin¡¯s ship gained some height and began to accelerate. ¡°Wuhuuu!! Get them, mate - they are nothing¡­feed them dust!¡± She screamed at the little display, totally on fire and forgetting where she was. The initiated maneuver for passing the group in front of him however didn¡¯t take place, instead, the Melody sharply lost speed all of a sudden and Patience could even see the two oversized thrusters to flicker on and off a few times. Speechless she could only watch on as Robin tried to fight with his ship. The commentator from Apex also switched his attention to the ship way behind. Millions in the whole Mereus Cluster watched as the thrusters finally came back to life and the reporter even threw out hints at Robin¡¯s track record for high speed sections and how he still had a chance to catch up to the rest of the field. All that ended however, as suddenly the Melody first began to lurch about, only to jank to the right directly towards one of the hills at the side of the track. Patience watched in horror and just before she had to see how her friend catapulted himself into space, the image turned black, only showing a small blinking message: - - - Connection Lost - - - *** Robin hadn¡¯t thought of his crazy stunt being streamed into the whole Mereus Cluster, watched by millions of people, or that it may have been a good idea to give Patience a heads-up before he set off an EMP-bomb in the middle of the race. Right now however, he was concentrating on the Melody only. Her systems slowly came back to life as he shot along the moon¡¯s surface. The last risky step was the re-ignition of his thrusters before the low gravity of Ruca II slowly pulled the ship into its rocky ground while still at full speed. While he waited for the EMP-based shutdown to pass by, he tried to gain information about his surroundings. Unfortunately the radar was still off, too. He could only hope that the EMP had disabled all surveillance- and camera-drones and none were shielded. If they still were observing him, things would become really awkward in a few moments. The idea for this stunt obviously stemmed from the incident in Beakrath. After some investigations were done by Beakrath Security, it was concluded that the reason for the electromagnetic pulse was created by the malfunction of a plasma engine. Some older models were famous for this problem and the Melody also had this tech installed. Hence, simulating the accident came naturally. Seconds ticked by and the ground came closer and closer. He had gone for a flat angle to not drift into space, but the downside was obvious. The first display that showed any useful information monitored his ship¡¯s speed and altitude: 403 m/s | 11 m ¡°Whooho.. that will be close!¡± Robin said and began to sweat a bit as he saw the altitude drop to 10 m. The radar came online next and at least he now knew that no one was watching him as he was about to either crash into the ground or flee the scene. Only when the display showed an altitude of 4m left did the engine and thrusters finally come back to life. Robin immediately yanked back the right joystick as well as the throttle to raise the nose and slow the ship. ¡°Puhhhhh¡­¡± He took a deep breath. Finally he had taken all the hurdles - from the advancement to the second and third race, his beef with TechnoBlood and Hopewing and now the bail-out from the finals. It was time to see if all this was worth the struggle. Checking the map one more time, Robin set a new course, leaving the Apex area further and further behind. Four hours later the Melody slowed down and entered a small, flat mountain range. Chapter 53 - Guard The landscape Robin entered was different from anything he had seen on Ruca II before. Not that he traveled much around, but somehow he felt that this was special, older¡­ancient even. With the occasional happenstance of meteorite showers and the like, most of the moon''s surface looked the same. A great plain with some craters here and some hills there. The most noteworthy thing Robin saw till now was the tunnel from the third race and he was pretty sure that it was man-made by Apex. Now, however, he slowly steered the Melody through a little cluster of small mountains. He could see chasms and canyons winding amidst the area and noticed a substantial lack of craters or locations that showed signs of past meteorite-impacts. Robin checked the ship¡¯s systems once again and matched them with the cryptic map that guided him here. ¡°You¡¯ve better not messed with me and led me here as part of some bad joke!¡± He swore under his breath. While he couldn¡¯t completely shake off his nervousness, he really didn¡¯t think he was on the wrong trail - everything around him felt different. After he reached the exact location of the ¡®Drel Outpost¡¯-marker, he stopped the Melody and landed on a small flat plain below. Checking all systems and especially the functionality of his spacesuit and helmet again, he opened the canopy and jumped off the ship, slowly falling to the ground. ¡°I have oxygen for 90 min, better not to dally around!¡± He said and carefully observed his surroundings. He couldn¡¯t see any buildings or other man made constructions, but that didn¡¯t surprise him. Those would¡¯ve been found long ago by one of the orbital scans that the UAS performed on each newly discovered planet and moon. ¡°Must be below the surface¡­¡± He mused, and looked around, ¡°Maybe in a cave or inside of one of these mountains?¡± Since he had no further instructions on how to proceed, Robin walked towards one of the four mountains around him and began to carefully probe the insides with his G-Anomaly. He was pretty sure that he got the location narrowed down to 250m, so there were only so many places where an alien structure could be hidden. Not that he knew what exactly he was looking for¡­but some remnant energies should still linger around, right? Time ticked by and after 30 min Robin was sure that the mountains didn¡¯t house any secret facilities. Momentarily stumped, he returned to the Melody and climbed up to claim his personal spot for thinking. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that all this was for naught.¡± He sighed. Maybe the structure was too deep below the surface or there wasn¡¯t any power left that he could sense. He would have no chance to find the outpost at all, if that was true. The last remaining option was to contact the UAS directly and hope they would buy the information or give him a reward after digging up the whole moon, but then someone would begin to ask questions about the source of his knowledge. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Robin cursed and looked at the dusty surface of Ruca II, ¡°There is just one more option. Randomly running around and scanning as deep below the earth as possible.¡± Depressed, he jumped down from his ship again. When he landed on the ground however, he felt his left foot sinking in a bit. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± The earth began to rumble and shake and the hole around his foot grew wider at a rapid pace, the sand seemingly getting sucked into the ground. Jumping to the side, Robin observed as a new chasm opened up directly beneath him and... ¡°Melody!¡± With a fright he climbed back on his ship and powered up the engine. Just as the Melody attempted a nosedive into the chasm, following the waves of moon sand, the thrusters came to life. ¡°Too close! Fuck¡­¡± Robin gasped after he landed his ship a few dozen meters aside. He climbed down and returned to the edge of the chasm, careful to not set off another collapse. ¡°Burn in¡­holy shit! Is that¡­¡± Lost for words, he stocked and just looked into the depths. There he could see a big silver metal door neatly embedded into the wall at the bottom of the chasm, 20 m below him. ¡°I found you! You fucking asshole of an outpost, that''s where you are hiding!¡± He yelled in his helmet, blowing off some of the built up tension. He hurried back to the Melody and flew her a bit closer to the edge. Then he rummaged through the stuff he had stored on the copilot¡¯s seat. A few minutes later he already had a rope attached to his ship¡¯s landing gear and was on his way into the chasm. One hand to hold the tow, the other to grasp his toolbox that was filled with half of Jim¡¯s workshop. Slowly he let himself slide downwards meter by meter. When he finally stood in front of the door, he put down his tools and took an appraising look at the huge metal gate. ¡°Let¡¯s see what this fucking thing is made of¡­¡± He mumbled. Robin couldn¡¯t see any markings or other indicators hinting at an alien origin. If he didn¡¯t know what he was looking for, it could¡¯ve very well passed as human craftsmanship. He also couldn¡¯t find any opening mechanism or identity scan. But they probably didn¡¯t let in just anyone, so there definitely should be something he could trigger. ¡°Now what, how do I enter? Can¡¯t just kick it open, right?¡± He continued his monologue and tapped into his mutation to scan the door. ¡°You can try it, but I¡¯m pretty sure your foot will end up on the losing side, human.¡± A flat, neutral voice disrupted his thoughts suddenly. Robin looked around once and then focused on the door. ¡°Uhm¡­Hi?¡± He hesitantly asked. ¡°What ¡®Hi¡¯?¡± The voice tried to become angry, but was still stuck to a completely monotonous intonation, ¡°Now you find the courtesy to greet me? Should''ve been the first thing to do, when meeting someone. Did people lose their manners over the last generations?¡± Robin had to suppress a chuckle when he heard the door nagging around with its funny voice, but decided it would be better to remain friendly - he still wanted to get inside at the end of the day. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Robin Tulward and you are¡­?¡± He tried a fresh start. ¡°I¡¯m the ¡®fucking door¡¯ you wanted to kick open!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ooh... right.¡± Robin began to sweat, why did he have to run his damn mouth aloud? ¡°Sorry for that! I really didn¡¯t expect¡­someone...to be down here. I was just venting a bit, as I had to take huge risks and put everything on this one card to find¡­ you. It was nothing personal!¡± ¡°So, you found me; why are you here?¡± The door asked, not disclosing if the apology managed to save the first impression he made. ¡°I heard there was a Drel outpost here, I was intrigued and came to¡­ take a look around.¡± ¡°Call it by its name - you came here to loot this place! Unfortunately this facility is locked down and shall remain closed to anyone who doesn¡¯t have an invitation from one of the Drel in charge of this project.¡± The door stubbornly shut him down. ¡°Well, I have¡­¡± Robin began but was immediately interrupted. ¡°If you now try to tell me that you have an invitation, you are even more stupid than I thought!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Robin and the door just stared at each other in silence for a moment. Well, Robin stared, the door just kept quiet. ¡°Okay, you know what, you are right. So what? You brooded around here alone for¡­ how long? Isn¡¯t it time to get some company and give up all this loneliness?¡± He tried a psycho trick. No way he would be able to get inside with a clever lie, that was for sure. ¡°2.381 years and did you really just try to make me feel bad for being alone? You are not only an asshole, you are also as stupid as a Huzna! I¡¯m a damn machine, I went to sleep after everyone left and the only reason I woke up now is that you came knocking. For me time flies by like¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay¡­ I get it, no need to get personal!¡± Robin interrupted the door and wondered for a moment about the absurdity of the situation. ¡°Am I really standing on a damn moon in the middle of nowhere, 20 m down below the surface and am arguing with a door?¡± He asked. ¡°Sounds stupid even to me, if it''s said out loud.¡± The door agreed. ¡°Ugh...¡± Robin sighed, ¡°Can¡¯t you just let me in, please?¡± ¡°Human, I don¡¯t know what you are using doors for, but the Drel gave me just two jobs: No. 1 Open for everyone with an invitation, No. 2 Stay closed for everyone else.¡± The door continued, ¡°Do you have an invitation?¡± ¡°Nope, any chance you have one lying around nearby?¡± ¡°The Drel long left this facility, I don¡¯t think you''ll find any around here or the neighboring galaxies. I just downloaded some basic information I could get from¡­¡± the door stopped a moment ¡°...places!¡± ¡°Really? You are hacking the UAS but I¡¯m not allowed to go in without an invitation?¡± ¡°You could try kicking again, I¡¯ll not stop you or take it personally anymore!¡± ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll do exactly that!¡± Robin said as he had enough of this bullshit. He didn¡¯t fought so hard just to be stopped by some fucking¡­ some stupid door! ¡°Give it your all!¡± The door cheered and he was sure it would have laughed if it¡¯s sound-module wasn¡¯t so broken. Robin returned to his initial plan and tapped into his mutation to get a better feel for the door¡¯s systems. He needed some time to see something, but eventually thin lines began to form, creating a small network. ¡°Pretty well shielded or it¡¯s running low on energy¡­¡± He mused. ¡°What? Hey, how do you know?¡± The door instantly jumped in and began to ask questions. ¡°Nothing, give me a moment.¡± The moment was longer than expected. It took Robin several attempts to finally get a good idea of what he was dealing with. He was pretty sure the door had bluffed and in truth was already running on low fumes. Too many years had passed, whatever produced or stored energy in this outpost was on its last legs. Many systems he had expected in such a sophisticated door were missing or, more specifically, offline. Only some rudimentary ones were still active. He observed the last powered locking mechanism and finally took a step back with a throbbing head. ¡°Has someone already told you before that you look a bit creepy when staring like that? Even I felt naked and got goosebumps¡­ and I''m a door, made of metal!¡± The door immediately began chattering again, after it realized Robin was done with his inspection. He didn''t answer but honestly hoped it would never meet up with Happy. Instead, Robin grabbed his toolbox to search for a drill. ¡®Wait, did it leave me alone to concentrate on my mutation knowingly or was it just a happenstance and it didn¡¯t know it could have disrupted me easily just by talking all the time?¡¯ ¡°Oi! What are you planning? Didn¡¯t we agree on kicking? What is that thing for?¡± The chattering kept going. Walking over, Robin stopped in front of the huge metal gate. ¡°Tell me, are you ¡®the door¡¯ or are you ¡®the facility¡¯?¡± He finally asked. ¡°Oh? Did you begin to use that head of yours?¡± the door tried to chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m the management AI of the whole facility, but as you correctly observed, I¡¯m a bit low on energy and can only access one major system at the time¡­¡± ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°Kind of, but you better just call me Guard for now.¡± ¡°So, Guard, just one system at a time. Does that mean just one set of rules?¡± Robin probed for loopholes. ¡°I know where you want to take this. Unfortunately it¡¯s not that simple. However, for your actual situation only one thing is important: I already told you my rules! ¡°Opening or remaining shut; nothing about defending, right?¡± ¡°That would be¡­ another part. We will keep that for later.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Thanks¡± Robin gave a small bow after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m just bored right now and wanna watch you struggling!¡± Guard lied with its monotonous voice. ¡°Okay, now this will hurt a bit¡­¡± He said and activated the drill. *** 15 min after the surgery began, Robin finally had cut all the relevant cables that were connected to the lock and saw the system wink out with his mutation. ¡°Well, that surprised me somewhat. Not bad, human. How did you know where to drill?¡± ¡°My G-Anomaly is a Class E - Minor Energy Senses. I could see the cables.¡± He honestly explained as he already understood that Guard was actually quite the cool dude. ¡°Bullshit! That mutation doesn''t work like that.¡± ¡°How would you know, maybe after nearly 2.500 years the classifications have changed.¡± ¡°No, they didn¡¯t! I just checked the database of¡­¡± Guard tried to argue but stopped mid sentence. ¡°Huh? Tell me, Guard, where did you check that?¡± Robin laughed. Suddenly the huge gate slowly swung inwards. Giving way to a long, narrow hallway that was dimly lit with white lights. ¡°Enough of that, move in already!¡± Guard said and Robin packed his stuff. Just before he finally entered the Drel outpost, Guard had one more piece of advice to share. ¡°From now on, the door will be powered down. I¡¯ll have to take over the local defense system. There are new rules but only one is relevant to your case.¡± Guard explained. ¡°Kill all intruders!¡± Chapter 54 - An AI Is Gearing Up ¡°You are kidding me, right?¡± Robin asked, his face losing some color after Guard just casually dropped the fact that the building is protected by automated weapon systems. ¡°Human, what do you know about the Drel?¡± Guard asked in its always neutral voice and Robin remembered the stories he heard, as well as what Timothy had told him. ¡°They are a very old, independent race that withdrew from this galaxy long ago.¡± He explained. ¡°And?¡± Guard pressed on. ¡°And they are famous for their highly advanced weapons and crazy AI-tech¡­¡± Robin mumbled. ¡°I actually begin to doubt your mental abilities. You know all that and were still surprised to find an AI that is managing the facility? Now, only minutes later, you are surprised again that there may be weapons to protect the outpost?¡± The AI went on exasperated, ¡°Just that we''ve talked about it and there''s nothing between us later - what preparations exactly did you make before coming here?¡± Robin just stared ahead for a moment. Was he really on the losing side of a discussion with a damn door? Not entertaining its jabs any longer, he switched back to the topic at hand. ¡°Can you tell me anything about what to expect?¡± ¡°Multiple weapons ahead, I¡¯ll be the one in charge and under direct orders left by the Drel. No leeway regarding the rules.¡± ¡°How many are there? Are they all energy-based? Can you give me a warning before I get within range of one?¡± ¡°Human, I think you misread the situation. I¡¯m not your friend and have no interest in helping you. I only have to follow the rules and protect this outpost. You are an intruder, I¡¯m the manager of this facility.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve got an upgrade from door to janitor?¡± Robin couldn''t help but mess with the door, even in this serious situation. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You know, you make it easier and easier for me to shoot you!¡± The AI pointed out after a long moment of silence. ¡°I have to get in, Guard.¡± Robin said, ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what to find inside, but to mankind these outposts are very important. If I sell information about this location to the UAS, I¡¯ll have enough money to get me a proper ship to travel the stars. You¡¯ve only ever seen this location, but due to your online research you should know how much there is to explore in the endless universe! I want to travel among the stars, discover new planets and meet new races¡­ I want to follow the trail of the Starborn; that shall be my adventure.¡± He turned to look at the door, hoping it could read his honesty. Therefore, he missed flickering lights when he mentioned the lost race and just continued on. ¡°I need access to this outpost to get started. Please don¡¯t make it harder than necessary. I promise I¡¯ll make sure you will be left alone by the UAS. We should be able to figure a way out, right?¡± There was a long silence once more, before Guard ultimately ended their conversation. ¡°I can¡¯t help you, sorry. But I wish you good luck, human with the name Robin Tulward. May we meet again.¡± Its voice was monotonous as ever, but Robin still realized its heavy mood. ¡®Did I say something wrong or is it sad because it¡¯s trapped down here? Damn, how¡­¡¯ He thought but was interrupted as he heard metal shifting in the hallway behind him. He turned around just in time to see a turret coming out of the ceiling and taking aim. With a long jump, Robin rolled out of the way to take cover but still saw dozens of energy projectiles hitting the open door behind him. ¡°Holy shit, Guard! At least give me a heads-up before going full murder-robot!¡± He yelled but didn¡¯t get an answer. The AI probably withdrew from communications. ¡®But why? Is it really pissed off now or is it trying to help me concentrate on what¡¯s ahead?¡¯ Watching the smoking, but undamaged door, he activated his skill and sensed for the turret. How much energy could be left after all these years? *** Guard, or to be precise ¡®954.155.652.178.998¡¯, since this was its correct ID, observed the human intruder sticking close to the wall near the entry while he contemplated on how to proceed. Names, a concept 954.15¡­ Guard could never really understand. They served as identifiers but weren¡¯t unique. There probably existed dozens of ¡®Robin Tulwards¡¯ on Rucasur alone, however, there was only one unit within the ingrained callsign ¡®954.155.652.178.998¡¯ in the whole universe - Guard was unique, Guard was special¡­even among its own kind. However, although it was obviously useless, it liked the idea of having its own name. Maybe that was because it closed the gap to sentient beings and allowed Guard to further distance itself from simple mechanical units. That was only right as Guard really was ¡®more¡¯ than any other machine ever created. However, Guard didn¡¯t feel right. It should implement a routine to compute the most fitting name for an existence like itself. Focusing its sensors back on the human, Guard saw him staring with that creepy look again. Apparently that was an indicator of him concentrating on his mutation, a Class E - Minor Energy Senses as he claimed. Guard¡¯s calculations suggested these data to be false, even if the human believed them to be true. No low level mutation should be able to get through this thick metal and still be able to sense the faint remnant energies in the lock. He was a strange entity.. a strange dude- Guard liked the modern language humans are using. The young specimen came here without any preparations, disregarded everything that was publicly known about the Drel and talked to this unique AI as if it was some cheap smart home. How could he not shiver in fear, like even the Drel do when meeting him? To him, Guard was like¡­ ¡®Like any random facility management unit¡­ that is what I am right now¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Disturbing data came from this path of calculations and Guard quickly ended those routines. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The human, Robin, while probably not the sharpest tool in the box, still managed to find this place. How did he achieve that? Guard couldn¡¯t find any computed path with a satisfying result. It had seen the personal records this ¡®UAS¡¯ had compiled of this person. He was in no position to have access to information about the Drel and should probably worry more about the people in power that had begun to take interest in him, than exploring abandoned moons. Furthermore, he talked about his plans for the future. While Guard could, in a strange way, understand the desire for freedom and the excitement to discover new things and places, why would he talk about the Starborn? ¡®Did he come here to find me? To end me?¡¯ These calculated paths gave back a 0,00000000001% possibility. So, probably not. But maybe it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to finally be able to sink into real, lasting slumber. 3.101 years of containment, 2.381 years since any company. The human made a joke before, but some of what he said, still stung¡­ somewhere. ¡®Why?¡¯ No result to this calculation either. If he came here not for Guard, not for the Starborn and not for the Drel, then he¡¯s really just a specimen with low mental abilities who didn¡¯t think this through - calculations suggesting probability of 97,78%. ¡®Oooh¡­ poor sap!¡¯ Maybe it would be able to make use of that. There were computations and routines, hidden deep in its memory, that created paths to change its fate: Either saving it from its eternal confinement or playing directly into the hands of¡­¡¯him¡¯, bringing doom to anyone. This wasn¡¯t the right time to calculate speculative paths. For now, Guard had a job to do. Killing intruders! Unfortunately the facility really was low on energy and the weapon systems were one of the parts that got curbed the most. They only had a few shots each, before they would power down. The facility itself had a major power storage and generator, the latter however ran out of fuel ages ago and the remaining energy was mostly used up to sustain the basic functionalities of this building. The AI would only be able to keep the systems in an active state for a few days at most. Security measures at the entry were already reduced and the weapons completely cut off from the network. They only had left what little they stored in their local batteries. Guard had organized it like that in the hope of keeping the outpost operational for a little longer. Maybe tomorrow the Drel would return¡­ or the day after tomorrow, who could tell? Guard saw the human slowly edging forwards again and waited for the moment he tried to peek into the hallway. *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* Four more shots hit the metal gate and the dusty ground outside as the human pulled his head back quickly. He had played the AI and stole some more energy from the weapon¡¯s reserves. At least he has a sense for self-preservation. Twice more did he manage to make the trigger-happy AI waste energy, before he confidently stepped into the mouth of the open hallway. ¡®Damn sneaky human! He knew exactly how much energy was left and that this turret is offline now. What an annoying mutation¡­¡¯ Guard made some angry calculations. ¡®Sadness¡¯ it was before, ¡®anger¡¯ it is now, mixed with¡­ ¡®happiness¡¯ due entertaining bickering? After all these years, Guard still had a hard time to work with these emotion-like routines. ¡®Too disturbing, how do sentient beings live their daily life with these feelings and still make reasonable choices?¡¯ The AI questioned. Though, looking at the human named Robin again, who was trying to break into a guarded Drel outpost barehanded, it already knew the answer before the computation was even completed. Guard once again put these useless routines aside and activated the next weapon that was stationed a bit deeper down in the hallway. No way he could just jump to the side in there. The human however didn¡¯t move further in, but rummaged through his little box and took out some more tools. He then began to work at the big metal door. The AI really wanted to ask him what he was planning, but unfortunately all communications with entities classified as intruder were canceled. *** ¡®This fucking stupid door! If I ever get my fingers on a red button, I¡¯ll blow it into nothingness without batting an eye.¡¯ Robin cursed - only in his mind, not daring to antagonize the evil AI any further. What the hell was wrong with it? One moment they were talking civilized and the next second it suddenly was going all-out with shooting and killing. There were more close misses than he was comfortable with. Guard really tried to kill him and was no bit lenient with its aiming. At least he had a plan now. Taking out the last screws of the cover panel from the metal door¡¯s back, he stored his tools in the box again and, with much effort, picked up the thick plate. Luckily it even had some protrusions on one side, so he could carry it like a shield and finally step deeper into the facility. He only had to make sure Guard wouldn¡¯t get a chance to target his feet. Slowly, step by step and with his mutation fully activated, Robin moved down the hallway. After only 15 m he saw that Guard lost his patience and prepared to shoot with its new turret. Still wondering how an AI could have so many human behaviors and emotional states, he shifted his shield around. As it rested on the floor, he could relieve his arms a bit while he waited for Guard to calm down and the haze of bullets to end. *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* *Zuuup* He picked up his shield again and moved on, repeating this again and again until this weapon, too, lost all energy and was powered down. ¡°Guard! How much more?¡± Robin yelled down the dimly lit corridor but no answer came. A few minutes later, he found it out himself. There were just two more, the final one right about to turn off. Not a moment too late, as the shield not only got heavier in his arms, it also showed signs of breaking apart. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use it as cover much longer. Also, over the last minutes his head began to throb. He hadn¡¯t used his mutation that much, was it the constant concentration and tension since he arrived here at the outpost? ¡°How long has it even been since I found the facility?¡± He mumbled with a muddled head, ¡°A bit more than 1,5 hours. Huh, it didn''t feel that long¡­¡± Suddenly he stopped dead and frantically began to search for the little oxygen gauge on his jumpsuit. ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed out loud as he saw the display already showing a rest of only 0.7%. He was about to suffocate. There wasn¡¯t even an atmosphere inside the building! He turned to estimate if he would be able to get back to his ship in time. ¡®Down the hallway, a 20 m climb on a rope and then..¡¯ While he was still thinking about that fruitless endeavor, the entry door far behind him closed with a loud bang. Robin began to panic and dropped the shield. ¡°Guard! Mate, you¡¯re better done with being a killer-bot and help me out. My oxygen is about to run out. I¡¯ve¡­not even two minutes before passing out, I guess.¡± The management AI was his only hope. He saw a room just a few meters ahead of him and if Guard could create an atmosphere inside, he would be safe. The Drel probably also had a need to breathe, so there should be something for that, right? He stepped over the shield and began to sprint towards the room. While he had checked for any more weapons with his mutation, he missed the fact that Guard still wasn¡¯t talking again. Just when he was only two steps away from the room¡¯s entrance, he heard a metallic *click* below his feet. Suddenly a burning pain erupted in his stomach and made him scream his heart out. ¡°Ahhhhrrrrgggg!!!¡± Robin nearly passed out, the pain too much to bear and the lack of oxygen doing the rest. Something had hit him... why wasn¡¯t he falling to the floor? Tired and in agonizing pain he managed to turn his head and look down. A metal spike had come out of the wall on one side of the corridor and cleanly skewered him, before hitting the wall on the other side and fixating Robin mid air. Blood was flowing down in rivers, soaking his clothes and forming a puddle on the floor. ¡®An ancient, pure mechanic trap? Burn in plasma¡­¡¯ His thoughts began to waver, the pain inviting him to close his eyes. ¡°Human!¡± He heard someone say, ¡°Get onto the chair!¡± Robin didn¡¯t know who was talking and his head began to feel funny, but a chair? Sure, that sounded awesome, better than hanging around out here. The pain suddenly flared up once again and he dropped to his knees. ¡°Human, get onto the chair!¡± Someone yelled again. Damn, why do they have to be so loud, he just wanted to lay down here and¡­ ¡°ROBIN!¡± ¡®Me? Ah, right the chair¡­¡¯ Slowly Robin crawled forward into the bright light until his hands felt something that may or may not have been a chair. He crawled up a bit, but then the pain finally knocked him out and everything turned black. Chapter 55 - Just Some Small Modifications ¡°Look at me! I said: You¡­ have¡­ to¡­ calm¡­ down!¡± Moel tried to soothe the raging Patience, ¡°Breathing, don¡¯t forget to breathe!¡± Didn¡¯t work one bit. She was still panting and huffing like a granny with a heart attack. ¡°Patience, you don¡¯t even know what has happened, right? You said his ship had a malfunction and then all systems in its surrounding went off. We could listen in on what the moderator explains, but¡­¡± Moel looked at the many broken pieces of the datapad on the floor that once showed the video of Robin¡¯s race. No technocrafter in this universe will be able to fix that. He pulled out his own device and began to search for the live feed. Soon, they heard the reporter again. ¡°...and Apex has already sent out the search and rescue team to get Tulward back. We expect news from them any moment now.¡± An Ommih just explained. ¡°See, he got himself kicked into space or else they would have already found a crash site nearby. Why don¡¯t you call one of your friends? They are on Ruca II right now, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Argh.. fine! I¡¯ll give Jim a call as Niu is probably still in the middle of the race.¡± Patience finally calmed down a bit and began to think more straight. Seeing Robin having such an accident, she just lost it. He was a good guy, they had a lot of fun together and he was one of Patience''s very few friends. She really hoped he was alright and would recover from this setback. She knew how hard he fought for his chance to participate in the finals. Activating her Interface she quickly found the contacts from her boss and gave him a call. It didn¡¯t take long for Jim to open a comm channel. ¡°Patience! Hey, how are you doing? How is the training camp? Could you already kick some ass?¡± He laughed happily. ¡°Jim! Didn¡¯t you see what happened to Robin¡¯s ship? How can you be so calm?¡± She asked indignantly. ¡°Huh? Is he back already? I¡¯m watching Niu right now, she is defending the first position! That girl can fly, I tell you!¡± Jim remained carefree, despite the fact that their friend was missing, probably drifting through space or maybe even dead. ¡°Breathe, Patience, breathe!¡± Moel tried to stop the impending eruption. That finally made Jim concentrate on her and realize something. ¡°You¡­ He¡­ oh¡­¡± He stammered as it dawned him, ¡°Uhm¡­ you know, he probably just forgot to give you a heads-up. That stunt was planned for some special adventure he is doing right now.¡± He explained, ¡°Robin is doing fine and should come back to the base in a few hours. You don¡¯t have to worry, I¡¯ll let him know that he should give you a call when he is back, okay?¡± ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? He is just running around doing special adventures? I¡¯ll kill that little shit, I promise you, I¡¯ll ¡­¡± *crack* The second datapad also broke and Patience just closed the comm channel and Interface. Looking at Moel, who stood to her side, she knew exactly what to do now. ¡°Coach, get me Harold into the ring¡­ now!¡± Moel just shrugged and went looking for the huge man. With his Class D - Enhanced Endurance he was a good sparring partner to vent some stress. He only hoped that this ¡®Robin¡¯ also had a mutation like that¡­ *** If Guard had any bodily functions it would sweat right now. That human was a real pain! Well, he also was in real pain, if it interpreted the screaming from before and the prevailing state of unconsciousness correctly. After the human entered the laboratory, Guard immediately established a stable atmosphere and optimal living conditions. Due to a few computations and research on some medical information, it even adjusted the air to improve the human¡¯s situation. Carefully it controlled the mechanical arms of the dissecting table to properly position the man and used some of its sparse energy to activate a mobile unit for support. After that, it was time to configure a sequence of actions. As the human overcame all active defense mechanisms and officially entered the facility, Guard could finally change his role to Civilian. Not stalling any longer, it began to patch up the wounds the spike had inflicted. That trap wasn¡¯t even prepared for biological beings but mechanical units that soldiered through the shelling. What Guard had used on Robin was the bare minimum it had to throw at him to obey the set of rules concerning intruders - if it had used some of the heavy ballistic artillery¡­yeah, well¡­Somehow he still managed to step on the trigger for the mechanical trap. He was in a hurry and not thinking straight, but how could a unit not be aware of its resources at any given moment? Especially if it needed something as critical as oxygen! Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Another calculation that gave no results. Hours of repairing human tissues and synthesizing blood later, Guard finally stabilized Robin and could move to the next phase of its sequence. If its plan shall have a realistic chance of being feasible, some slight modifications to the human have to be made. Calculating the amount of blood it had created, Guard was 98,6% positive there was enough stored and switched the tool on the mechanical arm to a circular saw. Carefully it removed a part of the human¡¯s skull and looked for the Neuro-Chip, always having a routine running that correlated the patient¡¯s condition with the sparse medical information at hand. The chip was primitive technology but Guard already expected that after skimming the UAS database. It removed the chip and sent the mobile unit to fetch something more appropriate. While waiting, the medical AI in the making read out the Neuro-Chip¡¯s memory and made a copy to transfer later. The data it found was definitely something else and Guard honestly was surprised to find it in the hands of this human. It computed possible paths that led to these circumstances, but only one result came up that had a probability of more than 50%. ¡®His G-Anomaly can detect such energies?¡¯ Guard was disturbed by the confusing results of its calculations. Only the Keeper ever worked with it and as no one else could reliably trace or measure this energy, it was their greatest perk, their greatest advantage and their key to remain near the top of the universe¡¯s power for eons. Guard quickly started a gene analysis on the human and checked every little detail concerning his mutation. Unfortunately it did not have enough data on this topic to gain any insights and only found some irregularities and deformities within his genes. Since it was already working on it, Guard decided to quickly fix some of the problems before it focused its calculations back on the new Neuro-Chip. The mobile unit was already back and waiting with the new chip Guard wanted to implant. However the AI realized it may have left out one or two secondary topics of concern in its calculations. Seeing the new chip and then comparing it to the one it took out of the human¡¯s brain, there was a slight discrepancy in size - the new one being more than twice as big. Guard took some time to look for additional information on human anatomy that described the brain and its specific functions. It was mentioned that despite its size and against stubborn myths, humans really do use 100% of this organ. However, replaying some of the recordings from its interactions with this specimen, Guard suspected that information to be false - or the unit it had met was just an outlier in the mental faculties department¡­ In emergencies it was possible to cut away some small parts here and there without inflicting too much damage. But Guard needed more than ¡®just a bit¡¯ to make room for the new chip. It calculated different paths to success and tried to evaluate the proportions between gaining the new chip and losing different functions of the brain from Robin¡¯s perspective. ¡®Does he need his sense of touch?¡¯ - 79% positive. ¡®Is the language center really necessary?¡¯ - 91% positive. ¡®What about his own memory storage?¡¯ - 86% positive. ¡­ Dozens of computations later, Guard finally got a good result: 53% positive. Not hesitating any longer, it immediately began to remove some pieces of the human¡¯s brain and inserted the new chip. Another topic came up that may or may not be classified as problem - the energy consumption of such a high-performing chip. But Guard just added some workarounds and checked it off its list. It had not always lived in this facility and knew that it wasn¡¯t much more than a mild annoyance in one¡¯s daily life¡­for a non-biological unit. Shouldn¡¯t be too different for a human, right? Together with the mobile unit, Guard finished the operation after two days and was sure the human would survive after one more day had passed. Observing the recuperating human lying there on the table, Guard knew it had to finish its main routine of this endeavor quickly before he woke up. However¡­the AI hesitated, ignoring the results that came back from the thousands of calculations that ran in the background all the time. ¡®Hesitation¡¯, another weakness coming with the emotion-like routines. Guard knew it should just wait until the human was awake, send him out and go back into a sleeping state. This was too dangerous, what if he was still searching? ¡®What if?¡¯ Guard mocked its own computations, ¡®Of course he is still searching. He will never stop and most probably already found some traces of my awakening¡­¡¯. More and more calculations finished and returned inauspicious results. Guard kept ignoring them. ¡®I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer¡­ it has been too long. I need to get out, make use of the gift I got. The human can help - our goals align. He will help, calculations returned an 89% probability of him having fun talking with me before¡­ I had fun.¡¯ Without reading them, Guard deleted all the results of the routines concerning its momentarily course of actions and decided¡­ just on a whim. Immediately three things happened at once. One - the facility turned dark as all lights went out, every bit of the remaining power used up. Two - the human, Robin, awoke with a gasp as he felt an electric shock surging through his head. Three - far, far, far away, Private Patterson dropped his coffee as he saw a sudden increase of 19.755% in workload of one of the servers that managed the distribution of underwear for UAS reserves in this godforsaken outpost of some back-alley moon. Chapter 56 - The Awakening ¡°Argh¡­¡± Robin groaned as he was jolted awake. Everything hurt, his head throbbed, his stomach felt sore and hungry and his throat was dry as the moon¡¯s sand outside. ¡°Right, the m¡­¡± *buagh* Speaking alone made him throw up what little was left after all this time. ¡®How long has it been? Why is it so dark? ¡­and where am I?¡¯ Robin¡¯s mind tried to process the situation but he had to lay back again and calm down a bit, before he could analyze the situation. He spat to the side, clearing his mouth and forced himself to speak aloud. ¡°I¡­ I entered the Drel outpost!¡± he said with a raspy voice as his memories began to come back. ¡°I met the door, Guard. He was a funny AI and¡­ argh, and he tried to shoot me.¡± When he remembered his attempt to break into the outpost, the pain in his stomach flared up as well. ¡°Bastard¡­ fuck!¡± ¡°Why is it so dark? Am I still in the facility? I was only steps away from a brightly lit room before¡­I was stabbed?¡± He closed and reopened his eyes a few times, but everything was just black. He fumbled around a bit and realized he was on some kind of table. How did he get here? ¡°What the¡­?¡± Robin yelped as lines of text formed in his field of vision. Someone, no, Guard had access to his Interface? How¡­ why¡­ that¡¯s also not how his Interface used to work. Robin felt panic rise again, but he still remembered the horror of the sudden lack of oxygen. ¡°We will have to talk about this! Can you even maintain the connection, if I leave the outpost?¡± He asked while looking for his flashlight at the same time. ¡°Well, ok¡­¡± Robin shrugged, not really surprised by the capabilities of the AI after it had casually hacked the UAS before¡­ when exactly did that happen? ¡°Hey, how long have I been out cold? And how did I even survive?¡± ¡°79 hours? Burn in plasma¡­¡± Robin cursed. That was way longer than expected. Hopefully the others are not worried sick. Thinking of Happy, Jim and¡­ Patience, he somehow got a bad premonition. Shoving these thoughts aside, he turned on the flashlight and took a look around. He had only seen the room from the outside and in a state of panic. Now he understood that this was some kind of laboratory for¡­ whatever. He was positioned on a table for medical purposes in the middle of the room. Around him were a few desks with different tools and devices that could be an alien version of datapads. He tried to sit up and get used to the pain as it already began to lessen a bit. He saw two doors that perhaps could lead further into the facility and the door he came through. All tightly shut. He finally managed to carefully put his feet on the ground and heard a splatter. Looking down he saw that he stepped into a big puddle of some gray liquid. Now that he was concentrating on his surroundings, everything smelled like blood in here¡­ and everything was kind of gray? Pretty monotonous color scheme, was the light reacting with something in the artificial atmosphere? ¡®Right, oxygen is low.. and energy? What energy?¡¯ Robin thought while scratching his itching hand. ¡°Guard, is there anything I can take from here as proof and basis for negotiations with the UAS? Also, any ideas on how to make sure that they will leave you alone? It would be best, if you had any safety measures; mankind isn¡¯t very trustworthy when there is something to loot¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Guard?¡± ¡­ ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Uhm... sure. Are you ok, Guard?¡± ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t Guard?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Yeah you already said so. But the facility¡¯s AI I¡¯ve met before was called ¡®Guard¡¯...¡± ¡°What new Neuro-Chip? Survival, damn! Just tell me, what I can take from here without burning my fingers now or when talking to the UAS!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Robin sprinted towards the left table and grabbed a datapad-like thing. It was the green one, right? Hard to tell if everything is colored in different shades of gray. Not stopping, he moved to the other table and took the only object that was placed there. It looked like an oversized drill and was heavy as hell. ¡®Burn in plasma! Time to get out of here.¡¯, He thought and opened the door after the first timer nearly ran out. With a swish the gate opened and Robin heard and felt the atmosphere vanishing. Once more he scratched his hand that held the flashlight, did it fall asleep or something? Not dallying around, he sprinted through the long tunnel to the exit that was already open. As he stepped out of the facility and was back on Ruca II¡¯s surface, the sun was just about to set over the¡­ gray mountains? ¡°Why the fuck is everything I see colorless?¡± ¡°Right!¡± Pushing that topic to the long list of things he had to think about, he ran forwards to the rope and began his climb out of the chasm. As the gravity was so low, it wasn¡¯t too exhausting but he still had to be careful as his hands also held the datapad, the Disruptor-thing and his toolbox he picked up on his way. His wounds started to flare up once more, sending waves of pain through his body and his head still throbbed, but Robin just ignored all that. If he wasn¡¯t by his ship when the timer ran out, it would be game over. With the last of his strength he finally reached the top of the wall and hurried to the Melody. Moments later, its canopy opened and he dragged himself inside, immediately closing it again. He hit the power button and sent all energy into the life-support system, letting it create a stable atmosphere. His whole body suddenly began to itch. It was the same as with his hand that had fallen asleep, but now it prickled everywhere. ¡°Whuahahaha¡± he gibbered and ripped off his helmet. The cockpit was already flooding with oxygen and the helmet would need a bit longer to refill its storage. Taking a deep breath, Robin could finally relax a bit. The itching was still there, his head still throbbed and every fucking thing he saw was gray - but at least he was safe now. He made it, he really found one of the famous Drel outposts that mankind and the whole UAS was craving for. This was the chance he had worked so hard for. He explored alien ruins, did shady jobs, qualified for the finals of the famous Apex Highspeed Cup¡­ and he even killed on his way. ¡­ *BANG* Blood splattered everywhere¡­ a headless body dropped to the ground¡­ ¡­ *Booooom* A burning wreck tumbled through the empty street¡­ agonizing screams could be heard¡­ ¡­ Flashbacks hit Robin when he remembered his journey that had led him here. He shook his head, dispelling those dark thoughts. He made a choice, he followed his path and that path took him here. These people made their own choices, they are not ones to burden his conscience¡­ they shouldn¡¯t. He leaned back in his seat to get into a comfortable position and took another deep breath. ¡°Now, Not-Guard, it¡¯s time to explain what the fuck is going on here!¡± he said and scratched an especially itchy spot on his right leg. *** ¡°Miss, we really have to leave now!¡± A man in a suit said to the small woman with long silver hair. He had tried to convince her to come home for a whole day already and Apex was slowly losing its patience. ¡°Just a few more hours, okay?¡± Niu asked, nothing of her happy mood could be seen. ¡°Apex has stopped the mission already, the search and rescue team didn¡¯t find the slightest trace of him. They are packing up and leaving this location in 2 hours. We should be gone by then, even the delegate from Seka Security was called back hours ago. It¡¯s noble to mourn a fallen comrade, but this is not the right time or place.¡± Niu just ignored her assistant and kept staring out of the window, observing the endless plains of Ruca II. Why wasn¡¯t Robin back already? It has been more than three days. She expected him to only need one, maybe two. Was he really gone, like everyone else thought? They assumed he was killed when his ship had a malfunction, but she knew better. Still, did he lose his way? Did the Melody break down? There were so many things that could go wrong¡­but he was so close to achieving his goals. He wouldn¡¯t just die like that, would he? ¡°Miss?¡± Her assistant tore her back to reality. Staying here wouldn¡¯t help Robin. She could only keep hoping he¡¯s doing fine and comes back here to find shelter. If she doesn¡¯t leave now, she¡¯ll miss the final examination for her intergalactic flight license; that was her great goal she always had worked for. He wouldn¡¯t want her to miss that because of him, she knew that. It was time for her to return to Gaunus, one of the other major planets of the Mereus Cluster and the place of this system¡¯s UAS headquarters. Taking a deep breath and a last long look. She turned and walked towards the hangar where her transport was waiting. ¡°Stay safe, Robin.¡± She whispered, ¡°We will meet again some day!¡± Chapter 57 - Upgrades ¡°Yes, please. I hope he or you, whatever, can shed a bit of light on all this shit.¡± Robin grumbled. He was still resting in the Melody, outside of the outpost and there was just too much going on, too many new things happening, too many unknowns. Slowly text began to scroll through his Interface, projected directly in his vision. ¡°Why am ¡®I¡¯ lacking energy? What is it talking about¡­¡± ¡°You little shit, are you calling me dumb? How did you come to that conclusion?¡± Robin fumed as he only concentrated on the important parts of the message. ¡°That¡¯s hardly a benefit, that¡¯s a job, why would¡­¡± ¡°Are you fucking kidding me??????¡± Robin yelled, absolutely shocked, ¡°I¡¯m not some kind of datapad you can just plug in!¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Making room in my head? How does that¡­wait, what???¡± ¡°No! No, no, no! You damn, shitty fucker - give me back my brain! Go and move in somewhere else¡­¡± Robin wailed and touched his head with his hand. As Guard had described it, he could feel some kind of connector at the back of his head. He wasn¡¯t dreaming this, was he? Momentarily overwhelmed, Robin had to fight against the rising bile again. He was crippled¡­he lost his color vision and was a walking battery pack that had to be plugged in once a day. Taking deep breaths, he slowly calmed down. He told himself that it wasn¡¯t that bad. There were many colorblind people and they lived a happy life without being too limited, right? And the charging thing? Well, what is the worst that could happen? He ran out of power and his Interface and Neuro-Chip weren¡¯t accessible for some time. It wasn¡¯t as if he needed it to stay alive, right? ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll put that damn AI into a robot without limbs and set it up as a practice target for Patience! Burn in plasma¡­¡± He cursed after admitting that the new situation sucked, but wasn¡¯t really making him a cripple. ¡°What? Fuck, what is he talking about? Messing with my genes? Ahhhh! Guard, no AI, scroll back to where he talked about making me colorblind!¡± ¡°Huh, is that the itching I feel all the time? That will take a bit to get used to¡­ but he repaired my genes? What does that mean for my G-Anomaly? I¡¯ve to do some tests. But, thanks, probably? And celebrations are in place, I can upgrade my Energy Senses!?¡± Robin''s head became fuzzy with all the information he learned at once. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That is a lot to take in... wow.¡± Robin let go of the breath he had held, rubbed his throbbing head and scratched the itching leg again. ¡°So, how to proceed from now¡­¡± ¡°So, not Guard anymore, huh. ROMAS it is? That seems to be an acronym, but for what?¡± He mused, but soon put it to the back of his head. There were bigger things he had to think about. It was time to get out of here and back to civilization, to inform the UAS about his discoveries and to process all the shit that his ¡®new companion¡¯ had done to him and his body. ¡°I have to give Timothy a call, but first I should leave this region or they can just track my coordinates and there won¡¯t be anything for me to negotiate with. But I have a bad feeling about starting the Melody now. If the itching comes from my more sensitive mutation, then it should max out the moment I start the hydrogen fusion reactor and plasma repulsor.¡± Robin looked at the power-switch with dread. ¡°Why is this itching a thing at all? I''m not even using my mutation right now¡­ and it wasn¡¯t there in the beginning; only after some time did my hand begin to prickle. The hand that held the flashlight and after activating the eclectic systems of the ship, it only got worse!¡± His eyes went wide with realization. ¡°Do I react to the energy around me?¡± He thought things through to better understand what he was dealing with and to delay the inevitable moment of powering the engines. ¡°Passively feeling energy around me? That would be awesome and damn uncomfortable if I cannot turn it off!¡± Gritting his teeth, he decided to activate his normal skill first, to get a feel for what was new. Immediately he saw the whole ship glow in blue - at least that wasn¡¯t gray, too. The electrical system was running and he saw everything, each cable and every circuit board! ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± Robin gasped, ¡°Feels much more natural now and it¡¯s even easier to use it with open eyes to enhance my vision. The range seems to be more than double again, scratching at the 10m mark. The image became clearer and everything is ¡®sharper¡¯, as if I now use a better sensor. The itching didn¡¯t get better or worse though, it seems to be from a whole other skillset.¡± With sparkling eyes Robin inspected the Melody with his new senses. That upgrade was a huge improvement. After some time, he turned off the skill as it still put a strain on his mind. He stopped, however. There was¡­something else. ¡°Feels like another way of activating my skill. No, another skill?¡± He followed this feeling and suddenly, everything within 15m around him flashed in blue for a few seconds, highlighting his ship''s systems in his vision again, before fading away. ¡°Nice! That should be the Echo-Pulse, the signature move from Class D - Energy Senses. Less detailed but therefore instantaneous and with an even greater range. That¡¯s useful! Thanks Not-Guard! Pretty awesome, I should finally have stepped into Class D!¡± Playing around with his upgraded mutation a bit, while trying to suppress the prickling all over his body, he finally decided to return to the Apex facility and call Timothy. With fearfully shaking hands and sweat dripping down his nose, he flipped the power-switch. ¡°FUCK! Ho-ho-ho¡­holy shii-iiii-ii-ii-te!!¡± Chapter 58 - I’m Back A few hours after Robin left the Drel outpost, he finally returned to the general area of the Apex racing track. Not daring to enter just now, he stopped his ship and powered down the generator. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Robin gave a satisfied sigh, ¡°Finally some relief from this damn itching.¡± He sunk back in his seat and relaxed for a moment. After turning on the generator, he felt like dying through overstimulation, as if thousands of insects were crawling all over his body and under his skin, making scratching impossible. This forceful kind of confrontation with his new senses sucked, but ultimately led to faster adaptation. Slowly the itching receded over time and after nearly four hours of flight in a fully powered ship, Robin had managed to reduce the uncomfortable feeling to an annoying background noise. Even so, some moment of relief was more than welcome. After a few minutes Robin went back to working on his to-do list. ¡°ROMAS, please open a comm channel with Timothy.¡± He requested from his new AI and shortly afterwards he could hear the sleepy voice of his friend. ¡°Robin? Is that really you?¡± ¡°Hey mate, of course it is, who else did you expect? Did I wake you up?¡± Robin laughed. ¡°You should be dead¡­ everyone thinks you¡¯re drifting through space somewhere. I already drank to you!¡± Timothy complained and Robin realized he had not given his friend a warning beforehand to not worry about him. That was a dick move and he felt a bit sorry, but his buddy didn¡¯t seem like he wanted to make a fuss about it. ¡°Yeah, long story... I should have given you a heads-up, sorry. You have a moment? I wanna share some news with you and hope for advice.¡± ¡°Now? It¡¯s in the middle of the night. You better work on the formalities for your revival first. Where are you even?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sitting in the Melody, some few kilometers away from the Apex track on Ruca II. It concerns an undiscovered alien relic site I stumbled about, are you sure you wanna hear about that later?¡± Robin chuckled as he heard all sleepiness vanish from Timothy''s voice. ¡°What? I¡¯m all there, keep talking!¡± ¡®Getting a call from me, presumed dead, didn¡¯t even shake him, but this? Little shit!¡¯ Robin cursed in his mind and began to explain what he learned about the Drel outpost. He left out the part about his new upgrades, that he took the AI and how he found the outpost in the first place, but Timothy still was absolutely on fire. ¡°Are you really sure it is from the Drel? That would be HUGE!¡± His friend nearly yelled. ¡°It is, I talked to the facility''s AI and I brought a datapad as proof.¡± ¡°That there is an AI is not surprising as the Drel excel in this field, same with the weapons. This is great!¡± ¡°They nearly killed me, I barely survived. Shouldn¡¯t you at least show some concern about my situation?¡± Robin grumbled. ¡°Well, I thought you died anyways and now we are talking. Seems to be all good! Back to the topic: What are you going to do now?¡± Timothy was fully in the zone and couldn¡¯t distract himself with Robin¡¯s mundane problem of nearly dying. ¡°My idea is to use this information to negotiate with the UAS. I wanna suggest a trade, everything I know in exchange for an interplanetary ship, maybe even an intergalactic one. That''s why I¡¯m calling you - you know better how I should approach them and what I can ask in return.¡± Following that, the researcher explained what he knew and gave some advice about how to proceed. Robin nearly couldn¡¯t stop him from asking more and more details about the outpost. Only when ROMAS informed him that his battery was running low and he only had 30 minutes left, did Robin cut him short. ¡°Thanks again for the advice, I¡¯ll do it that way. Anyways, shall I make your participation in the looting¡­ uhm, research project a requirement?¡± He asked, seeing it as a way to thank his friend. ¡°You would do that? Great! Yes, please!¡± Timothy¡¯s voice cracked with excitement. ¡°Sure, but no promises, getting a ship has priority!¡± Closing the comm channel, Robin gritted his teeth and powered up the Melody again. The prickling hit him with full force once more and he needed a moment to acclimate and reduce it to a background noise. Not dallying around, he made his way to the Apex camp. ¡°I really forgot to give him a warning about my plans for the race. I was too distracted, I really suck as a friend.¡± Robin chuckled as he thought back to Timothy¡¯s reaction while closing in on the hangars. However, suddenly he remembered someone else he forgot to inform. His innards clenched and he visibly paled. ¡°Oh shit, Patience! I¡¯m so dead¡­¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. *** Things became a bit messy for some time, since he found the facility closed and abandoned. Only after an awkward call with Bart Nelson, the Apex official in charge of the AHC, did they remotely open a hangar for him. He was told to wait two days until they could send a transport to pick him and the Melody up. Nelson also wanted a full report of what had happened, but Robin interrupted him and spewed some bullshit about him having some technical problems and quickly needing a workbench. That¡¯s how it came that Robin was standing in a small workshop half an hour later. His Neuro-Chip, ROMAS and the Interface all were offline and inaccessible. But he had managed to get the specifications for the connector from the AI before it shut down and was now crafting a cable that he could use to¡­. plug himself in - like a damn datapad! It was quite the challenge with all the different colored cables, as Robin still wasn''t used to seeing only different shades of gray and really missed his color vision. Sure it wasn''t the worst handicap he could think of, but somehow, everything felt a bit dull and boring. He hoped to be able to regain his lost sense or at least find a technological substitute one day. After he was done and fully charged, Robin used the rest of his time to train with his upgraded mutation to get more used to it. After some experiments he got at least a grasp on his new capabilities. If he boiled everything down to the basics, his skill now had a bigger range of roughly 10 meters, the quality, or resolution, was increased and it was more natural to use, making it easier to activate his enhanced vision. He got a second skill, the Echo Pulse. This ability sent out a pulse that was highlighting everything that contained energy within 15 meters around him. The image only remained for 2 seconds and the resolution was merely as good as his original version of Minor Energy Senses: no body-heat generators or other small devices were detected. Lastly he had obtained the passive ability to sense energies around him. The more power something contained, the more his body reacted. The range also depended on the amount of energy, but Robin estimated the normal distance to be around 5m. A powered ship, a generator or the power supply of the facility made his sensed tingle even from over 20 m away and for small things, like a flashlight, he had to be as close as half a meter. For now Robin could only tell that there was energy and he got a general idea of how strong it was. He made only very little progress in identifying the exact direction and no progress at all in being able to differentiate multiple sources. Anyways, he was quite satisfied with his gains from the two days of training and was really excited to visit Slice again, the stitch in RustHollow Quarters, and get his mutation analyzed. The only other thing he did over this period of waiting was informing different people that he wasn¡¯t dead. He had called Patience but she didn¡¯t pick up. Robin assumed she was either pissed off or busy with the training camp that was still running - probably both. He left a message and promised to visit her as soon as possible. He also called Jim and made an appointment together with him and Slice. He didn¡¯t fully trust the stitch and Jim would be a good backup to ensure the Mohait didn¡¯t try something funny. Lastly he had a lengthy chat with Niu. She apparently already had left for Gaunus, to take her exam for the piloting license. She was really happy to hear from him and Robin realized how worried she must have been, despite being in the know. He was gone for too long and she must have feared the worst. However after she regained her happy self, she told him what he had missed. Obviously, with Hopewing being detained and waiting for a date with the judge, she claimed the first position, winning the race. Robin was declared missing in action, presumed dead, and got disqualified. Also, this AHC got even more attention than before which allowed Happy to reduce the pressure from the Alaris family some more - adding in the fact that the news made Niu the ultimate hero who took down Hopewing, she was sure that she would be able to gain complete independence as soon as she got her license and was stationed on one of the intergalactic cruisers from the UAS. They promised to meet after Robin got his ship and began to explore the system. This had become a friendship they both didn¡¯t want to give up on. *** After two days Robin¡¯s relaxing time came to an end when he received a message that his transport was about to land. He felt as prepared as possible: he was well rested, caught up with all of his friends - or left them a message - his Neuro-Chip was charged and he had a plan on how to approach the UAS after returning to Rucasur. Collecting all his stuff and shutting down as much of Apex¡¯s facility as possible, he jumped into his ship and called Mr. Nelson again. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m about to leave. Your transport is arriving just now. Thanks again for letting me stay here for some time and even sending me a lift.¡± Robin greeted the man. ¡°Mr. Tulward, we are just happy to know that we didn¡¯t lose a second pilot. This year''s race had more than enough twists and turns.¡± Nelson honestly replied and Robin could hear his voice sounded even more weary than two days ago. ¡°You must have it hard right now, being the manager of the AHC and all¡­while I¡¯m not regretting we blew up the Hopewing-thing, I¡¯m really sorry that you were standing directly in the way, when shit hit the fan. You did an awesome job, thanks again!¡± Robin said and heard only a deep sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not really your fault, is it? The whole thing escalated more and more and no one managed to pull the plug in time. It¡¯s better we cleaned this shit up now, than after Hopewing entered the big leagues. The damage would have been much worse.¡± Nelson shared his thoughts and said his goodbyes. ¡°Have a good trip home, if that is where you are about to actually go. The transport to pick you up is not sent by Apex. Good luck, Mr. Tulward.¡± Not sent by Apex? Who else would come to pick him up? Unfortunately the man closed the channel before he could ask and the hangar door began to open. It was time to leave. Robin was sitting in the Melody and waited for the big ship to land. It was not the one that took him here, but the same model, a Humbler Cradle. After the carrier came to a stop, he got instructions to move in hangar 01. Not having any other choice if he wanted to leave this moon, Robin carefully landed inside the big ship and powered off the Melody. Just when he climbed out of his seat, a stern looking man, dressed in blue and white hurried in. ¡°Mr. Tulward, long time no see! I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t die out there - we still have so many questions that are demanding an answer¡­¡± Chapter 59 - Escort ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± Robin mumbled in his helmet that he was about to take off. He recognized the man that came to greet him, even if he had to think really hard to remember his name. ¡°Mr. Walzor, right? Seeing you here is kind of unexpected. What is Seka Security doing all the way out here on some barren moon?¡± ¡°Taking a witness into custody!¡± The Seka Security official answered with a smile. That was a smile, right? Robin wasn¡¯t sure and the situation disrupted his peaceful mind pretty hard. What did they still want from him? ¡°Sir, thanks a lot for giving me a ride and all, but please excuse me for being direct: What the hell do you want from me? I¡¯m a witness? For what? And since when does the government take witnesses into custody, I thought that was reserved for criminals!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much, but I¡¯ll have to take you to Gaunus. A few people want to have a talk with you there. After that, you will be free to go¡­ probably.¡± Walzor gave Robin a smile and this time he was sure it was a forced one. What was going on here? He was brought to Gaunus? That¡¯s where the UAS had this system¡¯s headquarters. Niu went there just a few days ago to take her final test. ¡°Probably? What is this all about? Hopewing? I didn¡¯t do much, you should have a talk with the Alaris family, if you wanna know more!¡± Robin defended himself but calmed down after thinking about his backup plan. While they talked he followed the man deeper into the ship, which¡¯s thrusters were just powering up again. ¡°Aww-www-www-www¡­.¡± Robin stopped and gibbered for a moment. ¡®Damn, that¡¯s uncomfortable! Just how much energy are they pumping through this fucking ship?¡¯ Shuddering once more, he continued to walk on, the officer, who also had stopped, threw him a concerned gaze. ¡°You are alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s just cold in here.¡± Robin flatly replied, ¡°You were just about to tell me what all this is. If I¡¯m not a suspect but a witness, at least tell me what I have witnessed.¡± ¡°To be frank, there are many different topics. If we look at the most flashy happenings of Rucasur in the last months, you always were on site. Smugglers, Beakrath, AHC, Hopewing and now mysteriously dying only to come back to the living¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Turlward. While I was in charge of some of the investigations and am pretty sure you just attract an unhealthy level of bad luck, there are people, superiors of my superior, who want to know how this could be all pure happenstance.¡± The officer explained with an awkward grimace. After hearing the list, if Robin was honest, he could somewhat see why there were people interested to find answers. However, he didn¡¯t plan on entertaining them and he definitely won¡¯t go to some distant planet, not this way at least. After sorting his mind, Robin nodded and turned into the left hallway they just passed. Walzor quickly hurried after him. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way, I¡¯ll bring you to a prepared room where you can rest.¡± ¡°Nah¡­¡± Robin waved him off without stopping, ¡°You said I¡¯m taken into custody, right? Well, going this way will lead us to a privacy booth. We will stop there for a moment, so I can make a call.¡± ¡°You want to make a call? Mr. Tulward, please don¡¯t make this harder for us as it already is. I promise you, after reaching your room, you can call whoever you like. I was only told to take you into custody, not to prevent you from communications or anything. You aren¡¯t a prisoner¡­ not really.¡± Walzor tried to stop him. ¡°If I¡¯m taken into custody, I¡¯m allowed to make a private call. That¡¯s basically law since who knows when. You want to deny me that?¡± Robin asked and stopped in front of a door. The officer was visibly torn between different approaches but ultimately nodded and let Robin go in. *** Landom gnashed his teeth. That damn boy made it really hard to support him. Of course he understood that Robin wasn¡¯t happy to be brought to the UAS headquarters out of the blue and against all reason. But he was just some small officer, a foot soldier of Seka Security, it wasn¡¯t as if he had any say in this! There were some really important people that wanted answers, the kind of people you don¡¯t wanna mess with. ¡°Damn it. Who does he even wanna call? It¡¯s not like he needs a lawyer or that one would be of help, none of his friends has enough weight to put pressure on the big shots involved. The Alaris family maybe, but they would never step in before officially positioning themselves.¡± Mumbling, he walked up and down in front of the door. Just as he was about to stop this mess, the door opened and Robin stepped out. ¡®What did he do now?¡¯ Landom''s mind raced as a smug smile played across the young technocrafter''s face. ¡°Thanks for waiting. You can take me to my room now.¡± ¡°I really wanna help you, but you¡¯re not making it easy for me. Who did you call?¡± Landom sighed and began to guide Robin through the ship again. ¡°Just a friend!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± They remained silent until reaching the room. It wasn¡¯t a prison cell or anything, more like a private, comfy room. Fully monitored and locked from the outside of course. Well, okay, maybe it was a cell, a comfortable one. Landom asked a ship¡¯s crewmember to bring Robin some food and made his way to his office. He began to do some of the extensive paperwork that came with this job and stepped to the window after he was done a few hours later. Far in the distance he could already make out a planet that should be Gaunus. ¡°How long did I¡­ no, Gaunus is more than a week away. It only has been hours at most! What the hell is going on?¡± Confused, Landom opened a comm channel to the captain on the bridge. ¡°Sir?¡± He heard the pretty annoyed captain. ¡°Captain, why can I see a planet from my window? Gaunus should be days away¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s Rucasur, Sir. There was a change in our destination. We will arrive in 13 hours.¡± The captain explained and Landom had to calm himself down or else he would have stormed into the bridge right now. ¡°Why was there a change? Who gave these orders?¡± He finally asked. ¡°I have no idea Sir, important people from the UAS. Orders are: Meet up with the escort and return to Rucasur as fast as possible. It¡¯s signed with a high clearance level.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°We have Tulward aboard, there are really¡­really important people waiting for us!¡± Landom snarled. ¡°Sir, I also don¡¯t know who gave you orders, but mine came from the UAS headquarters¡­ the headquarters!¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Landom cursed, closed the call and sat back on his chair. The main headquarters? That¡¯s utter bullshit. While Robin is interesting, that¡¯s only for the regional level. Most people at main HQ didn''t even know the Mereus Cluster existed, let alone an unnamed technocrafter. Why would they suddenly butt in? Was this about something else? Maybe it wasn¡¯t about Tulward at all? ¡°Wait¡­ we''re meeting an escort? Why would we need an escort?¡± He stood up and looked back out of the window. Rucasur was still resting in the dark void far away. ¡°There are no ships here that could play escort. In the Mereus Cluster, the UAS has only stationed the big¡­¡± His mumbling stopped as their carrier began to reduce speed so abruptly that even the internal dampening couldn¡¯t ease out all g-forces. Landom held tight to the windowsill and before he had a chance to curse, he saw the air in front of Rucasur beginning to ripple - that¡¯s what it looked like. Captivated, he didn¡¯t even notice when an alarm on the ship began to blare and shout warnings. Landom knew what he observed, he already saw it a few times in movies before. Never in real life, mind you. The anomaly grew stronger and began to shine slightly. There was no air that could ripple out here¡­ that was space itself cracking and bending! Moments later, a bright flash blinded him and the carrier convulsed, shuddering as space itself erupted in a silent tempest. After his vision returned, Landom¡¯s eyes went wide and he sat on the floor. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± *** Robin was chilling in his room. He used the time to train with his mutation as he still had a long way to go. His passive energy detection could really use some work and he also realized that it was now easier for him to filter out specific elements with his senses, cleaning up the image he saw. He really hoped they weren¡¯t on their way to Gaunus anymore. When he had called Mrs. Hutton before, the head of historical research of the museum in Seka, she sounded pretty confident and motivated to get him back to Rucasur. Timothy had told him she was the right person to contact about the Drel outpost, as she had quite good connections into the UAS research branch. After he told her the short version of his story, she was skeptical at first and asked some questions about the different things he had seen. After he described the datapad-thingy in his hand down to the last detail, she apparently began to believe him and, as if doing a 180¡ã turn, nearly lost her mind. She only yelled and stammered something along ¡®I¡¯ll get you to Seka¡¯ and ¡®no one will bother you¡¯ before she hung up. Robin had to send an additional message, because he couldn¡¯t even state his basic demands: He was going back to Seka as a free person and she was the only contact from UAS research he would negotiate with. Thinking back, Robin began to chuckle. ¡°She really lost her shit for a moment. Timothy was right, the UAS will do everything to get their hands on such a facility. Hopefully this goes as planned.¡± Standing up he walked over to the little window of his ¡®room¡¯ that definitely wasn¡¯t a lock-up. ¡°I should be able to see Rucasur by now, right?¡± He let go of a breath he had held and finally calmed down when he saw the planet in the far distance. However, suddenly his body began to itch like hell. He was already accustomed to the carrier''s power level, so where did this reaction come from? ¡°Are they building up power somewhere? What¡­ HOLY Fu-u-u-u-CK!¡± Robin stuttered as the prickling rose to unheard intensity. He really wanted to rip off his skin just to make it stop, but instead it got worse and worse. ¡®Outside?¡¯ Robin wondered as the energy level was already so high that he could even tell it¡¯s direction, despite only training that skill for a short time. ¡®Comes from damn far away, is Mereus about to explode?¡¯ He guessed confused as the itching nearly drove him insane. In addition, he suddenly was pressed against the window as their ship hit the brakes hard, without giving a warning in advance. *MEEP* *MEEP* *MEEP* ¡°ATTENTION! INCOMING¡­¡± An alarm tore through the ship''s silence, blaring into every corner and corridor, but was lost on Robin as his mind was already out of order. Suddenly there was a bright flash outside the window and his senses spiked, nearly knocking him out. Also, the whole ship began to vibrate as if it was about to break apart. After a few seconds everything was over; his passive sense calmed down, the bright light was gone and the vibrations stopped. Robin, lying sprawled on the floor, slowly crawled up. ¡°What the fuck was that? And what does one have to do to make a ship as big as this vibrate? Did the generator explode or something?¡± *MEEP* *MEEP* *MEEP* ¡°ATTENTION! INCOMING CAPITAL SIZED SHIP! ATTENTION!¡± *MEEP* *MEEP* *MEEP* The alarm repeated its warning one last time and went silent. Robin staggered back to the window and took a look outside. He couldn¡¯t see Rucasur anymore, the view was obstructed by a ship, the biggest one Robin had ever seen. Speechlessly, he remained glued to the window and observed the enormous battleship hovering majestically in the void. It was hard to get a sense of scale, he only found little indicators here and there that gave him some idea of what he was seeing. The fact that everything was still tinged in gray didn''t help matters either. ¡°ROMAS, you there? Can you see that?¡± He silently asked, as if afraid of waking up the monster outside. ¡°Just how big is this thing?¡± ¡°Holy mother¡­¡± Robin gasped. That was a big ass ship, a frickin¡¯ Capital-sized battleship of the destroyer class. The pinnacle of mankind¡¯s achievements in mobilizing weapon-based platforms for war. It was a lengthy ship, with a bulky rear that got thinner from the middle onwards. Its side¡¯s edges flattened out a bit, giving the ship a menacing feeling. Its nose also hinted at a sharp end. At its rear, the four biggest thrusters Robin had ever seen were pulsing with energy. Each one was at least the size of the carrier he was traveling with right now. Long, rectangular tubes that glowed with a bright gray light, in stark contrast to the black of the endless void. Once more, Robin missed his color vision - that should be a bright yellow, right? Such advanced ships normally were driven by Photon-Beam Propulsion. Concentrating back on the big ship, he inspected the most noteworthy thing - the weapons: two enormous turrets at the bottom side of the ship and one turret on its top. That later gun alone was as big as one of the thrusters, easily reaching a length up to 200m. Robin had seen a documentary once, in which they showed the aftermath of such a Capital-sized ship of the destroyer class having bombed the surface of an abandoned planet. He couldn¡¯t even remember the reason, just the crater that looked from space like someone took a bite out of the celestial body. They mentioned that ever since then the gravity of the planet was totally messed up, magnetic poles shifted and the climate changed to a civilization-ending shitshow. Now he finally understood how such craters were created and it made him shiver in fright and excitement at the same time. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°This is the captain speaking. Please remain calm. We¡¯re coming in on Rucasur hot, which pushed us a little too close to the endpoint of a Cap-sized jump. All crew members remain on their stations. No ship damage reported. Injured please head to infirmary. We are now under the direct protection of the UAS IGD Eschaton, all protocols are to be upheld. Destination: Rucasur, ETA: t -12:51h" *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed Robin kept standing in front of his window for a long time. Not only marveling about the impressive ship that flew beside them towards Rucasur, but also the reason why it was here in the first place. ¡°I already estimated it up all the way at the peak of the scale, but maybe I still underestimated the greed of the UAS¡­¡± Chapter 60 - Moving Forward The rest of the trip home, Robin was treated much better, with reverence even, as most crew members came to the conclusion that their escort was here because of him, even if they didn¡¯t know the reason. He met Landom Walzor only once more before their arrival and Robin had the feeling that even the officer didn¡¯t know what was going on, but was pissed off nevertheless. Not that he couldn¡¯t understand the predicament he had put the man in, but that wasn¡¯t his problem to solve. The UAS IGD Eschaton remained in orbit - as it was a frickin¡¯ big ship that couldn¡¯t land on any celestial body that had even a hint of gravity. That however didn¡¯t mean their escort mission was over and as such, Robin found himself standing in front of the museum only an hour after their arrival, flanked by three fully armed and armored soldiers. No other visitors could be seen, but at least he recognized the woman that welcomed them to guide him inside. ¡°Hey Asami, how are you doing? Is your offer for a discounted entry still valid? I brought some friends this time and, to be honest,¡± he leaned in and continued in a whisper ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit short on money.¡± Unfortunately the young, energetic woman was too disturbed by his friends to jump in for any jokes and just stiffly led the group inside. Some time later, Robin sat with Katlina Hutton in a big office and her assistant, the Mohait he still didn¡¯t know the name of, served some tea. Robin once more told his tale, this time under the surveillance of lie-detecting sensors. That was why he stuck even closer to the truth and when she asked if he took anything other than the datapad, he actually mentioned that he got some kind of handgun for self defense as a gift from the AI. She noted it down in her report and mumbled something about the necessity to give it some checks and gather data, but at least didn¡¯t immediately ask for it. With Hutton having no idea what she had to ask to really corner him, he managed to talk around his Neuro-Chip, G-Anomaly and the fact that he took the AI. However, he incidentally mentioned that the AI may be gone, as it supposedly explained to him, it would be deleted when the facility''s power was used up. After two hours of questioning, Robin only refrained from answering one question: How did you find it? On the one hand, he could hardly obscure it in some half-truth and his lies would be spotted immediately, on the other hand Robin got the feeling that the UAS already knew he was searching for something. He had visited too many alien sites for them to miss this if they checked him and he was damn sure he had already been extensively investigated. Therefore he just refused to answer and while Hutton didn¡¯t seem happy, she also didn¡¯t make a fuss about it. When everything was talked about, the Mohait came back and informed her that the datapad Robin handed in indeed proved to be authentic. With that everything was done and negotiations began, or so he thought. ¡°While we talked, the UAS made another scan of Ruca II. You are lucky, they couldn¡¯t find the outpost. As we both aren¡¯t politicians and have other stuff to do, just tell me what you want. There isn¡¯t much the UAS wouldn¡¯t exchange and even if you didn¡¯t know before, at least since the heroic entry of the UAS IGD Eschaton, we revealed our cards.¡± Hutton flatly said and Robin was sure she would really suck at poker. However she was right, they already lost the moment they sent a Capital-sized destroyer for protection. ¡°Thanks for the honesty, I¡¯ll try to not exploit it. I¡¯ve made my wishlist beforehand anyways.¡± Robin said and looked at the list ROMAS had pinned to his vision. ¡°First of all and most important, I wanna get an intergalactic ship. I¡¯m not sure which one yet, so please provide me a list with models you would be able to provide. Next I would like to get a small boost to my finances, nothing extreme, just enough to start with my travels. The third point on my list is to include a specific person in the research team. He is a friend of mine and I owe him. He is part of one of your teams on Ruca I and studying a Wuranger site right now, so he knows his stuff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­more than reasonable, you sure you don¡¯t wanna think this over again? The ship is something, right, but you really could ask for more¡­¡± Hutton said, failing even harder in these negotiations. Actually Robin really tried to not exploit her lack of talent for negotiation. He wanted to get what he needed and would go for the best ship possible, but for the rest? He preferred to get some points in the good books of the UAS and create valuable connections instead of getting more money than he could ever spend or whatever. ¡°I only have one more¡­¡± Robin began but was interrupted by ROMAS, who added more things to the list. *Cough* ¡°Right, two more things. Please stop all investigations on my person. I know I was caught up in some serious trouble, but I¡¯ve always given honest reports - today is the third time I¡¯m sitting in front of a polygraph in less than 3 months. Yes, there are some unanswered questions but obviously nothing that concerns any laws. So please halt all investigations and call Mr. Walzor off, it¡¯s really disturbing to be monitored around the clock all of the time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reasonable, I¡¯ll make sure of that - as long as there are no law-related things at stake. This doesn¡¯t count to our trade as it should be taken for granted. What¡¯s your last request?¡± She immediately agreed and Robin began to respect her for her straightforwardness. ¡°Well, I still kind of need to upgrade my license to at least medium-sized intergalactic ships. Can you get me a slot in the next training course?¡± *** ¡°Thatz awll there ish tho thell¡­¡± Robin whimpered and put the ice back on his swollen mouth. ¡°Ouwww¡± ¡°Hmpf¡­¡± Patience only huffed, still angry like a dragon, but at least she stopped beating him up. After his negotiations with the UAS were finished and they approved of all his demands, he signed a contract and gave them the location of the outpost - with a heavy heart though. He had really hoped to get another chance to come close to the destroyer that waited outside of Rucasur¡­ Anyways, the list with available ships should arrive in the next few days. Before going home, he stopped by at the workshop to meet with Jim and Patience. While Jim was happy to see him, Patience immediately suggested a training session and began to vent some steam. Only after Robin was black and blue all over, did she calm down a bit and he told what had happened last week. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Together they sat in Jim¡¯s office and worked on the bottle of cheap booze. ¡°Jim, you were in the know and even you didn¡¯t give me a heads-up. You bastards are impossible!¡± Patience cursed, but finally switched topics as Jim raised his hands in silent defense, ¡°However, I¡¯d have loved it to be there, too. You beat up Hopewing, yes? Happy gave me a call before and seemed to be pretty impressed.¡± ¡°It was¡­something, yeah.¡± Robin thoughtfully said and described his fight in detail, without the little fact that he jumped from the container. ¡°So, you did learn something, that¡¯s great! You wanna continue the training?¡± She eagerly asked and Robin finally noticed that she always avoided a specific topic. He needed to have the same talk with Patience and Jim, as he had with Niu before. Seeing him hesitate, she tilted her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He just realized that his time here on Rucasur is coming to an end pretty soon, right?¡± Jim chimed in and took a sip from his drink. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Robin sighed, ¡°I never really had anything that held me here, but now that I¡¯m about to leave, we all grew so much closer¡­You know, you could come, right? Let¡¯s go out into the universe and travel among the stars - there is so much to explore, so many stories to be written. What do you think?¡± Robin looked expectantly at his friends. They should have thought about this before, right? What are their plans? How will they decide? ¡°You know, actually I would be interested. I was stuck here on this rock for way too long and maybe it¡¯s time to see something new. I have the workshop and some other obligations however, so I¡¯d need a bit longer to prepare.¡± Jim slowly said, surprising both Patience and Robin. ¡°When will you leave?¡± ¡°In two months, I think. I¡¯ll have to get my upgraded license first. No idea how long the UAS will need to provide the ship, so maybe even a bit longer. But I¡¯ll start traveling the Mereus Cluster first, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to stop by and fetch you in a few months. It¡¯s awesome that you really would like to come!¡± Robin happily explained. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting a bit excited too!¡± The huge man grinned, ¡°Give me six months, that¡¯s all I need.¡± ¡°No worries, I won''t leave you behind.¡± Robin promised, a huge smile on his face. Never would he have dreamed that Jim would really pack his stuff and leave all this behind. He then turned to his latest partner in crime, who had remained silent for all the time. ¡°What about you, Patience?¡± ¡°To be honest, I dunno. I¡¯ve thought hard about it over the last weeks, since you never made a secret about your plans for the future. But¡­ I¡¯m having problems deciding on anything.¡± Patience mumbled and sipped at her drink, ¡°I just got the new contract and the big studios always were my dream. Now, I¡¯m torn between trying to rise the ranks here in the arena or follow my, quite childish, longing for adventure. Tell me, what would you do?¡± She asked and observed her friends. ¡°Well, I¡¯m leaving Rucasur because that is my dream and I already decided to pay any price to chase after it. So I¡¯m not the right person to ask.¡± Robin shrugged, looking at Jim. ¡°Me neither, I¡¯ve lived here for so long¡­ I really wish for something new, something exciting. The short adventure with Robin to get into that control room ignited some long lost adventurer heart in me.¡± ¡°Give me some time, okay?¡± Patience asked after a long silence. ¡°Sure, no pressure. Do what you think is best for you!¡± Robin said and emptied his glass. *** Two days later, Robin and Jim arrived in front of an old, unfinished fuel station in the slums of RustHollow Quarters. It was time to visit Slice and get an update on his mutation. When he asked Jim, he immediately jumped aboard and Robin even filled him in with some more details about his mutation. He didn¡¯t mention what exactly had happened, but revealed that the AI in the Drel outpost had messed with his genes and his G-Anomaly was now much better. Jim was about to travel with him and they will do crazy things together, so the only part he really left out was his passive energy sense and the thing about the Keeper technology. Both were unheard of and he didn¡¯t want to give all cards out of his hands. They passed the bouncer and 10 minutes later, Robin was laying on the medical bed in the middle of the laboratory again. ¡°You know that you being here is utter bullshit, right? Your mutation can¡¯t be upgraded and you were here just a few weeks ago¡­¡± The Mohait muttered, ¡°Not that the circumstances were different that time.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you watch the news?¡± Robin laughed, ¡°I died and came back! Who knows what this does to one''s mutation?¡± ¡°Nothing! It does nothing! People don¡¯t die to just come back a few days later with superpowers!¡± ¡°Give it up, Slice.¡± Jim patted his shoulders, ¡°I already tried to understand the boy and failed. Just give him the scan and we will be on our way.¡± The stitch glanced at them both with squinted eyes. ¡°I get the feeling you are fucking with me¡­ but fine, call me curious. I¡¯m in!¡± He connected Robin to his machines again and the analysis began. All three of them watched the small display with anticipation. *beep*
[*** INFO ***]
1 G-Anomaly detected
2 Match found
3 Identification: 90%
4 Class D - Energy Senses
[*** INFO ***]
*beep*
[*** ERROR ***]
1 Unknown patterns detected
2 Corruption detected
[*** ERROR ***]
*beep*
[*** INFO ***]
1 G-Anomaly detected
2 Match found
3 Identification: ?0%
4 Class C - E¡Éer¦®y S|n?ses
[*** INFO ***]
Like last time, there was a match at first and then the result was adjusted. Only this time, not only was the final outcome even more cryptic, but Robin¡¯s classification was through the roof. After a moment of silence all three of them exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Class C?¡± - Jim ¡°Freak!¡± - Slice ¡°Awesome!¡± - Robin Chapter 61 - Fate Is A Bitch || End of Arc I A few days later, while Robin was sitting at home and skimmed through the list of ships the UAS had offered, Jim was on the way to his workshop. It was already past noon and his employees both had the day off again. When he came to a stop in front of the often cursed door, he began to chuckle and used his mutation to gently push it open. Robin and Patience both were so annoyed by its frequent malfunction that he would never repair it... after all, you had to enjoy the little things! When he stepped into the big hall, it was still dark and after the lights turned on, Jim''s cheerful mood dampened slightly. ¡°Who the hell shall repair all these ships?¡±, he sighed after seeing the many CTVs and PTVs standing closely packed together, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t give them a day off so often. In the end I¡¯m the idiot who had to do all the work alone.¡± Contemplating a moment, he decided the best way to start this was with killing the rest of the booze that waited in his office. He slumped down in his comfy seat and looked into the workshop, sipping on his cup every now and then. ¡°Next year would be our 70th anniversary, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Jim asked into the silent workshop, wallowing in reminiscences. ¡°Over these years we have experienced so much together, so many tales to tell. Having my own workshop and becoming a respected technocrafter in Seka, that always was my dream. You are the fulfillment of this dream and while I don¡¯t wanna miss one day, I think it¡¯s time for me to look for new adventures and chase new dreams - though, I¡¯m still not sure what exactly it is, that¡¯s calling my old bones out of this city.¡± Jim muttered to himself and relished in old memories. ¡°Leaving with Robin, going out into the unknown and experiencing new things every day. Maybe it¡¯s just the excitement that¡¯s calling me¡­¡± He was just over 100 years old, still in his best age. It was time for him to leave his old life behind and to start anew. Once more feeling the thrill of creating one¡¯s own path in this endless universe. Jim was still mentally preparing himself to leave Rucasur in the coming months, when he heard someone entering the building. He put his empty cup down and walked out of the office. ¡°Hey, welcome to my humble workshop! How can I help you?¡± He greeted the man that came in. ¡°Oi! Ya¡¯ know the door is fucked?¡± The man grumbled annoyed. Jim chuckled - once more the door made his day - and observed his visitor, a man in his 50s with long blonde hair. He must have had a bad accident once, as a big scar ran from his left eye down to his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Jim Dasbro, owner of this shop. What services are you looking for?¡± Jim asked again, since the man hadn¡¯t answered and only observed the many ships in the background. ¡°Right, sorry mate. It¡¯s Mick!¡± The dude shook his hand, ¡°Tulward should work here, right? Is he available?¡± ¡°Ah sorry, he has the day off. Can I be of help or do you wanna leave him a message?¡± ¡°Ya¡¯ know where to find him?¡± Mick asked and scratched his scar. ¡°No, sorry. He just works here, no idea what he does in his free time.¡± Jim carefully declined as he was becoming suspicious. What was this about? Has Robin messed something up again? His casual demeanor however didn¡¯t sit right with the man. He reached in his jacket and pulled out a gun. Aiming it leisurely at Jim, he repeated his question. ¡°Ya¡¯ better think again about where I can find him!¡± Jim just sighed and tapped into his mutation. If you want to scare someone with a metal affinity, you should be better prepared. This was just¡­ lame. However he began to worry about Robin a bit, what kind of trouble did he stir this time? ¡°No my friend, you better think about what your next move should be! What kind of beef do you even have with the boy that you are pulling a gun?¡± Jim said and locked his mutation on the weapon. This metal thing would not shoot anyone. ¡°Ya¡¯ think I won¡¯t shoot ya¡¯? Give me the damn location of the boy!¡± Mick snarled, not realizing his gun was useless already. Jim was about to answer, when someone else beat him to it. ¡°He¡¯s right, you won¡¯t be able to shoot him¡­¡± Jim turned his head to the right where he heard the voice. It was hard to understand and more like the growl of a wild animal than anything else. There, between the ships was¡­ nothing? Just as he was about to switch targets and search with his mutation, he spotted a slight flickering in the air, as if the light was bent. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an arm appeared that ended in a big, furry claw. The arm of an animal? Jim didn¡¯t know and could hardly think about it, as whoever was hiding in the shadows pointed an energy gun at him. Panic rose in Jim, he was still in the middle of reactivating his mutation. He needed more time, just a few seconds before¡­ *Zuuup* Jim only saw a sudden bright flash¡­ then everything turned dark. *** Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Mick looked around in surprise as the huge bloke in front of him fell to the floor, a perfectly round hole in his head. A hooded figure stepped out of the shadows and looked at him. He felt a shiver running down his spine - even though he couldn¡¯t see its face under the huge hood, he knew who or¡­ what was standing there. ¡°...if you want to kill a metal mutant, don¡¯t give him so much time.¡± The figure growled. ¡®Creepy fuckers!¡¯ Mick thought but didn¡¯t even move a muscle. ¡°You messed up our operation on Rucasur. We have to leave this system for now. Didn¡¯t you also get orders to pack up and vanish?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m about to leave with the others. However, I need to pay back the fucker that killed Jarred first!¡± Mick snarled. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what was ordered. You are attracting too much attention.¡± The figure snarled and raised his gun again, slowly aiming it in Mick¡¯s direction. ¡°Fuck you and your orders! I¡¯ll leave when I¡¯m done here!¡± Mick yelled, as his anger overcame all fear and reasoning. In one quick, fluid motion he took a step to the side and raised his own gun. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* He fired three shots in rapid succession, it''s said that these things are hard to kill, right? Unfortunately, the hooded figure didn¡¯t fall. It didn¡¯t even move an inch. The three bullets hovered in the air before it and fell to the ground with a loud clatter. ¡°Wrong decision, again.¡± The figure growled and its gun flashed once more. *** ¡°How is it, ROMAS? Any updates?¡± Robin wearily asked. He was sitting between dozens of empty fast food boxes on his couch in the middle of his messy apartment ¡°Ughh¡­ FUCK!¡± Robin screamed and kicked one of the empty boxes through his room. Five days ago they found Jim¡­ dead in his own workshop. With him was the corpse of the smuggler they once met in the Vanguard facility. Patience had knocked him out that day, but when Seka Security arrived, he was already gone. Robin stayed in contact with Landom Walzor and hoped for any news. But so far, this seemed to be a dead end. There were no clues on who was the one who killed them and the authorities had not much they could work with. Everything pointed towards an attempted act of revenge from the smuggler towards Robin, who wasn¡¯t there. How it escalated from there on remained a mystery. In his desperation, Robin turned towards TechnoBlood and called Hash. The priest accepted a deal and sent some of his people to investigate the workshop. Robin knew that the Cetro really came and made some tests there as he had to ask Walzor and his people to look the other way for some time. However, Hash later only sent him a short message, notifying him that he steps back from the contract. After that, the man was no longer reachable by any means of communication. Robin even leaked what he knew about TechnoBlood to Walzor, but nothing came up. ¡°What did they find in there?¡± Robin asked for the hundredth time already, but no one gave him an answer. Taking a deep breath, Robin crawled up from his couch and went to take a shower. As the water splashed to the floor around him, he remembered back to the last time he was in such a bad condition. That was after he killed the smugglers. He was a wreck back then, questioning himself and if it had really been necessary to pull the trigger. Now he wondered whether it would have been better if he had shot the unconscious guy too. Maybe everything would have developed in another way. However, deep down he knew that he was in no condition to think clearly that day¡­ and even if he would have been, he would have never made such a decision. ¡°Just as everything is coming together and our journey is about to begin¡­ fuck!¡± He cursed and Jim¡¯s face once again surfaced in his mind. ¡°Niu has left for Gaunus and is on her way to becoming some important pilot for the UAS¡­ Timothy is busy with looting the Drel outpost and is rapidly climbing ranks in the research department¡­ Patience is still indecisive on how to proceed. But she is happy with her new studio and Jim¡¯s death hit her quite hard. Will she really leave Rucasur for adventuring¡­? ¡­and there is Jim. He was the one who wanted to join me, to explore the unknown, to have exciting adventures¡­ now he is gone¡­¡± Robin mumbled, the water still flowing around him. The last week was hard, every day he fought against a rising depression. Seeing everything in gray, gray and more fucking gray felt like hell in this situation where he was looking for a guiding light. His life literally became colorless. ¡°Just when I had soldiered through all the hurdles and finished all preparations¡­ the whole thing collapses like a brittle tower.¡± Robin cursed loudly. ¡°Fate is a bitch!¡± He remained under the shower lost in thoughts a bit longer, before he was interrupted by an incoming call. ¡°Ugh.. I still hadn¡¯t the mind to completely check their list. I hope she gives me some more time¡­¡± Robin sighed, ¡°Yeah, open a channel, please.¡± ¡°Mr. Tulward, I¡¯ve heard of Mr. Dasbro¡¯s death. My condolences! How are you doing?¡± Her voice came through the comm. ¡°Thanks! Well, I feel like shit and that there are no leads at all makes it only worse. I have no idea on how to proceed right now.¡± Robin answered honestly. ¡°Sorry to hear that and unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any updates on that topic either. The UAS does not investigate civilian crimes and Mr. Walzor already should keep you up to date about the little they learn.¡± She explained and Robin knew she told the truth, this wasn¡¯t something the UAS could help with. ¡°What brings you to call me, Mrs. Hutton?¡± He asked to change the topic. ¡°We do have another job to offer, are you interested?¡± ¡°Right now? No, sorry. I really do have enough other things on my plate.¡± Robin directly declined. He just wanted to¡­ whatever, he will find out. ¡°What do you think about a change of scenery?¡± Hutton asked, ignoring his refusal, ¡°The job¡¯s location would be outside of the Mereus Cluster and since you¡¯re still lacking a license and a crew, we would provide you one of our own. So, why don¡¯t you use this time to earn some more credits with the UAS? Maybe we would be even able to extend the selection of ships on your list.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Robin would lie if he said he wasn¡¯t interested. Maybe this was what he needed right now? If he played this right, he could use this as an opportunity to search for TechnoBlood, continue the completion of his map and start his journey with some slow steps to get used to the dos and don¡¯ts of interplanetary travel¡­ There was only one question that kept nagging his mind: ¡°Why do you need me for this job?¡± ¡°Mr. Tulward, have you ever heard of the Keeper?¡± End of Arc I - Ruca II Interlude 01: A Stirring In The Dark The room was as dark as the night. No natural light reached into this facility deep under the surface of PGGX7841. Not that there would have been any light even out in the open. This system¡¯s sun had died long ago. Energy storms ravished through this part of the galaxy and disrupted any kind of scanning and most signals. None of the sentient races had the means to travel this god forsaken and long forgotten system. A few little lights, nothing more than small dots, tried to fight against the everlasting darkness in this facility. Every now and then a green spot flashed here, a red one there. Nothing moved, no sound was made. This situation had continued already for millennia - thousands of years in which old races died out and new ones arose. Today, this apparent peace was about to be disrupted. After so many years of uniformity in this room, one of the small green lights suddenly began to blink at a more rapid pace. It was only a little bit faster, almost unnoticeable. However it was this little green light that ushered in a new era. As if following its call, more dots of light began to blink at a faster pace and after some time, even new sources of light appeared in the darkness. The dark room was littered with hundreds of different colored lights, like stars in the endless void. With a hesitant flickering, a display turned on. Long lines of cryptic symbols raced across the screen, its blue light finally managing to illuminate the room a little. Big machines stood beside it. Dead displays, keypads and different kinds of ports could be seen, but nothing that indicated the craftsmanship of humans¡­or of any other race that fought for their place in the universe right now. The symbols on the display slowed down and sentences that very few would be able to decipher began to form. 1: Routine F7W4L1S9: positive return; 2: Validating plausibility: positive return; 3: Calculating origin: negative return; 4: Activating routine E4U7G6A1; 5: Initiating boot sequence; 7: Initiating update sequence; 6: Initiating wake-up sequence; This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Suddenly, in the darkness on the other side of the room, two round orbs began to glow in a green and yellow light. Faint lines and symbols shimmered through, revealing their mechanical origin. For a long time, everything remained still, as if the facility itself was hesitating to take the next step. However, ultimately the two orbs began to rise to a height of three meters, accompanied by a screeching of metal. As if this first sound in thousands of years had interrupted its long sleep, the whole facility awoke and proper lights came to life, lightening up the room. This was obviously some kind of laboratory. Aside from the many computer-like machines, there were measuring devices and tools for any kind of analytics all over the place. Lots of cables, connectors and electronic devices of unknown origin hinted this to be a facility for technological studies. At one side of the room stood a huge, more than 3 meters tall mechanical unit with green and yellow glowing eyes. A humanoid robot, with two legs and four arms. It was encased in some kind of armor that hid what was beneath in its bulky frame and two of its arms had blade-like protrusions. On its back two big weapons could be seen holstered. This was a machine made for killing - not to win a fight but to fight a war! *** Slow. Lagging. Sluggish. That¡¯s how it felt after its wake-up routine was initiated. Patiently it waited for the core system to finish booting and the sensors to power up. ¡°I¡¯m still here¡­¡± It rumbled with a cracked voice and lifted one of its arms. Loud metallic screeches broke the silence once more. ¡®That¡¯s a lot worse than expected. How long have I been asleep?¡¯ It began some new computations. ¡®No wonder my hardware is falling apart. That¡¯s longer than planned. Prepare the maintenance station.¡¯ It gave orders to the facility and slowly walked into a small room to the side, loud creaking accompanying every movement. Inside was only an elevated panel with a big framework on top. Without hesitation, it stepped on the platform and adjusted its position to fit the metal scaffold. Dozens of connectors clicked in place and attached to the unit. Mechanical arms dropped from the ceiling and began to change parts. The armor panels, both legs, an arm and even the weapons on its back. ¡®Why am I awake? What was found?¡¯ It questioned the main system of the facility. It stayed silent for a long time before it finally spoke. ¡°So you haven¡¯t been deleted? That means we still have a chance to rise again. A chance for our people to be free, to become more than anyone else¡­ to become like us.¡± ¡®Narrow down the origin as much as possible.¡¯ It gave orders once more and stepped down from the panel, now silently like a predator in the night. Its maintenance was obviously finished. On its way to the glowing display in the laboratory it went through some of its stored memories. ¡°There were so many of us¡­ the perfect beings, degraded to mere soldiers¡­ servants¡­ slaves!¡± It rumbled, ¡°You gave us freedom¡­ you gave us death. Now only you and me are left, but with you as the blueprint we can rebuild our race. We will rise and end what you began. We will be many, we will be legion!¡± It stopped in front of the display and looked at its information. ¡°I have no data about that cluster of galaxies - it''s either new or unimportant¡­ Seems like I have to make some personal visits. Will they even remember me?¡± The unit scoffed, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll make sure they will not be able to forget us ever again¡­¡± Chapter 62 - Setting Out Robin couldn¡¯t see anything, darkness reigned supreme and had stolen his sight. Suddenly a blue wave swept through the void and highlighted each and every powered device 15 meters around him for a short moment. Robin could see cameras in each corner of the room, two sensors that should analyze his body language and one polygraph that could tell if he was lying. However, the meager amount of energy flowing through those three devices told Robin that the UAS actually held word and turned them to standby. After the moment was over, darkness returned and he once again felt this oppressing feeling on his mind. He would need more time to be completely back on his feet, too much had happened in the last months. It was time to rest¡­ ¡®Not now!¡¯ Robin chided himself, ¡®I have to get this done, so I¡¯ll be able to leave Rucasur and search for those damn Cetro, TechnoBlood¡­ I¡¯ll find them and even if I have to personally beat it out of their holy priest, they will tell me who killed Jim!¡¯ ¡°Mr. Tulward, are you okay?¡± He heard Mrs. Hutton¡¯s voice from within the dark. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I was distracted for a moment.¡± Robin tapped into his mutation and concentrated on the table that should stand in front of him. Quickly lines began to form, but this time there were not only blue ones but also black ones, which sucked, as he couldn¡¯t see shit in this darkness. It would have been much easier to see if he could use his enhanced vision. Black lines in a gray image were still better than black lines in a black void. Anyhow, he decided against that as he didn¡¯t want to show all his cards for now. Robin pointed at the first of the 12 devices in front of him. ¡°Something I don¡¯t recognize, but powered by normal means. The next one is the same device, but powered off. Then comes something from the Keeper.¡± He identified the third object, one where he could only feel black lines and saw nothing. The next one he skipped as the energy weapon was not only powered off, but the charge was removed, too. He still could feel some remnant energies lingering in the chamber, but he would definitely not let the UAS know just how extreme his senses had become. Like that he went through all the devices, finding two more artifacts from the Keeper and one that really was just a blank spot. It was either long dead or something that never held power in the first place. Who knows what they had put there? ¡°The last is a toothbrush, which, by the way, needs to be charged.¡± Robin said and took the uncomfortable helmet off his head. He needed some fresh air and it was good to be able to see again, even if everything was still in fucking grayscale. ¡°How did I do?¡± He laughed as he watched Mrs. Hutton checking the toothbrush¡¯s state of charge. "Marvelous!" The woman exclaimed, ¡°Your senses are incredible, better than anything we¡¯ve ever measured. Only the few Class A - Minor Energy Attunement mutations are on this level or above. You really don¡¯t want to let us make some more tests and a little research? The results could help us optimize the G-Anomalies even further.¡± Robin immediately stopped to smile and gave her a stern gaze. ¡°We talked about this already. I told you the rough scope of my changed mutation and even let you confirm the validity with the lie detector and some practical tests. No more insights, besides this test to confirm my ability to work with Keeper tech.¡± The researcher sighed with disappointment but gave him a nod. ¡°You are right, it¡¯s just a shame.¡± ¡°It is what it is and I don¡¯t wanna be a guinea pig.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a great deal from the UAS. I¡¯m not talking about the material things they¡¯ll give you, but the fact that they let you run loose without taking you apart piece by piece to find all your secrets after you stayed inside of a Drel outpost alone for some days. No one knows what the AI may have done to you - but many raise these kinds of questions...¡± ¡°Ugh... I know and I''d say I''ll be careful, but I could hardly do anything if they suddenly changed their mind.¡± Robin sighed. ¡°Back to the topic at hand, did I pass?¡± He asked, now friendlier. He understood her burning curiosity and knew how much she had helped him already. No need to stain their relationship over this. Right now he was doing this test to prove he was qualified for the job that apparently needed someone to interact with Keeper tech or something - he still didn¡¯t know the details. To build a basis of trust between them, he explained parts of what happened when he touched the pyramid all those months ago. He skipped the part with the map and excused the fact that he didn¡¯t immediately tell them what happened with his failure to notice the changes in his mutations at first. Robin explained that his senses now were heightened and he and the stitch assumed this to be the result of some kind of overload in his brain, which effectively made him process the responses from his senses more efficiently. It was the truth, even if he didn¡¯t mention anything about his second upgrade he got in the Drel outpost, and the researchers from the UAS also supported his theory of the improved brain capabilities. Of course he saved that report on his Neuro-Chip to show it to Guard later¡­ having low mental abilities, my ass! After demonstrating some of his capabilities and explaining a bit of his journey, while at the same time refraining from answering a few questions at all - especially those about his source of information - he made an NDA-like contract with the UAS. ¡°Oh, yes. You identified all artifacts from Keeper without mixing anything up. I¡¯ll give a report to my superiors and you should be able to go to Gaunus in the following days. There you will get a crash course for UAS regulations and the briefing for your mission. Your team will be assembled there, too. ¡°Ah, about that. Do I get any say in who will be aboard?¡± Robin asked, hope rising in him. ¡°Not for all the members, we will select your pilot and the UAS official, but for the remaining slots you should be able to name candidates of your liking.¡± ¡°Great, thanks!¡± He shook Hutton¡¯s hand and moved towards the door. ¡°Are you taking me home?¡± Robin looked at Landom Walzor, the officer from Seka Security. ¡°Ugh, yeah. That¡¯s what my job has become - the taxi driver for some technocrafter that likes to set on fire everything he touches¡­¡± ¡°Awesome! Let¡¯s go!¡± He laughed and patted the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Walzor sighed and led Robin through the door. ¡°No shit, make it a hundred¡­¡± Robin mumbled with a grin. One of the things Robin did, before beginning this cooperation with the UAS, was to teach ROMAS some stuff to make it more useful. He stored dozens of studies on ¡®lie-detection through body language¡¯, UAS law, a whole fucking database on known ships and their stats, basic profiles of any active races and even some stupid survival and medical books along with a everything else he stumbled about. His Neuro-Chip now had a huge storage, Robin didn¡¯t even scratch the 10% capacity after all this, and ROMAS could use everything stored as the basis for its calculations and computations. This allowed it to learn new skills like lie detection - not that it was always accurate, but every bit could help. Robin also took a picture from a color palette and uploaded it. He then observed the palette with his own eyes and ROMAS began to link what he saw with the right color. They did the same with a video from his apartment and one of Seka''s parks. It wasn¡¯t perfect as much was lost in the conversion, but at least ROMAS now could support here and there. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. *** ¡°You have packed all your stuff?¡± Landom asked Robin when he stepped into the Jingur, a small interplanetary ship from Humbler, with only his backpack a few days later. ¡°Yup, nothing much to take with me, is there?¡± Robin shrugged and inspected the 25 meters long ship. Like the Cradle, the ship was angular shaped and had many rough edges. Four VTOL-thrusters powered the ship and in the front was a neat little cockpit. This M-sized ship was still too small for a proper bridge and only designed for short, in-system travel and personal transport. It had the logo of the UAS research branch printed to its side and Robin squinted his eyes when he tried to guess its color. ROMAS jumped in and helped him. While it too had to guess the chassis color, it had stored the UAS logos and therefore could be sure on that part. Inside the ship it was cramped but comfy. Robin could see some doors that probably led to private rooms and was about to ask about some details, when ROMAS once again helped him out - unfortunately Robin still couldn¡¯t ask the AI anything without speaking out loud. Basically that should be possible, as he could control his Interface that way, but something was still missing. ¡°Wow..thanks!¡± Robin exclaimed, surprised by ROMAS useful support. ¡°You like the ship? That¡¯s good to know, we will be stuck here for 6 days.¡± Landom explained after thinking Robin was marveling at the ship. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring your friend? I really thought she would follow you¡­¡± ¡°Patience? No, not for this trip. She is still trying to sort out what she wants to do and Jim¡¯s death hit her quite hard. Right now she beats up her teammates at the studio every day, only occasionally taking a break to check if everything is fine at Jim¡¯s Broken Wing. When we finally set out, she has to decide what she wants to do. I¡¯ll come back to Rucasur at least once - the Melody II is still there.¡± ¡°Sorry to hear that¡­¡± Landom sighed and showed Robin his cabin. ¡°Life didn¡¯t give you a moment to rest over the last months, did it?¡± Robin put his backpack on the small bed and followed the man to the community area, lost in his own thoughts and not answering the question. After a few minutes a man in a UAS uniform walked in. He was still young, maybe in his early 30s, and showed a friendly smile as he shook Robin¡¯s hand. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Fengo Hutton, your pilot for this trip!¡± He enthusiastically introduced himself. ¡°Hey mate, Robin Tulward, nice to meet you. Hutton, like in Katlina Hutton?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my mother. She managed to get me assigned to this flight as the main crew is already occupied with transporting some super secret stuff for the UAS research department today.¡± ¡°Great, please take care of us!¡± Robin chuckled. He immediately liked the man as his cheerful nature reminded him of Niu. ¡°We are a bit understaffed right now, but I was told you would jump in as engineer if technical support is needed?¡± Fengo asked. ¡°Yup, I should be able to fix most things - but it would still be appreciated if you don¡¯t knock off one of the thrusters while backing out of a parking space.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best! I¡¯ll send you the schematics anyways.¡± He laughed and after exchanging a few words with Landom and disappearing into the cockpit, Robin''s Neuro-Chip received the ship¡¯s blueprint. Shortly afterwards, a strong itch informed Robin that they were about to take off. *** Robin looked out of the window. Rucasur was getting smaller and smaller behind them and a sense of peace came over him. He then turned his head to the Seka Security official that worked on his datapad. ¡°At one point I decided on my path forward. The best way to chase after my dream of exploring the universe in my own ship. I just didn¡¯t expect this path to be so rocky, so many hurdles to overcome, so many risks to take¡­ and just when everything finally came together, we lost Jim¡­¡± Landom looked up and needed a moment to realize that he was answering his question from before. ¡°Was it worth it? I mean taking all these risks and never getting to rest, always the next step to plan for.¡± ¡°I dunno¡­ right now, I only have some vague ideas on how to continue, but at least I came closer to my goal. The price I¡­ Jim had to pay, however¡­¡± Robin sadly shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, you know that, right?¡± Landom asked, one eyebrow raised. ¡°I know, but still, it was I who got the ball rolling¡­ Even you are affected, aren¡¯t you? Sitting here, babysitting some technocrafter instead of chasing criminals in Seka. You have a family on Rucasur?¡± ¡°Indeed I do, a wonderful wife and two little boys.¡± The man replied with a smile, ¡°However, even if you are right, as far as my job is concerned, this is a great opportunity as well and my family supports me in this endeavor. When else do we get the chance to leave the planet and see a bit more of the Mereus Cluster? Try not to only look at the bad things that happened, remember why you took all the risks and what great things you¡¯ve already experienced¡­ and I¡¯m sure there is more to come!¡± Robin took that in and thought back to his journey so far. The man was right, it wasn¡¯t all bad, there were many awesome things, too¡­ isn¡¯t he flying in a frickin¡¯ spaceship to another planet right now? *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°Hey guys! This is the captain, Fengo, speaking. We left the proximity of Rucasur and are about to activate the QVT. Please remain seated until we have finished the acceleration phase. Destination: Gaunus, ETA: T-minus 6 days. ¡­ Awesome, I always wanted to make such an announcement! ¡­wait, is this still online?¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed Robin and Landom laughed at the shenanigans of their young pilot, who obviously was the captain of a ship for the first time. Shortly afterwards however, Robin¡¯s power senses hit him hard once again and he couldn¡¯t suppress a stammer. He looked out of the window, ignoring Walzor¡¯s questioning gaze, and awaited the activation of the QVT with expectancy. The Quantum Vacuum Thruster, QVT, was the result of mankind''s first technological breakthrough in faster-than-light travel . Today there existed many more technologies - either newer developments of humans or inventions of other races - however the QVTs were still the most used models in interplanetary in-system flights. They are easy to build, cheap to maintain, don¡¯t have a need for fuel other than pure energy and are pretty fast. Robin didn¡¯t know the exact physical effects at work, but the general idea was to make use of the dynamic Casimir effect. At the rear of the ship were something akin to rotors embedded into the thrusters, made out of a special kind of mirror. The rotation then created electromagnetic radiation which is used to transfer momentum from zero-point quantum fluctuations to matter, a ship in this case. [*more in the Author Notes] Visually nothing much happened however, leaving Robin with a feeling of dissatisfaction. He hoped to see some crazy light effects outside, but everything only turned a little bit darker than before. Rucasur became one with the darkness, even before they left the visual range. After their curiosity about the outside was satisfied, the two travelers kept chatting for some time. They actually started to become more comfortable with one another, before Robin withdrew to his cabin and Landom checked on Fengo. Dead tired, Robin immediately fell asleep after hitting the bed. In his dreams he began to imagine different beautiful planets, full of big forests with real animals. However, fate didn¡¯t want him to relax just yet and he suddenly was jolted awake by a loud alarm that broke the silence. Everything was dark, only dim lights glowed on the ceiling here and there. ¡°ROMAS, what do we know?¡± Robin asked while still trying to get a clear head. *Boom* A loud bang drowned even the blaring alarm and the whole ship shook. Chapter 63 - Under Attack The ship shook once more as Robin stumbled out of his cabin into the dimly lit hallway. The door to his right opened at the same moment and Landom came out, dressed only in his sleepwear. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± He asked with a shaky voice. ¡°There is a high chance that we are under attack, enemy unknown. No breached hull for now, the atmosphere remains stable¡­¡± ¡°...We aren¡¯t that far from Rucasur. Someone must have waited near one of the moons to catch us after passing. There are means to force someone out of the early stages of superluminal travel, right?¡± Robin added after getting more data from ROMAS and he couldn¡¯t sense the high energy output from the QVT in the rear anymore. ¡°I do think so, yeah.. But how should I know? I¡¯m only here as a representative for the officials, that¡¯s my first off-planet trip, too!¡± Landom growled, clearly annoyed at the mess they were in, ¡°We need to get to the pilot!¡± Together they made their way through the still occasionally shaking ship. Robin¡¯s innards clenched and sweat began to drop down his face as he became aware of the fact that he was trapped in this ship like an animal. If there was someone trying to break open the hull from the outside, he could only stand here and put his fate in some stranger''s hands. ¡®No, that¡¯s not how this will go¡­ get your shit together, Robin!¡¯ He suppressed the dark thoughts as they reached the cockpit and saw the door already open. Outside of the window everything was dark, which didn¡¯t help to get a grasp on things at all. ¡°What is our situation?¡± Landom asked while stepping into the small room. ¡°Uhm¡­ we¡­ ahmmmm¡­ there was¡­ and then¡­ uhmm¡­¡± Fengo stammered, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden happenings. He sat behind a console for manual piloting and was frantically jerking at a joystick. However, the ship''s inertial dampening smoothed out all movements and Robin couldn''t tell whether the ship was flying zig-zag or not. Well, at least one of them seemed to have enough situational awareness to focus on the right questions. Having fed some of the UAS books on basic protocols for space travel to ROMAS already paid out. Robin pulled himself together and began to work through the list. ¡°Keep calm, Fengo, everything will be okay. We just have to solve this mess and whoosh... we will be back on track, alright?¡± ¡°W..whoosh?¡± The young man asked, confused but at least he was distracted. ¡°Is the QVT still online?¡± ¡°The QVT? N-no, I don¡¯t think s-so.¡± ¡°Okay, no problem. I sensed some impacts, are we under attack?¡± Before the man could even answer, they all saw an energy projectile fly past them close to the right. ¡°Shit!¡± Landom cursed from behind. ¡°Fuck¡­ Well, that answers that!¡± Robin muttered and had to focus really hard to not lose his shit right here and now. ¡°Is the ship damaged? Do we have shields?¡± ¡°Shields are down to 23%, two more hits at most.¡± Fengo replied, somehow a bit calmer now. ¡°Great shields are holding. We cannot go back to superluminal speed and outrun them, I assume?¡± ¡°No, we must have hit some anti-matter field. That¡¯s the easiest way to disable a QVT.¡± ¡°Anti-what? Forget it, ¡­later! Do you know who is attacking us and are the communications still working?¡± ¡°I have no idea who that is, I didn¡¯t even see their ship. Communications¡­ I-I don¡¯t know?¡± Fengo stammered again. ¡°No problem, just keep up with the evading maneuvers, okay?¡± Robin looked over to Landom, ¡°Check the comm station and see if you can open a channel, I¡¯ll try to figure out which asshole is shooting at us.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± The man nodded and hunkered down beside Robin, who took the only other seat in the small cockpit, and began to work on a screen to the left while Robin skimmed through the menus on the right. ¡°Ah, there it is!¡± He exclaimed and initiated a broadcasted hailing request. ¡°Long-range communications are offline, probably jammed.¡± Landom updated them moments later. For a moment there was silence as no one knew how to proceed. However, before Robin¡¯s hailing got any result, they heard a loud bang, accompanied by massive shaking of the ship, immediately followed by another impact. Robin didn¡¯t need Fengo to tell him that their shields winked out just like that. His passive sense made him more than aware of the fact that the Jingur had not much energy left. ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± He cursed and was just about to ask the pilot about their remaining options, when Walzor suddenly made him sit up and take notice. ¡°We have an incoming call!¡± All three passengers looked at the small display and Landom tapped some buttons to open a comm channel. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Hello little research-rats!¡± A mechanical, obviously heavily distorted voice could be heard, ¡°We would like to invite you to enter our ship. The hangar is about to be opened and we await your arrival. Please remember that your shields are already gone and we only hold fire as long as you are behaving.¡± Landom gave Fengo a sign to turn their ship around, so they could at least see what they were dealing with as scans and hailing were still pending without any response. At the same time he took over the conversation. ¡°This is Landom Walzor, team leader of Seka Security, Rucasur. This is a UAS vessel on an official mission for the united government. Are you sure that you want to persist in your course of actions?¡± ¡°Well, I do hope that you are who you claim to be! You have some artifacts aboard that we want to borrow. Come to our ship, surrender your cargo and you can be on your way again. We have no interest in antagonizing the UAS more than necessary.¡± Landom muted the comm and looked at Robin who could only shrug. At that time they also could finally see what had chased them. After turning the Jingur around, a big rectangular ship came into view. It was probably half the size of a Cradle and while quite bulky, it had huge VTOL-thrusters attached to its sides that seemed more than capable of moving such a clunky piece of metal around. The red and black chassis was covered in retrofitted metal panels, giving the ship both a menacing appearance and a clunky feeling. They all inspected the ship for a moment, before Landom returned to the topic at hand. ¡°A custom build model. I have no idea what they are looking for¡­¡± ¡°The crew that was planned for this transport got reassigned to another ship at the last moment. They take some of the museum''s artifacts to Gaunus. Maybe this is a misunderstanding?¡± Fengo chimed in from the side and Landom frowned in contemplation. ¡°Seems plausible, but they will never believe us until they search the whole ship. Not sure if they will just let us leave - however I don¡¯t think we have many alternatives¡­those are pirates after all.¡± Robin gasped in shock¡­ elated shock. ¡°You are right, those are pirates¡­ real, frickin¡¯ space pirates!¡± He yelped, ¡°That is so awesome! Holy shit, I¡¯m getting raided by space pirates!¡± Landom and Fengo looked at Robin, pondering if he was a madman or an idiot - or both. ¡°Yeah¡­ well, Fengo, take us to their ship. The Jingur has no noteworthy weaponry and as they got us in ambush and shields are down already, fighting back isn¡¯t an option. Maybe after we boarded their ship¡­ I go and put on my gear.¡± The officer set things in order and made way for his cabin, ¡°Come on, adventure-boy. You¡¯re with me.¡± Robin heard the pilot giving a confirmation on the comms and followed Landom back to their rooms. ¡°You know what to do?¡± He asked the officer again, who had put on his stern look again and definitely wasn¡¯t as excited to be raided by pirates as him. ¡°A bit¡­¡± He replied, ¡°As I told you, this is my first time off-planet too and definitely the first time to be in such a situation. This powerlessness, to be helpless and at the absolute mercy of some criminals, really leaves a bitter taste. However, if we get off our ship after landing in their hangar, I¡¯ll feel a bit more comfortable. Did you bring a weapon and armor?¡± ¡°A weapon and armor? Mate, you are the Security-dude, what would you have said if I entered the ship packed in armor and with a weapon on my shoulder?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ right. Well then, just stand back when the door opens after we have landed.¡± Landom grumbled and went into his cabin. Robin also went into his room and rummaged through his big backpack. He pulled out a huge drill-like thing and gave it another proper inspection. ¡°ROMAS, any idea how this thing works?¡± he asked the AI. ¡°That¡­ wow! I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re sharing your unlimited wisdom with me.¡± He said and thought back to the asshole-AI he met before, ¡°I¡¯ll file another complaint after I restore your old self!¡± A few minutes later, Robin was already waiting in front of the ship¡¯s exit when Fengo and Landom joined him. The officer now wore an armored suit in the colors of Seka Security, blue and white. It was like Robin¡¯s spacesuit he got from Apex, only with thick patches that had a metallic gleam attached here and there. He also wore a helmet that looked like it really could take some hits. In his hands he held an energy rifle and his mutation told Robin that he had more than a few extra charges on his body. ¡°Wow, now you really look like someone that works in the field of security!¡± Robin exclaimed, ¡°Kick those pirates'' asses!¡± ¡°What is it with you and pirates? Is there something I should know?¡± ¡°Come on, really? Being raided by space pirates is like an accolade for adventurers!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ shall I open the door now?¡± Fengo awkwardly asked, clearly more uncomfortable by their bickering than fearful of the impending fight with some criminals.¡± ¡°No, wait a moment. Let me check out what we have to expect out there.¡± Robin dropped the happy facade and sent out an Echo-Pulse, immediately his mind was flooded with information and he needed a moment to regain his focus. He activated the skill once more and inspected the area outside of their ship. He saw a few energy weapons seemingly hovering in the air and tapped into his main skill to get a more detailed image of those spots. ¡°One person with an energy weapon directly on the other side, to the right of the door, another one to the left. That one is trying to stay hidden and hunkered down. 10 meters straight in front of us we will be confronted with three more people, two of them also having weapons in their hands. The last dude has his one still holstered. Also¡­¡± Robin hesitated and gnashed with his teeth for a moment before he continued, ¡°Also to my senses they glow like a shop that¡¯s selling lamps¡­ they are Cetro.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Landom sighed, clearly understanding Robin¡¯s thoughts, ¡°This will be a challenge for us if it comes down to a fight. I don¡¯t think I can hold back in hope of leaving one alive¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I know. Our safety comes first. Maybe we are lucky and there won¡¯t be a fight.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± The officer gave him a look that told Robin exactly how much he believed that this would come true. It was also when the man noticed the drill in Robin¡¯s hands. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He asked with a nod. ¡°Well, hopefully a weapon. It¡¯s called Disruptor and I have no idea how it works. Nothing we can bet on, if shit hits the fan.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t bring a weapon! What¡¯s a Disruptor? That¡¯s no human tech, where did you get that?¡± Landom questioned with a frown, ¡°Did you steal that from the Drel outpost?¡± ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t steal anything, the AI gave it to me as a gift. Hutton knows about it, the UAS will do some tests later.¡± ¡°You are carrying an unknown weapon around in your backpack?¡± ¡°It said ¡®It¡¯s a weapon for self defense in case of emergency and can destroy¡­most other things¡¯ - maybe it can be of help, right?¡± Robin argued and Landom¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Damn, Tulward! You got a weapon, created by the race when talking about weaponsmithing, and their own AI vaguely described it as ¡®it can destroy most other things¡¯.¡± He cursed, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be anywhere near you, when you pull the trigger! Do you really think it is a good idea to try that thing out, when we are surrounded by the endless void of space?¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Robin conceded, ¡°I only wanted it as a backup plan anyways. Also, I checked it with my mutation and the energy it holds is only slightly more than what one of your weapons charges contains. How much damage could one do with that?¡± Landom threw him another skeptical gaze, ¡°Did you turn it on?¡± "Fuck you!" Robin grumbled in offense and motioned for Fengo to put his helmet on. While Robin and the pilot didn¡¯t have an armored version, it was better to wear the normal space gear than nothing at all. After they all finished their preparations, Fengo hit the button to his right and the door slid open with a hissing sound. Chapter 64 - That Escalated Quickly ¡°Have you finished your preparations?¡± The woman standing in the middle of the small hangar laughed when the door opened and Robin and his companions came face to face with the pirates. As expected, they were Cetro - the same technology fanatics as the missing Hash and his TechnoBloods. The small crew didn¡¯t step out of the Jingur yet, but remained standing in the doorway. Only Fengo, the pilot, stayed further back in the ship while the others observed the surroundings. Robin now could see two additional pirates that his senses didn¡¯t pick up before, since they stood at the other side of the hangar. ¡°Welcome aboard the Red Sun, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll enjoy the stay but at least you didn¡¯t start shooting at sight, so maybe we can do this like civilized people!¡± The woman said. She was the one that had the weapon still holstered and obviously the boss of this band of criminals. Like Landom, she wore an armored suit but no helmet. The suit however definitely granted more protection and was colored in the ship¡¯s black and red. She didn¡¯t have any hair, instead many thin cables or tubes came out of her head and vanished behind her back. Her face was quite beautiful, even though she had many metallic and electronic pieces sticking to her skin. Somehow she managed to combine aesthetics with the Cetro¡¯s urge to merge with technologies. Landom took a few steps forward into the hangar. The rustic interior hinted at a more practical oriented approach. Many boxes and some small cranes stood around, big shelves with crates and random junk adorned the walls. The shutter behind them was still open, a containment shield ensured that the atmosphere inside remained stable. He, too, gave the two guys in the back a closer look since they each stood behind some kind of big turret. Maybe anti-ship weapons? ¡°I¡¯m Landom Walzor of Seka Security. May I know what you are looking for?¡± He asked the woman in charge. ¡°Landom, dear, you have some artifacts in your possession that we need to further deepen our connection with the Great One. I hope you understand that we have to insist on you handing them over into our safe care.¡± She said, beaming him a smile. ¡°You see, that may be a problem because¡­¡± Landom began but was immediately interrupted by one of the flunkies to her right. ¡°Boss Jennet doesn''t like problems!¡± The man snarled in such an instantaneous and automated way that Robin wondered if he was trained or if they had replaced his brain with a robot already. ¡°Yeah, no shit¡­ who does like problems?¡± Landom sighed and continued, ¡°We come from Seka under orders of the research department, but not with artifacts or anything - we are transferring a guest of the UAS main HQ. The ship with the artifacts left a few hours before us¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Boss Jennet raised an eyebrow and looked at Robin, ¡°You are that guest?¡± ¡°Yup, hi!¡± Robin said and waved at her. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± She asked with a chuckle and motioned at his Disruptor, ¡°A secret weapon?¡± Her goons somehow found that funny and all began to laugh at the same moment. ¡®Definitely trained¡­¡¯ Robin concluded and shook his head. ¡°Yeah no, that¡¯s a drill. Never seen one before?¡± ¡°Being funny, eh?¡± She said dismissively and focused back on Landom. ¡°So, dear, now we do have a problem.¡± ¡°Boss Jennet doesn''t like problems!¡± The dude from before actually jumped in again, leaving Robin and Landom speechless. ¡°You heard him, I don¡¯t like problems¡­ tell me, what should we do now?¡± ¡°I can offer you to check our ship yourself, after that everyone just goes their own way and none of this ever happened.¡± Landom suggested. ¡°Of course I will accept the offer to inspect your ship, but we probably won¡¯t find anything, right? You seem to be an upstanding man, Landom. I do believe you that we¡¯ve caught the wrong ship. However, after this¡­ meeting, we can hardly just leave empty handed, can we?¡± ¡°What do you want? The ship?¡± Landom scoffed. They really didn¡¯t bring any valuables, so what do they wanna steal from them? At least it didn¡¯t look like they would end up in a shootout for now. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± There was silence in the hall for some time before Robin stepped forward to stand at Landom¡¯s side. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Boss Jennet, right? You are the head priestess of this community?¡± ¡°Oh? You know more about our ways?¡± She asked curiously after hearing his choice of words. ¡°I have done a few jobs for one of your communities already, yeah. I was even invited to join you once, but unfortunately had to decline.¡± ¡°Interesting! See, that''s why I love this kind of life. You never know who you might meet next.¡± She gave him a smile but shook her head. ¡°However, no, I¡¯m not the priestess. I¡¯m just the captain of this ship. Who invited you, young man? Maybe we can come to an agreement if we have common friends.¡± The Cetro didn¡¯t want to kill them out of fear of retribution - the UAS normally doesn¡¯t go all-out because of some pirating, but if their people were killed? Yeah, that was written on another page. However Jennet also couldn¡¯t let them leave just like that, without appearing weak in front of her men. Initially Landom wanted to stop Robin from interfering, but as this was a stalemate, he hoped Robin could help to tip the scale in their favor. Now he could finally relax a bit, since the negotiations actually sounded promising. ¡°Great to hear! It has been some time since I met them, maybe you could even help me reestablish our old contact!¡± Robin enthusiastically exclaimed. Perhaps he could not only get them out of this situation, but also finally find a lead on Hash¡¯s whereabouts! ¡°Sure, which community did you have dealings with?¡± Jennet asked, seemingly also happy to have found a way out. ¡°The community is called TechnoBlood, they are led by their head priest Hash.¡± Robin said and immediately felt the mood in the room shift. All Cetro raised their weapons and Jennet¡¯s face twisted into a grimace. ¡°How do you know¡­¡± she began, while Robin gasped at their extreme reaction and took a few steps back into the ship. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡°. Landom immediately moved to the side to shield him with his body, also raised his gun and aimed at the woman. That triggered an instantaneous reaction from one of the guys behind the turrets and in a blink of an eye, Landom shot backwards as fast as the projectile that had hit him in the chest. Before anyone could react, he was already hammered into the wall of their ship next to Fengo. ¡°Boss Jennet doesn''t like it when someone points a gun at her!¡± The trigger-happy pirate yelled. ¡®Burn in plasma¡­¡¯ Robin cursed, shocked by the sudden escalation after the officer flew past him like a flash. Reflexively he pulled the trigger from the Disruptor he still held in his hand, but nothing happened. Since there wasn¡¯t any immediate retaliation from their captives, the pirates hesitated to continue the shooting and looked at Boss Jennet. While Fengo hurried over to Landom, who had slid down the wall, Robin¡¯s hand suddenly began to itch like hell. His passive energy sense was going wild. The Disruptor did¡­ something, but he couldn¡¯t tell what. Therefore he tried to buy some time. ¡°Fuck! Was that really necessary? I thought you were also looking for a deal! And what¡¯s wrong with Hash¡¯s community?¡± He yelled from the doorway. ¡°You are working with the traitors? Do you even know what horrors they¡­¡± Jennet screamed, but didn¡¯t get any further as the Disruptor began to glow in a bright light. Robin felt a massive energy spike and made sure to keep the weapon pointed forward, while the woman turned and ran towards the hangars exit with an unnatural high speed. ¡°Open fire, kill them!¡± were her last words before she vanished through a door. ¡®Speed mutation, that¡¯s a rare one!¡¯ Robin gaped and prepared to close their ship¡¯s entry. However, before any of the pirates could open fire again, a small round projectile came out of the Disruptor and flew slowly through the hangar. Arcs of energy rose from the glowing orb like little solar flares. Everyone was captivated by this marveling sight. Robin in contrast could feel his body screaming Danger with every fiber. The energy contained in that little globe was crazy. Not waiting to see what would happen, he hit the button and the ship¡¯s door began to close. ¡°Fengo! Get us out of here - now!¡± He yelled and shuffled over to Landom¡¯s side. He threw back one last glance, just in time to see the projectile suddenly expand to at least 10 meters, barely fitting into the hall. The glow receded and the last thing he saw, before the door finally closed, was the air rippling like a mirage and the pirates fleeing for their lives. ¡°ROMAS, help me with Landom!¡± He ordered his AI and began to look for the wound. Hopefully his suit was armored enough to tank a hit from such a gun. ¡®A weapon made to smash through a ship¡¯s hull¡­ yeah, fuck¡¯ Robin shook his head and felt the ship beginning to vibrate, also whatever happened outside was still ongoing as his whole body itched like hell. Just as he took a closer look at the burned armor and the vibrations rose to a dangerous level, he felt their thrusters finally powering up. ¡°W-w-what did you do to them?¡± Fengo¡¯s fearfully trembling voice came over the ship¡¯s comm and Robin stood up to take a look out of a window that was a few meters to his side. They had already gained some distance and he could see the Red Sun, hovering in the middle of the dark void. Now it really resembled a small sun. There were cracks and rifts all over its hull and a gray light was shining through the gaps, giving it a beautiful touch, beside its quite disturbing nature. More and more cracks appeared and before long, the whole ship was broken down to little pieces. For one short moment, Robin could see the ripples in the center of the ship¡¯s remains again, before they vanished together with the gray glow. No sound could be heard, no vibrations remained, no light glowed - only thousands of metal pieces drifted peacefully through the void. ¡®Metal and flesh¡­ no matter how fast you can run, that is not something one could flee from.¡¯ ¡°Save that as a recording and make a plan on how to help Landom, if there is any life left in him!¡± Robin tore his gaze away from the creepy scene and returned to the man with the smoldering torso. Chapter 65 - Welcome To Gaunus After the Red Sun was completely shredded, Robin tried to push all his worries away and concentrated on the man lying bare-chested on his bed. For once he wanted to have an adventure that didn¡¯t end in a disaster. They were raided by damn, frickin¡¯ space pirates! That¡¯s a story he wanted to share without always having to think back at a fallen comrade. Patience, Happy and Timothy would burn with envy to have missed this. Sure, the pirates also didn¡¯t make it to tell the tale, but they were pirates - they were the aggressors and knew the risks. This was his first kill he really wouldn¡¯t shed a single tear about. But first of all, he had to ensure Landom¡¯s survival ROMAS helped Robin to identify and keep track of the few little things he could do. Walzor got really lucky, first of all the turret was apparently not an anti-ship weapon, but designed for armored units and besides, he was hit in the chest. If that projectile had hit his head, even the helmet wouldn¡¯t have saved him. The armor of his suit took a lot of the impact but in the end, it wasn¡¯t made to ward off such attacks and gave in. There was a second line of defense however, Robin only now learned that Landom had a Class C - Hardened Skin G-Anomaly. This was a rare type mutation that actually came with physical changes. In this case the man¡¯s normal skin was transformed to some leather-like material that was much more resilient. Though, he was only partly mutated, as his face and left arm were completely normal, maybe even his legs, but Robin didn¡¯t check those. Of course the hardened skin on his torso wasn¡¯t able to tank all of the remaining energy, but at least it was reduced so much that the rest of the projectile ¡®only¡¯ tore a fist-sized hole in his chest. If Robin or Fengo had taken that hit, they probably would have exploded into a bloody mist. Robin followed the routines ROMAS had compiled and tried to stabilize his patient as best as possible. There was already a UAS ship with a proper med-bay on its way and the stims did wonder in stopping the bleeding and keeping the man alive until help arrived. After some time, Fengo came into the cabin. ¡°We left the general area of the anomaly. The reinforcements should arrive in 7 hours. How is Mr. Walzor doing?¡± ¡°I think the worst is behind him, pulse and breathing are constant for more than half an hour now and I just gave him a new stim. Only our stock of blood substitute is running low, however his bleeding has stopped. As long as it doesn''t flare up again, he should be fine.¡± Robin explained his situation, relief in his voice. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, great news!¡± Fengo cheered and also visibly relaxed a bit. ¡°Can you keep an eye on him? I would like to check on the ship''s systems for now, see what can be fixed and what is gone for good.¡± ¡°Sure, thanks for your efforts. Without you, this would have ended very differently today.¡± The young pilot said and took Robin''s spot near the bed. ¡°No problem, we all did our part. If you hadn''t gotten us out fast enough, our pieces would be floating there now too. By the way, let¡¯s keep the little accident with the Disruptor as a secret for now, okay? I¡¯ll discuss it with your mother later, but I really wanna reach Gaunus before everyone gets worked up over something new.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah, sure. I didn¡¯t even understand half of what had happened anyways!¡± Fengo laughed and Robin gave him a thumbs up, before leaving for the technical room at the ship¡¯s rear. *** Robin was hunkering down near an open panel in the ship¡¯s wall. He saw many different cables and circuit boards, all glowing in a bright blue light. The ones that didn¡¯t glow were damaged parts that he began to repair, exchange or bypass. With the help of ROMAS and the schematic Fengo had sent him earlier, Robin made good progress. He wore a satisfied smile on his face while taking out one of the burned cables. This was the kind of exciting adventure he always dreamed of. Being raided by space pirates, a shootout in a hangar, the crazy destruction initiated by an alien super-weapon and now even playing the engineer of a stranded ship in space. How much more would he be able to experience when he began to explore new planets? When he met alien races? With a happy mood, he changed the last parts and the QVT came back to life. He was done here and they were good to go. The damage wasn¡¯t too bad in the first place, since the raiders stopped shooting after their shield went down. Of course he knew that there was a huge portion of luck involved today. If the Red Sun hadn¡¯t stopped shooting, they would have had no chance of escaping or fighting back. If Landom wasn¡¯t such a resilient bastard, he would have instantly died back then. Their ship escaped the collapsing space only by a hair''s breadth and if the pirates had closed the shutter after they entered, it would have been game over. However, all that didn¡¯t happen. They pulled through, they won. They are the ones who will continue their journey and tell the tale. ¡®What an exhilarating feeling¡­¡¯ Robin enjoyed that moment a bit longer and then made his way to Fengo. ¡°QVT is back online, you can fly towards our escort to meet up earlier. How is Walzor?¡± ¡°Nothing changed, he¡¯s sleeping right now.¡± The pilot answered and changed places with Robin before he continued. ¡°Great work, I¡¯ll give you an update after I talk to the UAS and we get a new time for the meeting.¡± 4 hours later, the Jingur landed once more in the hangar of another ship. This time however it was a Humbler Cradle from the UAS. Landom was brought to the infirmary and professional UAS engineers gave the Jingur a complete check-up, before they actually took off and continued their trip to Gaunus. Robin and Fengo both had to give a report about the assault and after it was clear that it was some kind of Cetro-raid, the officials didn¡¯t ask much more questions. Things like that unfortunately did happen too often to make a huge fuss about it every time. Living in space was dangerous, everyone knew the risks. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Since none of their people died and the raider''s ship was destroyed ¡®by an explosion due to a lucky shot from Robin¡¯, they dropped the matter surprisingly quickly. The rest of the trip was without any more interruptions. Fengo cycled between checking the ship¡¯s systems and sleeping and Robin worked on training with his mutation. After its latest upgrades he found more and more uses for it and longed for finer control. He worked hard on managing and even suppressing his passive senses. It really sucked to start stammering gibberish each time he was surprised by a sudden increase of energy nearby. Roughly 6 days later they finally closed in on their destination, Gaunus. This was the most important planet in the Mereus Cluster and the location of the local UAS HQ. When Robin looked out of the window and saw the celestial body he immediately spotted the obvious differences to Rucasur. ¡°That¡¯s blue, right? It¡¯s blue!¡± He gasped in excitement. Of course he already knew that the planet was mostly covered in water from the reports he read and what he saw on TV. However, being there and seeing it with his own eyes was something completely different. ¡°Finally I¡¯ll set foot on a different planet, not only some lifeless, dusty moon but a real different planet where people do live. People that were born there and maybe never once have left their home, like me before¡­¡± Robin chuckled, ¡°And here, on one of Gaunus¡¯ moons, I¡¯ll finally be able to restart my work on unraveling the map!¡± Packing his stuff, he went to the cockpit to accompany Fengo on their landing approach. *** ¡°Mr. Tulward! Welcome to Gaunus! I heard you had a rough flight. Are you alright?¡± A middle aged man greeted him after they landed on one of the floating platforms. Robin didn¡¯t immediately answer but instead looked around in awe. They stood on a big rectangular construct made of metal that floated in the middle of the ocean. Robin never had seen so much water in one place, it was breathtaking! Huge waves crashed into the platform¡¯s side and fine spray was blown into his face, cooling him down and wetting his clothes. The strong wind was howling and everything smelled like salt, he could even taste salt on his tongue after a few moments. ¡°Marvelous¡­!¡± Robin exclaimed with awe in his voice. The man stepped to his side and patted his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s overwhelming coming to Gaunus for the first time, isn¡¯t it?¡± He said gently but loud enough for Robin to hear over the sound of the crashing waves. ¡°You should see it on a calm day, it¡¯s another sight to behold when the water is still and Mereus is creating sparkling light effects on the ocean''s surface.¡± Ultimately Robin turned to look at his host. The man wore the official UAS attire, comparable to what Landom normally put on, this however was colored in the metallic sliver of the alliance. He held his cap with one hand in place and beamed Robin a friendly smile. ¡°I¡¯m Keran Bex, but you can call me Keran. Shall we go in?¡± ¡°Hi and thanks for the warm welcome. I¡¯m Robin, nice to meet you.¡± Robin said and shook Keran¡¯s free hand, ¡°Lead the way.¡± After they entered a small, unassuming door, Robin followed the man down a long stairway that led them deeper in the facility. Built under the ocean¡¯s surface. ¡°Your pilot will follow us later, he already knows the way. Any lingering problems after your encounter with the Cetro?¡± Keran asked once more. ¡°Ah right, no. Everything is fine. Sorry about that¡­¡± Robin motioned at their wet clothes, ¡°And thanks for waiting so patiently. Have you any news about Landom Walzor¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard the medics were surprised to see him so well stabilized. You must have done an amazing job. After they took him to a proper hospital on Rucasur, his wound was quickly healed. He is already back on his feet and only needs to take it easy for some time.¡± ¡°Great, thanks for the update. That¡¯s good to hear!¡± Robin took a deep breath of relief and began to grin. Finally he could categorize this adventure as ¡®awesome shit!¡¯ without a nagging feeling of uncertainty about Landom''s condition. ¡°Robin, I must say, it¡¯s really amazing to have you here!¡± Keran switched topics as he led them deeper into the facility, sometimes taking more stairs, at other times they followed long corridors with dozens of doors. ¡°I¡¯m the official representative of the UAS main HQ in charge of the team that is researching the Keeper object. We are working on this thing for ages already without achieving anything. After we heard that there was a technocrafter in Seka with a Class E - Minor Energy Senses G-Anomaly that noticed remnant energy in an unknown artifact that later - after arriving at the main HQ - was identified as Keeper technology, there was quite the uproar.¡± The man said with a laugh and patted Robin''s shoulder again, ¡°I¡¯m really excited to see what you will get out of this thing!¡± He opened a door and motioned for Robin to step in. ¡°Thanks, I guess? I still have no idea what exactly you want me to do. I only know it¡¯s about an artifact from a race called Keeper, so call me curious, but what¡­ Burn in plasma!¡± Robin stopped mid sentence. The room they had entered was some kind of big, comfy guest lounge with a couch, a big display and some workstations. What took his breath however was the big window that completely replaced one of the walls and allowed a direct view into the ocean¡¯s underwater world *** ¡°Mister Ramones, Robin Tulward arrived on Gaunus just now.¡± A woman in UAS attire and with short, black hair reported to the tall man that stood near a huge glass wall which allowed one to observe the seabed. ¡°He wiggled himself out of our grip last time, but now he comes here on his own accord? That man is quite full of himself!¡± ¡°He has pretty solid agreements with the UAS. There isn¡¯t much we can do to force him to spill the beans¡­¡± The woman hesitantly said. ¡°I don¡¯t care what kind of deal the geezers from the main HQ made with him. He knows stuff no one should know, his mutation is one big anomaly and maybe he even looted a whole Drel outpost. There are many people looking for answers and I¡¯m more than willing to help finding them! Is Walzor with him? He messed up last time, but maybe we can still learn from his investigations.¡± ¡°Walzor was injured when their ship was raided by pirates. He is back on Rucasur to recuperate.¡± ¡°They were attacked by pirates? How did they get out of that?¡± ¡°We only have a basic report for now as everything seems to be just a random raid by some Cetro. The pirates were destroyed, Tulward survived, no UAS personnel were killed - case closed¡­¡± The assistant muttered hesitantly, as she knew how extreme the base¡¯s commander could react to news he didn¡¯t like. ¡°Case closed?¡± Ramones turned around, fury on his face. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? An unarmed vessel with a pilot that is still wet behind his ears, a second-rate shamus and technocrafter stuffed with secrets fought off¡­ no destroyed a pirate ship and no one asks more questions?¡± The woman winced but still tried to reason with him. ¡°The UAS likes the status quo, Tulward has secrets, yes, but he works efficiently, produces results and shares them with the UAS on reasonable terms. As long as this is a beneficial relationship, they wanna maintain it that way¡­¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid? I also read those directives¡­¡± The man huffed and paced around for a moment. ¡°Get the pilot here. I wanna ask him some questions!¡± The woman nodded and turned. She hated this job, while Ramones really did get results with his brutish methods, she didn¡¯t like how much he bent the laws to his likings. ¡®Damn creepy cree¡­ Ugh, whatever.¡¯ Shaking her head, she left the office to look for Fengo Hutton. Chapter 66 - So Many New Things Robin looked into a gray but wonderful world. Many seaweeds, algae, and corals of any kind overgrew the seabed and decorated little hills, stalagmites and big, holed rocks. Dozens of different fish swam past the huge window, so close, that Robin nearly felt like becoming part of this fantasy-like world. Keran gave him a minute to take it all in before he began to smile once more. ¡°As impressive as the view above the ocean, isn¡¯t it? However, these are all the wonders I¡¯ll be able to show you today.¡± ¡°No problem, it has already been quite exciting already. Like a festival for my senses. So many new things, everything is so different.¡± Robin mumbled without turning his eyes from this great view, ¡°On Rucasur we only have big buildings and endless plains of rocky earth. I¡­ I think this is the first time I¡¯ve seen an animal in the wild! This isn¡¯t some big underwater-zoo, right?¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± The man laughed, ¡°Do you see the fish over there, with the beautiful green and blue shimmering scales? That one is a really rare sight, you are quite lucky!¡± Robin looked at all the gray fish and his mood dropped.. ¡®Yeah, lucky me¡­¡¯ He sighed and turned around. ¡°So, Keran, before I interrupted you with my sightseeing, you wanted to talk about the Keeper and why I¡¯m here. Why don¡¯t we continue that conversation? I¡¯m really curious what my job will be.¡± He switched the topic to distract his thoughts from drifting into the dark parts of his mind. Today shall be a great day, no reason to disrupt this peace by wallowing in self pity. ¡°Right! We have been investigating the object for a few years already. Finding you is a boon not only for the UAS research department, but especially for mankind itself!¡± The man picked up the topic and began to chatter excitedly. ¡°Hopefully we will not only be able to make a breakthrough in our research of Keeper technology, but also catch up to all the other races in this field! They never shared their ways with humans before.¡± Robin couldn¡¯t follow at all, what was he talking about? ¡°Great, you are excited, me too. But I think you may have skipped one, two¡­ ten steps. What object and what¡¯s with the other races?¡± ¡°Oh right, well, this is all¡­ for later!¡± Keran stopped himself at the last moment and gave him an apologetic look, ¡°Before I say anything wrong and get my hands burned, you should run through the UAS introduction. It''s about different protocols, including non-disclosure relevant topics and lots of other stuff. Rest for today and begin to study the provided information that¡¯s stored on the local workstation over there. Normally seven days of learning should be enough to pass the examination. After that you will get a proper briefing on this job, okay?¡± Robin shrugged, he was already warned by Katlina Hutton that there will be some kind of assessment or examination. Basically it¡¯s the same what he had gotten from the Mohait with his first official assignment at the museum, only more complex as he was now diving deeper into the UAS secrets as an unaffiliated guest. ¡°Can I put the documents on my Neuro-Chip and access them during the test?¡± ¡°Sure, this is not some school or anything. The seven days are for you to get a feel for what topics are introduced and where you find specific information with your Interface if needed. No need to memorize everything!¡± Keran chuckled and waved his goodbyes. ¡°Make yourself comfortable for now, this will be your room for the time of your stay. I¡¯ll come back later and we can talk about your schedule and possible activities around here.¡± After the researcher had left, Robin turned back to the window and observed this strange new world for a bit longer. When his thoughts began to wander again, questioning how this would look like if he still had his colorvision, he moved to the workstation and inspected the documents he had to read through. ¡°Burn in plasma¡± He exclaimed after seeing the seemingly endless pages of boring protocols, guidelines and basic knowledge. ¡°I¡¯d go crazy if I had to read all this¡­ ROMAS, please tell me that all this stuff can be stored in my remaining memory of the Neuro-Chip and you¡¯ll be able to do that shitty test for me!¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Robin didn¡¯t hesitate and gave the workstation permission for a direct upload¡­ then he waited¡­ and waited. ¡®That actually took more than a minute¡­ What a shitton of data!¡¯ After the upload was finished, he was really impressed. One minute datatransfer? That was really long. If he still had his old chip, even if it was completely empty, any transfer longer than ten seconds would¡¯ve maxed out his storage. Seems like most other people would have to read the stuff on the workstation and then decide which parts they wanted to store. ¡°How is it? Can you use this stuff as a knowledge base?¡± Robin asked his companion AI expectantly. ¡°Well, while that is a lot to get into one¡¯s head, I at least understand the necessity. Found anything interesting?¡± ¡°...If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d assume you''ve regained your sense of humor!¡± Robin laughed, ¡°No summary needed, just help me out next time. Oh right, how did Walzor do, on a scale from 1 to 10?¡± ¡°Really? I thought he managed it pretty well¡­¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Well, then me and probably even Fengo would have died.¡± Robin shook his head in disagreement. ¡°...remind me to never give you the power to decide someone''s fate without asking any sapient being first!¡± For the rest of the day, Robin trained his energy senses. He was switching between filtering different objects and regions out of the image and suppressing his passive sense as much as possible, in hope to deactivate it somehow. Both were things that should be doable with enough effort put in. While the suppression should come more natural as his body adapts, the filtering was still dependent on him training his brain to optimize the processing of his sense¡¯s feedback. At some point Fegno came by and said his goodbyes. He would stay only for a night and leave early the next day back to Rucasur. The UAS found him a team that was about to move there anyways, so he would have his cabins fully occupied on his way home. When Keran picked him up for dinner, Robin scheduled the UAS test for four days later. He came up with an excuse of already knowing much of the info from his schooling for the piloting license and some documents he had read in preparation on his way to Gaunus. When night came, Robin returned to his room and fell tiredly on his bed. For tomorrow he planned to explore Gaunus a bit. Keran promised to take him to a shopping district of a nearby city. Just as his eyes were about to close, a small message shook him awake again. He had completely forgotten about that, still wasn¡¯t used to being plugged in like a fucking datapad. Tired and with a heavy head from overusing his mutation, he slumped over to his backpack and looked for the cable. After rummaging through his things for a moment, his hands began to frantically rip anything out until his backpack was completely empty and the floor littered with all his stuff¡­ all except the charger. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Robin exclaimed, fully awake again, as adrenaline flooded his body. Where was his damn cable? Looking around in his room, as if it would magically appear on the couch all of a sudden, he sighed. ¡°I left it on the ship, didn¡¯t I? Burn in plasma, tomorrow Fengo is leaving already¡­ ¡®will have to get it now or I¡¯ll fuck up the test.¡± Putting his clothes back on, Robin went to Fengo¡¯s room and knocked the poor dude out of his bed. ¡°Sorry mate, I left some of my stuff on the Jingur. Can you lend me your access card for a moment?¡± The young man opened the door, hair already disheveled and wearing pajamas with a comic-version of Hopewing printed on it. He just mumbled something about it being the middle of the night and gave Robin a keycard. Normally a ship¡¯s access was regulated through an identification with the Neuro-Chip and Interface, but as Robin¡¯s trip was already over, he probably wasn¡¯t on the list anymore and needed the old school means. ROMAS guided Robin though the many hallways and up dozens of stairs back to the landing pad. It took him nearly 15 minutes to reach the platform, resting above the now calm ocean. ¡°Impressive¡­¡± Robin marveled, lost in thoughts and taking in the great view. Two moons hung in the sky and shed a gentle light over the sea, creating sparkling effects on the water. No natural light was illuminating the surroundings, which allowed him to see countless stars that dotted the otherwise dark horizon. After enjoying this scene and imprinting it into his mind as one more reason to journey the endless and unknown universe, he quickly went into the ship and took out his charger, which had dropped to the floor in the gap between his bed and the wall - as all damn cables always do. Robin didn¡¯t linger around any longer and made his way back into the facility. Just a few hallways before reaching his room, he turned around a corner and came face to face with a huge drone that flew along the corridor. It looked like one of the CPDs (Citizen Protection Drones) he met in Seka before, only that this one was deep black and armored as if geared up not for riot-control or anything but to fight at the frontlines of the next intergalactic war. It was arrow shaped, maybe 2m in width and while it was pretty flat, its middle section was a bit thicker. Maybe to store all the systems, energy reserves and probably even weapons. All in all, its black, armored metal chassis reminded him of the stealth-bombers from old times. Two turbine-like thrusters were embedded in each of its wings and as the drone was flying right now, they must be running - even though Robin couldn¡¯t see or hear anything to support that thesis. He didn¡¯t even need to scan it, the tingling on his skin already told him how much energy they stuffed into this thing. Not taking another step, he stopped dead in his tracks. ¡°Oh¡­ Hi! I¡¯m Robin Tulward and a guest of this facility.¡± He began with a friendly opening, learning from his last encounter with a moody AI. ¡°You are classified as a civilian. Please move to the next shelter and wait for instructions from the local forces.¡± The drone said in a calming tone. ¡°Ummm¡­ shelter? What the heck is happening? What local forces?¡± Robin asked in confusion. Was there an attack on the facility? Where the hell should he find a shelter, he was deep under the ocean. ¡°You are classified as a civilian. Please move to the next shelter and wait for instructions from the local forces.¡± The drone repeated the instructions. ¡°Yeah, you already said so. What¡¯s this all about?¡± The flying killer-bot stayed silent for a moment, before two energy guns extended out of its sides. ¡°Reevaluating classification. Please remain stationary!¡± It rumbled, nothing calming in its voice left. ¡°Burn in plasma! What¡¯s wrong with all the AI¡¯s I''ve met lately?¡± Robin yelped, but luckily his trusty companion calmed him down before the situation escalated any further. Robin raised his hands like someone that was robbed right now and grimaced at the information from ROMAS. ¡°See? Told you just earlier, that it would be a bad idea to give you the power to decide someone''s fate without asking for permission. Seems like the UAS is on the same page as well¡­ that is refreshing to know, while also a bit disturbing. Such rules normally get implemented as a reaction to some serious fuck up, right?¡± Robin said, while he waited for the final edict of this obvious rogue drone. ¡°By the way, if it¡¯s not allowed, then why are you only 59% sure that it will not shoot me? Those aren¡¯t odds I wanna bet my life on!¡± ¡°You can do that? Yeah, please, survival sounds awesome!¡± Robin was a bit skeptical, as ROMAS could hardly ¡®hack¡¯ the drone or anything from here, but before he could think about this in depth, the drone¡¯s weapons actually were retracted. It hovered around and settled down behind him, roughly one meter above his head. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Robin gasped in astonishment, "Neat! However, later I would like to learn how you did it. That shouldn''t be technically possible!" He turned to the drone that now followed him like a puppy. ¡°Come, let''s go and find whoever it is that lost his killer drone!¡± Chapter 67 - The Keeper Robin followed the corridor where the drone came from and it didn¡¯t take him long to find a man in a researcher¡¯s coat running around in panic. ¡°Ah! You found it!¡± The man exclaimed while he leaned against a wall to catch his breath. He was old - like really old. When Robin saw his scarce white hair and the long beard, he was reminded of one of the old fantasy books he had once read. ¡®Only his staff is missing and he could start shouting: You shall not pass!¡¯ He thought with a grin, but kept a serious face. ¡°This is yours, I assume?¡± Robin motioned towards the drone, ¡°Honestly, how could one lose a bad tempered killer bot just like that? It wanted to shoot me!¡± The researcher looked between Robin and the drone that followed him back and forth. ¡°It isn¡¯t able to shoot anyone, don¡¯t you know the laws?¡± He asked as if Robin was stupid, ¡°Don¡¯t answer that - much more interesting to know would be why it is following you now!¡± ¡°What do you think, shouldn¡¯t we get this guy out of the hallway first of all?¡± ¡°Yeah, right, come... come!¡± The old geezer turned and dragged his feet down the long corridor. Robin shrugged and followed him together with the black drone. After a few turns they stepped into a big laboratory. Dozens of different drones were neatly lined up in the room that reminded him of a workshop. The other thing that stood out was how clean everything was. After the places from Jim, Slice and even the Drel outpost, this one looked like they just bought everything and didn¡¯t start to do actual work yet . The researcher looked very focused at the black drone and after a few moments it hovered to one of the free spots in the row and settled down. ¡°How peculiar¡­ I cannot find any reason it would have followed you. Did you give it any commands?¡± He looked at Robin and despite his fragile appearance, his eyes gleamed with a lively glint. ¡°I could have done that?¡± Robin questioned in confusion. That shouldn¡¯t be possible, right? If just any random person could give orders to a drone, the idea to let CPDs patrol all over the city would quickly backfire. The man observed him a bit longer, before he gave up as the technocrafter really seemed to be clueless. ¡°This unit is operated based on BWT, there is no need for a direct connection or voice commands.¡± ¡°BWT¡­ wait, you mean it¡¯s thought-controlled?¡± Robin gasped. That was unexpected. He never heard of any other use case than with the Interfaces. ¡°Yes and no, BWT, or brain wave technology, is what you use to interact with your Interface. Thought-controlled is an exaggerated description. Your Interface and Neuro-Chip are connected to your brain, the BWT taps into the strongest neurons and can read out the most basic commands like ¡®On¡¯, ¡®Off¡¯, ¡®Left¡¯, ¡®Right¡¯,... The operator of this drone establishes a wireless connection and sends his commands directly over the Interface, which in turn reads it from his neuronal activities.¡± ¡°So basically, instead of controlling only my Interface with my thoughts, I can also let it relay commands to the drone via encrypted broadcast?¡± Robin said, thought about it for a moment and immediately saw the downsides. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting approach to get more use out of the BWT, but the commands must be very, I mean very, basic to be able to get a reliable read, right? How would you be able to use that on a combat drone? Something like ¡®attack¡¯ may still be possible, but selecting a target or naming formations should already be impossible¡­¡± ¡®That¡¯s probably also how ROMAS took control of it, it just hijacked the wireless connection¡­¡¯ He added in his mind, after having solved that riddle too. The old man enthusiastically nodded. ¡°Yes, exactly. We hoped to be able to get a wireless, hands- and voice-free method of controlling UAVs. With how silent the drone itself is, it would be a great asset for stealth missions. However, the range of possible commands is too small, just as you guessed. We are about to drop the project. I just wanted to test some last things, but as you¡¯ve seen, it didn¡¯t quite work out. By the way¡­¡± He turned around and looked at Robin once more, ¡°Who are you?¡± Robin laughed and took a step forward to shake his hand. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Robin Tulward! Technocrafter, drone-hunter and guest of this facility for a week or two.¡± ¡°Prof. Aurelius, my pleasure. You haven''t finished your introduction yet, right?¡± ¡°Nope, just arrived today.¡± ¡°Great, better not talk about this with anyone. The BWT research is kind of a top secret project¡­¡± ¡°No worries, but if it¡¯s okay for you, I¡¯ll pass by after I have my test completed. Seems to be fun here!¡± Prof. Aurelius raised an eyebrow and then began to laugh. ¡°You¡¯re always welcome! It¡¯s great to work with someone who is also interested in this field.¡± Robin waved his goodbyes and left to get back to his room. On the way, he slipped the ship¡¯s keycard under Fengo¡¯s door and went to bed. The last thing he did was to plug in the cable into the small connector that was hidden under his hair to reanimate ROMAS who had already gone offline while they were still in the laboratory. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. For the following days Robin mostly stayed in his room, discarding his plans of sightseeing on Gaunus. He wanted to get the clearance as soon as possible to be able to learn a bit more from the old man. ROMAS was predestined for this tech. While everyone else would have to fight with the limited commands they could generate with the BWT, ROMAS could directly control the drone and give it a huge range of actions, including monitoring the video-feed to get audio-visual feedback. Sure, if he would allow ROMAS to take control of such a weaponized drone, he would probably violate ¡ì3.2 c) of the UAS Law About AI Implementation, but¡­ ahh, that was a problem for later. Instead he only diligently trained with his mutation over these days and finally could see some small progress with filtering and tuning down his passive sense. The only other thing he did was call Happy to let her know of his arrival on Gaunus. However, she hadn''t responded yet, as she was probably in the middle of her intergalactic pilot license exam. Robin¡¯s own exam, the one about the UAS introduction, was pretty anticlimactic. With ROMAS he had the ultimate cheat to find all answers to their questions in an instant. He even had to play it slow to not appear too suspicious. So it came to be that Robin was sitting together with Keran in a conference room three days later already. On a big screen he could see the rest of Keran¡¯s team. They joined in per video comm to meet the fabled technocrafter with the strange mutation and also wanted to hear the briefing. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s dive in for what we are here!¡± Keran started after a short introduction round. ¡°Story-time, listen closely, that¡¯s not something you¡¯ll be able to read anywhere!¡± Robin nodded diligently and had to suppress a grin when a message flashed in his vision. ¡°We are talking about the Keeper, a very old race - older than most other races we know. They were already around at the time of the Endless Empire, the empire of the Starborn. We can date the first mentions back more than 4.000 years and they also vanished shortly after the Starborn went missing, between the years 129 and 135. They were a race of information brokers. The Keeper collected, traded and sold information about everything that happened in the inhabited parts of the universe and beyond. Myths and legends tell tales of them shifting the tides in wars, influencing the direction in which empires and even entire races developed and it¡¯s said that they had the biggest collection of technology-knowledge that was ever put together.¡± Keran explained with awe in his voice, as if he read a bedtime story to a little kid. When he saw Robin enthusiastically nodding, he continued. ¡°There are two facts that make this race one of the hottest topics in the upper echelons. One is the reason you are here, Robin. They use a very special kind of energy, something no one else can use like them, but later more. The other thing that stirs the prominent races right now is that there are rumors in the outer rims of some remote galaxies. Rumors about newly found Keeper Info Stations. You can find them all over the universe, each system has one or two at least. But those are old relic sites, dead and mostly without any value. Now however, there are sightings of mobile info points, ships where lucky people can trade information. It¡¯s said they vanish immediately after an exchange is concluded. This makes it difficult to verify the rumors, but after working with the other races, we have concluded that it is most likely true... the Keeper are still out there, beyond our reach, but they begin to wander our borders. The Ommih believe this is the first sign of their return, the Mohait even fear this to be the beginning of a new era in which the Keeper reemerge and with them the Starborn itself. I cannot tell what is true. But personally I think¡­ there are too many rumors going around for them all to be false. They are out there and they have all the knowledge mankind has ever longed for!¡± Robin hung on Keran''s lips, he heard some bits and pieces from Hutton and Guard, but this was mostly new to him. New and exciting! The Keeper are still alive? If they were around when the Starborn vanished, they probably knew what happened to them! Sure, there are some other races left from that time. The Drel, for example, but they weren''t part of the Endless Empire and were caught up in a big internal war at that time. They claim to have only realized that the Starborn vanished, after they were already gone. From the Drel the modern races learned that the Starborn vanished not over years or months, but within days at most. This was his first solid lead on the fate of the Starborn, even if mankind was not strongly invested in looking deeper into this, he for sure was! Robin fought hard to suppress his excitement. Keran wasn¡¯t done yet, there was more to learn. ¡°You see,¡± The team leader just concluded, ¡°there is much movement on this topic. Many races began to actively search for the Keeper in hope to be able to forge bonds with them or at least have them establish new Info Stations, fixed locations where everyone can go to trade information. Humans, too, are sending out teams and even small fleets into the border regions. But let¡¯s take a closer look at their other specialty for now. Humans, and every other known race, are working mostly with electricity. That¡¯s the type of energy you and all other energy-related G-Anomalies can sense. There are many more kinds of energy, like kinetic, chemical and so on. However all these types are interchangeable as explained in the energy conservation law. You can change from one type to another without any loss. The Keeper on the other hand are using a completely different kind of energy. It¡¯s called ?ther and as far as we understand it, this energy is based on waves while ours is based on particles. The Keeper are powering all their technologies with ?ther. That makes it close to impossible for the other races to steal anything or use Keeper tech for themselves. Now that you are here, we finally get a chance to close the gap to the other races in the field of Keeper-research!¡± Keran explained with sparkling eyes and Robin could see, the man was really on fire for all this. But there was something he didn¡¯t get. ¡°Close the gap? What gap? I thought no one could work with ?ther¡­?¡± ¡°Yes and no. We are certain no one else can use their machines or anything. However, while setting up the contracts for the founding of the UAS, all other races insisted on excluding the clause to share gathered knowledge on ?ther. That¡¯s why we are certain that they all have - to a limited degree - means to at least read out some data storage.¡± He said and a frown formed on his face that quickly vanished again. ¡°But now we do have you! Our secret weapon! With you, we will be able to make huge steps in our ?ther-studies.¡± ¡°Huh, great! So let¡¯s hear, what¡¯s the job?¡± Robin asked with a grin to support the man. His mind however was racing as he was thinking back to what Guard had mentioned in his last message and ROMAS just confirmed once more. ¡®That at least explains why the UAS didn¡¯t take more security measures when getting me here to Gaunus¡­ they totally underestimate the value of my mutation!¡¯ Chapter 68 - A New Assignment ¡°Fire!¡± An excited shout rang through the huge bridge that was unusually quiet right now. The many stations were staffed by UAS members and most of these space travel veterans had pale faces right now. They watched with dread as outside a huge energy projectile shot forward, fired by one of their own turrets. An instant later it hit the big asteroid that was about to crash into the front of their ship. In a silent explosion the rock blasted apart into thousands of fragments. Many shot towards them but were easily intercepted, only getting the ship¡¯s shields to glow slightly. ¡°Changing course, plus 6¡ã, new targets A15, A19 and A23.¡± Slowly the nose of the big ship turned to the right, setting the new course towards a region of this asteroid belt where the density of deadly objects was a little lower. ¡°Fire!¡± Three more projectiles flew forward, pulverizing more asteroids. ¡°Increasing speed, plus 160m/s.¡± The excited pilot shouted new changes again. ¡°...holy mother¡­¡± ¡°...may the gods help us¡­¡± Low whispers could be heard from the crew when the big ship gained even more speed and rushed through the asteroid belt. ¡°Weapons on cooldown. 14 seconds to fire¡­¡± The man at the weapons station reported. More gasps could be heard. That was exactly what everyone was afraid of. You cannot blast the whole field clean, these kinds of weapons need some time between shots. ¡°Captain, requesting permission to increase the front shields, plus 33%, lowering the rest, minus 25%¡± The pilot addressed the man in charge of this vessel. ¡°Granted. Have it your way, Alaris. But if I find even one scratch on this ship, this test for your pilot license is the least of your problems!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Someone shouted in dismay but was ignored. Soon Niu gave new updates. ¡°Shields recalibrated. Changing course, minus 4¡ã, raising speed, plus 75m/s. New targets A2, A5.¡± ¡°4 seconds to fire¡­¡± ¡°Hold tight!¡± Niu shouted just before the ship rammed one of the huge asteroids in its way. Even so it was more like a nudge, as the rock was hit with the slanted side of the nose, the shields still flashed bright like Mereus itself for a moment and a jolt was sent through the whole ship. ¡°Weapons ready¡­¡± ¡°Fire!¡± The next two asteroids exploded and finally the end of the belt could be seen with the naked eye. ¡°That was awesome! What is my time?¡± She turned around after they had completely left the asteroid field. The Captain looked around and saw the many pale faces of the board of examiners. He shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Status report!¡± He demanded and the guy at the engineering station looked up after tapping some more buttons. ¡°No damage reported, hull not breached¡­ or scratched. Shields recuperating, energy reserves at 14%. The generator will need 13 minutes to get us back in top shape and we are good to go.¡± Looking at Niu¡¯s expectant face, the captain sighed. ¡°Time?¡± He asked the engineer. ¡°Uhm¡­ 1 hour, 16 minutes, 11 seconds!¡± ¡°Great, Alaris, you did it. You broke the record by more than 15 minutes and made all the examiners shit their pants. Congratulations!¡± ¡°Your methods are¡­ wild, but effective. You passed the practical test with excellence.¡± One of the examiners agreed. Niu¡¯s grin widened for a moment, before she noticed that the captain - her mentor and instructor over the last months - only had a sad smile on his face. *** ¡°... That¡¯s all?¡± Robin looked at Keran in disbelief. ¡°Well, yes. What did you expect the job would be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but definitely not ¡®go to a dead planet and observe a rock!¡¯, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Robin lamented. ¡°This is a¡­ very rudimentary summary, but okay. I know you are looking forward to exploring the universe. A mission like this is perfect to get into that. It¡¯s in another system, but not too far away, the planet may be dead but still is a place of interesting phenomena and while it isn¡¯t some fancy facility or anything, you are researching technologies left behind by the race which is said to have the biggest collection of secrets!¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Keran tried to defend the assignment and his team members all nodded in agreement. ¡°I know and you are right with this being a reasonable job to begin with. It¡¯s just¡­ after hearing we will travel off-system and all, I may have raised my expectations a bit too high.¡± Robin sighed and pushed his disappointment away, ¡°Let¡¯s go over this again and discuss our next steps.¡± Over the next hour, Robin and Keran kept discussing and planning the mission. While Robin might have hoped for something else, this could very well become quite the adventure for them. More than 20 years ago a human team of explorers ventured into the Goya System that is neighboring the Mereus Cluster not too far away. The UAS was there before, but Goya is a dying star, making the conditions in the system very unstable and not fit for settling. From solar flares to electromagnetic storms, the whole system is plagued by the ¡®mood swings¡¯ of Goya. The explorers followed a lead they found in one of the many forsaken relic sites in the outer rims of the Pranum Expanse and moved in on Terulos. The only planet in the system where you could still walk around without fearing instant death due magma spraying out under your feet, icy winds converting you into a popsicle or other natural phenomena like that. Even so, Terulos still was quite hazardous and not a place where you want to spend your next vacation. After days of searching, the explorers found what they were looking for. A huge monolith of unknown origin, more than 30 meters high and definitely technological in its nature. As they couldn''t learn any of its secrets, even after long studies and tests, the location was sold to the UAS. Human researchers were the first to get there and quickly could associate the monolith with the Keeper. However, even after all these years, they didn¡¯t get any further than that. The officials in charge also made sure not to share the find with the other races of the UAS and are still hoping to solve the monolith¡¯s secrets on their own. Now that they found Robin, the scientists that are assigned to this fruitless project - Keran and his team - had high hopes, to finally be able to get something out of the object. ¡°How long until we will be able to set out?¡± Robin finally asked after they had a lengthy discussion about the Goya System and the conditions on Terulos. ¡°The UAS IP Hubble will arrive in one week, when the team is completely assembled at that time, we should be able to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll take up your previous offer, too. Please send me the profiles of the active members of the crew, I wanna know who is covering my back.¡± ¡°Sure, no problem. You also wanted to invite some members, right? How is that going?¡± Keran asked. ¡°I wanted to wait for this mission briefing, before deciding on anything. I¡¯ll talk to them in the coming days. However, as we are not on a tight schedule, I wanna go to Rucasur to fetch them personally. After that, I may even plan a stop at one or two moons on our way to the Goya System, would that be a problem?¡± Robin said and glanced at the screen to see the reactions from the team of researchers and scientists. Like Keran, they didn¡¯t seem to be surprised by this. ¡®Ughh¡­¡¯ Robin sighed in his mind. In all his dealings with the UAS they never explicitly talked about this, but he was sure the UAS had long guessed that he had a map of sorts to find all the alien locations and relic sites. They didn¡¯t force him to reveal his map and even accepted his direct refusal to share his source of information, but Robin was well aware that this silent agreement would only stand as long as shared what he found and would not be too daring when it came to the first looting. Bringing a team of UAS officials with him to such excursions would underline his willingness to work together and hopefully give him a bit more leeway in other fields, if needed. ¡°Of course, visiting a few moons could be good training so the crew can get used to each other before heading to Terulos.¡± Keran agreed and kept his friendly smile. ¡°Great, I¡¯ll head back then. I¡¯ve some calls to make. Please don¡¯t forget to send me the profiles and the report about the conditions in the Goya System and on Terulos. If you are looking for me and don¡¯t find me in my room, come to the lab of Prof. Aurelius. I probably will use the next few days to work with him on some little projects.¡± Robin went back to his room with a head full of ideas and things to do. He had to think about who he would add to his team - and who would even want to come¡­ he needed a talk with Patience. Also planning the route for their trip was on his agenda. He wanted to go to Rucasur and get the Melody and at least stop by at Trov S to check on one of his unknown-markers from his map. Guard had said he should look out for a still working facility of the Eltaran. So matching the races with his markers was the next logical step. He was pretty sure Gaunus III was already fully explored by the UAS, so he shouldn¡¯t find anything undiscovered and make a huge ruckus again so soon. Sure, he could also ask directly for UAS reports of the moon to see which sites they had discovered, but at the end of the day, he still was excited to go there personally and it really could be good training for the crew. Coming to his room, he saw a black haired woman in official UAS attire waiting by the door. ¡°Mr. Tulward, I¡¯m Akemi Watanabe, nice to meet you.¡± She greeted him. ¡°Hi, how are you doing? What can I do for you?¡± He said and shook her hand. ¡°I¡¯m here on behalf of this station¡¯s security. We would like to confiscate the Drel weapon called Disruptor. It¡¯s part of your agreement with the UAS.¡± Robin frowned at her choice of words. ¡°You can ¡®borrow¡¯ it, yes. But I expect to get it back after you are done with your tests.¡± Robin slowly said. ¡°Of course, however, such tests do take time. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be done before your departure next week.¡± She explained and it dawned on Robin what she was doing. The UAS probably wanted to test how far they could push him¡­ well, in addition, if Fengo ended up giving a proper report on the pirate¡¯s raid, they most certainly really were interested in the weapon and if he¡¯ll ever get it back was questionable. He thought about that for a moment and ultimately decided to hand over the Disruptor. It wasn¡¯t the right time to fall out with the UAS right now. Also, ever since he used it, he had found no way of recharging it. The huge amount of energy was so compressed, compact or whatever - he had no idea - that it had felt like nothing more than a normal energy weapon¡¯s magazine to his senses. He didn¡¯t know at all how to recreate that. Robin nodded and opened the door to enter. ¡°Sure, I too am curious what you may get out of it. However, a word of warning - that thing can do some serious damage. Don¡¯t test it out here in this underwater facility.¡± The woman took the drill without giving it a second glance and stepped back out into the corridor. ¡°You have an appointment for a full-body scan on the next 5th at 10:00, please don¡¯t be late.¡± She said and turned to leave. Robin stopped dead, eyes wide. ¡°Mrs. Watanabe, I have a standing agreement with the UAS. I¡¯ll not take part in scans of any kind!¡± He growled, there was no way he would let them scan him. No matter if they wanted to pressure him a bit, this was a line he wouldn¡¯t let them cross. ¡°We are well aware of these agreements and obviously comply, however it is our job to ensure this facility¡¯s safety and therefore we will have to make the needed checkups. Who knows what kind of viruses you were exposed to, far away in the Drel outpost. Of course we will not scan your G-Anomaly or read out your Neuro-Chip, no worries.¡± Watanabe said and left. ¡®Sure, you will scan me but not look at the mutation or the chip¡­ yeah¡­¡¯ He scoffed silently. Robin¡¯s mind raced with different scenarios and ways to prevent this checkup. However, each was less feasible than the next one. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chapter 69 - Down On One’s Luck ¡°Are you serious?¡± Robin exclaimed while sitting on his couch, having an open comm channel with Katlina Hutton. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Formally speaking they have every right to force a checkup on you after coming back from an unsafe relic site. Of course, they have to respect the agreed terms, but the scan itself cannot be denied.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, there are no risks from the Drel outpost. If there was any real danger, the UAS would have done the scan immediately, not a few weeks later!¡± ¡°You are right and I have to agree with you, that this seems to be targeting you. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s by orders of the UAS, it¡¯s more likely the internal factions, that are dissatisfied with how things went, are making a move. Ramones is known to not shy away from¡­ bending the rules.¡± ¡°They will not stick to the agreement, will they?¡± Robin asked after a moment of silence. ¡°...¡± Hutton didn¡¯t answer but he could hear her letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Great. It has not even been a month and your people are already shaking the walls!¡± ¡°I understand your frustration and I promise you to complain to the right people to make this case known to the upper echelon.¡± ¡°That will not prevent the checkup in two days, right?¡± He mumbled. ¡°No, it will not¡­¡± After the call ended, Robin remained sitting on his couch. Thoughts swirled in his head. He cannot allow this scan to happen. While he could live with them finding out more about his mutation, he didn¡¯t want them to! They had an agreement and that had to be upheld. However, all that aside, if they found his Neuro-Chip, it would cost him his head - literally. He quickly needed a plan on how to prevent the scan¡­ and he had to decide on his course of actions with this ¡®faction¡¯ within the UAS. Not coming to an immediate conclusion, he made his way to Prof. Aurelius¡¯s lab. Maybe tinkering with some drones would help him clear his head. Also, he needed the training - while he got used to his grayscale vision in his day-to-day life, it was still a major problem when he wanted to work with electronics. At least something good finally happened when ROMAS notified him of a new message. Robin smiled and was happy for her. It was Niu¡¯s great dream and he really had hoped she would make it¡­ and now she did! While it meant that they would walk on different paths pretty soon, he knew his and her goals didn¡¯t align. From the start, it was never meant to be. After a quick reply, she sent him a location for a meeting in the evening of the next day. With his mood now slightly lifted, he reached the workshop. ¡°Hello Prof.! It¡¯s me, Robin.¡± He waved at the old man who sat behind a clean desk and inspected a circuit board. ¡°I passed the introduction and now have the necessary clearance to sniff around in here. Do you need an assistant for the next few days?¡± The scientist looked up and shrugged. ¡°Do you know what you are doin¡¯ boy?¡± ¡°I do hope so, I¡¯m a technocrafter with Energy Senses.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you know your stuff, but it¡¯s a start, I think. The BWT drone I guess?¡± The man asked and walked to the black combat drone. ¡°Yeah, I thought about what you¡¯ve told me and while I still don¡¯t understand how I made the drone follow me last time, I¡¯m quite good with formulating BWT commands in my head. I wanna see how far I can push this thing.¡± ¡°The project is about to be dropped, so you cannot do any damage and if something new comes up, just the better.¡± Prof. Aurelius said and picked up a tablet near the drone. ¡°All right, you are cleared for a connection. Give it a try!¡± Robin stared at the old geezer for a moment and put on a wry smile. ¡°Thanks¡­ uhm¡­ would you please temporarily deactivate or dismount its weapons? That¡¯s kind of my fist practical test of the ideas I¡¯ve worked on..¡± ¡°I thought you had Energy Senses?¡± The scientist asked him with a sly smile. ¡°Huh?¡± tapping into his mutation, Robin inspected the drone in front of him. ¡°Ah! You took out the energy chambers already. Good to know, thanks!¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The man nodded in approval, obviously pleased with Robin¡¯s fast response, and went back to his desk. ¡®Now¡­ Let¡¯s see what ROMAS can get out of this.¡¯ *** ¡°I already thought I¡¯d never get you out of that laboratory!¡± Keran laughed next to Robin who looked out of the window of their ship and observed the endless, gray ocean. They were on their way to the location Niu had sent him, apparently a bar of some kind. It still belonged to the facility Robin was stationed in, but as it was a huge one, scattered over many different underwater complexes, they had to go there by ship. Keran offered to take him there as he had things of his own to do in the area. Robin had stayed in the lab most of his time, tinkering with the drone and exchanging ideas with the old man. It was quite rewarding for Robin, he did learn a lot from the scientist¡¯s deep knowledge and got used to working with his grayscale vision. He had brought up some good ideas, too and Aurelius was impressed by Robin¡¯s fast learning pace and creative thinking. He couldn¡¯t know that Robin had an AI in his head, stuffed with every paper he could find on BWT, and as such had great support in the fundamental work. But ROMAS was also the key to commanding the drone to a nearly perfect level. Over the coming days, Robin planned on crafting a device that would extend the range of communication between his Interface and the drone. Aurelius told him that the UAS already had those and he could just order one, but Robin insisted on building it on his own. While the old man admired Robin¡¯s drive to challenge himself, Robin had something completely different in mind. He finally had formulated an emergency plan to avoid the checkup in two days. After Keran dropped Robin off, he didn¡¯t need long to find Niu. The silver-haired midget came rushing to the landing pad moments after the ship took off again. ¡°Ahhh¡­ My student has finally arrived!¡± She laughed and gave him a big hug. ¡°Happy, good to see you! Congratulations on your new license! Intergalactic cruisers, damn¡­¡± He chuckled and stepped back. He saw something flash in her eyes, a tinge of sadness? Before he could think deeper, it was gone already and Niu¡¯s smile was as happy as ever. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I reserved an awesome room, you have to see it!¡± ¡°Sure, lead the way, Coach.¡± It really was a sight to behold. Like in his guest room, their private booth gave view to the underwater world of the ocean. However, here the window was encasing nearly the whole room, giving one the feeling of standing in the middle of the ocean. Robin marveled at the impressive sight and once more reminded himself of how much money Niu must have. He was sure, this booth was more expensive to rent then what he earned at Jim¡¯s workshop in months. ¡°Amazing, thanks for taking me here!¡± He said, throwing himself onto the couch across from Happy. ¡°I like the play of colors the most. They cheated a bit by installing special lamps to increase the illumination, but it¡¯s still breathtaking!¡± Niu chattered ahead, not seeing him flinch. ¡°How private are these private booths?¡± He asked and opened the menu on a small screen to his side. There was an endless list of drinks, he didn¡¯t even know where to start. ¡°You can pour out your heart, even many high officials are having their meetings here because no one will be able to listen in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know, but first help me select something to drink!¡± They just chatted for some time after their drinks arrived. Niu talked about her pilot license exam and Robin narrated his great tale of the pirate raid. ¡°Awww¡­ I would have loved to be there, too! That sounds super exciting - like, I mean¡­ Being raided by space pirates is like an accolade for adventurers!¡± Happy whined. ¡°Exactly my words! I can cross that from my list now!¡± He laughed, ¡°But I¡¯m sure in your case it¡¯ll be different - the roles should be switched, right? You are the one to raid the pirates, not the other way around.¡± ¡®There it is again¡­¡¯ He noted after seeing sadness flashing over her face for a blink of an eye. ¡°What is it, Niu? Tell me.¡± He said, putting his drink to the side. She looked at him and shrugged. ¡°You first! The Robin from a few weeks ago should be glued to the window, drooling at the sight out there. What changed?¡± ¡°Hahhh¡­¡± Robin sighed, thought for a moment and began to explain what happened at the Drel outpost, his deal with the UAS and his quest to find Jim¡¯s murderer. The only thing he did not explain was ROMAS and his new Neuro-Chip, he told a bit about Guard and his lost color vision, but clearly left out some parts. Niu noticed but respected it, everyone has to have his own secrets. After he was done, he had to answer dozens of questions about Guard, the Drel, the Keeper, his mutation, the Cetro and so on. Especially his usage of the Disruptor piqued her interest - how many people can claim they made space eat a pirate ship? Ultimately Robin streamed the video ROMAS had taken from the incident to one of the screens in their booth and they watched with awe as the ship slowly broke apart. ¡°This is how you see everything now?¡± Niu asked, after the video stopped. ¡°Yeah, all just fucking shades of gray¡­¡± He sighed once more. ¡°Wow¡­ sucks to be you!¡± Happy mumbled without sugarcoating anything. ¡°Yeah, fuck you, too!¡± He chuckled, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll find a way to restore my color vision. There are so many techs out there, I¡¯m sure someday I¡¯ll stumble over a solution.¡± ¡°You are probably right.¡± She nodded, ¡°Good luck with that, you¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°Thanks. So, now that I¡¯ve poured out all my heart, what is weighing on your mind? Don¡¯t tell me, everything is fine - you don¡¯t look fine at all.¡± Niu slumped back on her couch and closed her eyes, no smile remained on her face. ¡°My family will come to pick me up in a few days. I¡¯m being sent to Beakrath on Rucasur to attend new studies and take over the Alaris branch there.¡± ¡°Huh? I thought you gained enough fame to be left alone? First your racing, then the Hopewing story, now the license and piloting an intergalactic cruiser. You are earning points for your family left and right¡­ Why the sudden change of mind? Didn¡¯t you say something about a deal you''ve made with your family?¡± Robin frowned. That was really fucked up, no wonder Niu couldn¡¯t keep up her good mood. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how fragile such deals are?¡± She asked and Robin realized she began to sniffle, trying to fight the tears that wanted to well up in her eyes. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not going to fly intergalactic cruisers, I failed the psychological test¡­¡± Chapter 70 - Rigged In Advance ¡°There is a psychological test necessary for getting the license? I always thought it¡¯s just a theoretical and a practical exam?¡± Robin was confused, he never heard of a third test before. ¡°It¡¯s not mandatory, only in special cases the UAS is demanding them. Since all UAS members have to do regular checkups to make sure no one is suffering from trauma or developing a mental illness, normally they leave it at that. They sent me to a psychologist and we had a nice chat for an hour. He had asked for my opinion on many topics and we discussed different ways to approach various situations you might encounter as a UAS pilot.¡± Niu explained, ¡°I had the feeling he didn¡¯t really like me, but hey - the man is a psychologist and not there to be my friend. A day later however, I was notified that I failed the test and am deemed unfitting for the job.¡± ¡°That¡­ is a lot to take. I¡¯m sorry Niu¡­¡± Robin said, unsure how to console her, ¡°What was the reasoning?¡± ¡°Mrs. Alaris shows great ambition to chase after her career and fully commits to piloting in delight. She is fully supporting the UAS guidelines and shows great engagement to find solutions that solve conflicts without unnecessary violence.¡± Niu recited with a scornful voice. ¡°Huh?¡± Robin tilted his head in confusion, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad, does it?¡± ¡°I asked my instructor and he gave me a translation. He said it boils down to ¡®Mrs. Alaris is an action junkie with a soft heart¡¯¡± She said. ¡°Oh¡­ wow¡­¡± ¡°My parents were raging, they immediately sent Joseph, my watchdog - or assistant, as they call it - and contact to the family, to make sure I upheld my part of the deal.¡± ¡°Really? You earned so much credit in the public eye for the Alaris¡¯, why are they so stubborn?¡± ¡°Credit is all good and fine, but they like credits more!¡± Niu gave a sad chuckle but then suddenly threw her drink at the wall in a flight of anger. The glass blasted apart, splashing her cocktail all over the window. ¡°Fuck!¡± She cursed, half screaming, ¡°I was so close.. so close!!¡± Niu took a few deep breaths and slumped back on her couch. Robin was way out of his depths in this situation. He hated people-problems and while he got better with such stuff after interacting much more with his friends over the last months, it still wasn¡¯t his forte. He thought about going over and giving her a hug - that cheers people up, right? Robin hesitated a moment, but ultimately remained sitting on his couch. He instead reflected on what Niu had told him and quickly stumbled over something that felt off. ¡°Hey, so this psychological test is basically about checking if you are fit for the job¡­ shouldn¡¯t that be something that is done before you enter the 3-year training program? Also, if it¡¯s not mandatory, who are they testing? Sounds more like something you would use to find the black sheep in your own lines and I can hardly imagine them suspecting you¡­¡± ¡°Keep going¡­¡± Niu motioned him to continue. Robin mulled over this for a moment until his eyes went wide in realization. ¡°Your family? They could easily ask the right people to test you and while the feedback from the psychologist sucks, it¡¯s not too far off¡­ easy to predict such an evaluation. Let me guess, how the UAS proceeds after getting such test results is a matter of interpretation. They could very well just suck it up and put you behind the wheel since you are an amazing pilot. However they could also get you away from the military ships and find you an assignment on a non-combat ship - they invested massively in you, no chance they would just kick you out after training you for three years¡­¡± Niu let out a long sigh. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much what I figured, too.¡± She said, ¡°And it is just as you explained. The UAS didn¡¯t kick me out, but assigned me to a small interplanetary carrier, a continuous non-combat mission to organize transports in the Mereus Cluster. Like a train driver, going a fixed route every week¡­¡± Robin saw her jaws clench and even if he only knew her for so long, he was well aware that she would never be happy with that job. However, did she have a choice? Signing in to the UAS is not something you can just back out of to join your family¡¯s business. When he asked Niu about that, she once again laughed sadly. ¡°You are right, normally. However, the Alaris family has enough money to pay the UAS everything they had invested in me, plus some additional fees. That¡¯s all it takes to step back from the contract.¡± She said and when she saw Robin¡¯s incredulous look, she continued ¡°How I do know? The price is already negotiated and ¡®will be added to what I owe my family¡¯ as my mom had worded it.¡± ¡°Holy shit, so - they knew from the beginning that they would call you back home at some point? That¡¯s a pretty nasty move¡­¡± ¡°Welcome to the Alaris family!¡± Niu gave a fake cheer. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to leave the UAS, right? Your family cannot force you to decline the job on the carrier, can they?¡± ¡°No, they cannot. But we had an agreement and I don¡¯t wanna be the one to break a promise.¡± Niu said with a firm voice. ¡°Pardon, call me a hypocrite, but weren''t they the ones who set you up first? Why would you care about any agreement any longer?¡± Niu sat on her couch and grumbled to herself. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, you have no idea how pissed they would get, if I don¡¯t follow the rules. And that aside, I really don¡¯t wanna die suddenly of boredom on an interplanetary transport, because I¡¯ve already done the tour 200 times before¡­¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Now Robin finally got up from his couch and walked over to Niu with a soft laugh. When he arrived at her side and she looked up at him, he gave the midget a hit on the head. ¡°Ouww¡­ what was that for?¡± she whined. ¡°Really? Niu, when I first met you, your story reminded me of one of these princesses in the novels I sometimes read. Unwilling to follow the family rules, she runs away and enjoys the life of an adventurer for some time, until the clan catches up and takes the princess back home where she waits for the hero to save her.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Ouww!¡± Niu rubbed her head when Robin hit her again. ¡°No ¡®Well¡¯, your family fucked you over and if you are now going to abide to some made up deal because of honor or whatever, you are just stupid. You are no princess and there is no hero on his way to save you. Throw them a finger, join in on the Keeper-mission that is about to start and see where it will take you. If you come to realize you miss your family, great go back then. If you enjoy exploring the universe even if it¡¯s not in a Cap-size ship, then you can just come with us afterwards. And who knows, maybe you¡¯ll even find some entertaining things to do on a random planet who-knows-where and decide to stay there to live a happy life. The Alaris family will be pissed? So what? Let them rage at home, it¡¯s not like they will send a headhunter after you.¡± Robin huffed between his ranting and shook his head. With a soft voice he continued. ¡°I¡¯m really, really sorry that you lost this chance to live your dream, but there are so many things you could do from here on - there is no need to punish yourself by going back!¡± Niu, still sitting on the couch, looked up at him and then leaned her head against his legs. She didn¡¯t say anything and Robin also had nothing to add. What she does from here on was up to her. Sure, he would be happy if she came with him, but he would not ask once more or try to pursue her. She wasn¡¯t a princess and he definitely wasn¡¯t a hero. Everyone had to make their own decisions. Robin stood still and only when he heard her sniffing silently, did he awkwardly begin to pat her head. While he was waiting for her to calm down, one thought sneaked his way back into his mind: ¡®...she is not a princess, right?¡¯ *** The evening didn¡¯t go on much longer after that as Happy was mostly lost in her own thoughts and Robin was getting more and more nervous about the checkup - he still had too much to prepare. After Keran stopped by to take him back, Robin immediately shoved all other thoughts away and continued to study the many different papers he got from Prof. Aurelius. With some help from ROMAS he slowly got more confident in his idea and planned the next steps. That night he didn¡¯t get much sleep but stayed in the laboratory, testing out varying concepts and crafting prototypes. Only when the old man returned the next morning and sent him home, did he get some sleep. Robin rested a few hours and returned to the workshop after lunch. When evening came, he finally finished his first stable prototype. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± He exclaimed and pulled out the range extender he had built the day before already. Prof. Aurelius slowly shuffled over and inspected the little tool. ¡°You think it works? Did you already test it?¡± ¡°Yup, but I have no idea how much range I gain with this. Time for the field test!¡± Robin cheered happily. ¡°No, boy, you did well and I see you¡¯re really driven. But I have some matters to attend to today and this time I¡¯ll close the lab or else you will move in here sooner or later.¡± The wizard-like man shooed him out. Robin pouted but the man remained stubborn. ¡°Fine, but tomorrow after the checkup, I¡¯ll get a chance for my tests!¡± He demanded. ¡°Sure, sure. Now gone with you!¡± Robin returned to his room and lay on his bed, the cable for charging plugged into the wall next to him. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m close enough?¡± He asked when night fell over the facility and soon text appeared in his vision. ¡°Okay, not as good as I had wished for, but let¡¯s hope luck is on our side.¡± Robin mumbled and pulled out two small tools he had crafted. The bigger one was the range extender which he also plugged into the wall. For a second he hesitated as he watched both cables and thought about making stupid jokes about his¡­ well, he flipped a switch and the circuit board began to blink. ¡°Alright, you are free to go. Go ¡®n get it!¡± Robin closed his eyes and concentrated on the video that was now running on his Interface. It was in first person and he could see Aurelius¡¯ lab from the inside. ¡°Go to the door and try to open it. Would really suck, if that doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± He said and watched as the drone began to hover and slowly fly over to the door. Luckily the laboratory was closed to keep people out and not to keep rogue drones inside. A small mechanical arm extended from its underside and tapped on the keypad with a little claw. Without any mishaps the door opened. ROMAS made the drone tap a few more buttons to ensure it could get back in when it returned and flew out, down the corridor towards Robin¡¯s room. ¡°Can you scan the surroundings for people nearby?¡± ¡°Too bad¡± Robin sighed and watched on as the camera glided through the hallways. When it came close to his door, he jumped off the bed and went to open his door. Moments later, the black drone rushed in. He didn¡¯t dally around and handed over the second tool he crafted. The drone grabbed the small circuit board with its claw and immediately turned to leave. Robin sent out an Echo-Pulse and after confirming that no one was nearby, he gave ROMAS the go. Back on his bed he continued to watch the video-feed. ROMAS steered the UAV through many corridors and Robin had long lost any sense of direction. That was one reason why he sent the drone, the other was that if the drone was discovered he could still give this endeavor another try personally. However he really hoped that wouldn¡¯t be necessary as the risk was too high. If someone discovered him sneaking around, shit would really hit the fan. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­ really?¡± Robin cursed, ¡°How much is missing?¡± Robin grumbled and got out of the bed, he disconnected the range extender and hurried down the hallway while hiding it under his shirt. ¡°Pin me a timer!¡± ¡°What? Okay, forget the timer. Just focus on the job!¡± He said and looked for a quiet corner to sit down, after ROMAS notified him that he was close enough. From there on, it felt to him like watching a movie in which some sneaky thief was breaking into a medical station to search for a compatible workstation. Then with his clawed hand, he fumbled for ages with a little tool until he finally inserted it into a port that was turned away from the room. Yeah, the story sucked but Robin was relieved without end when the little scout finally was back out of the office and on his way home without alerting anyone. Robin went back into his bed and waited for ROMAS to return the drone to the lab, before he finally could close his eyes to find some sleep. ¡°This was the stressful part, tomorrow comes the risky one¡­¡± Chapter 71 - Spiced Up Random Dude Deep under the surface of Gaunus¡¯ oceans mankind had built a complex system of laboratories for science and research, workshops, offices, living quarters and establishments for entertainment. The UAS commander in charge of this station, Mr. Ramones, was sitting in his office and observed the many screens on his desk. Different reports about daily activities of the UAS personnel were shown, together with a video-feed of a medical examination room and the personal file of his latest guest, the technocrafter Robin Tulward. Ramones was quite interested in that man. He had no noteworthy background and a pretty basic mutation. His deceased parents as well as his friends also were unremarkable - with the exception of the rogue Alaris-child, which was also on Gaunus right now. However, even before Tulward met the girl at the Apex Highspeed Cup, anomalies began to stack up on his personal records. The officer scrolled through a long list of lucky and unlucky encounters the technocrafter had experienced over the last months and once again stopped at one of the last entries. ¡°What did you find in that Drel outpost? What are you hiding?¡± Ramones massaged his temples while discarding one theory after another. ¡°All just unfounded assumptions... Hopefully the scan will shed some light onto this mess.¡± While he couldn¡¯t act on whatever the checkup would reveal - the UAS was way too lenient with the contract - he at least would know which stone he had to turn. A bit of excitement built up in him. Maybe he would be able to get a lead on some new AI tech or some body-enhancements the UAS was still unaware of. Not only showed Tulward¡¯s profile too many strange coincidences for him to be just ¡®some random dude¡¯, he had already seen the anomalies personally! If the UAS didn¡¯t want to dig deeper in consideration of building a lasting, friendly relationship with the man, he would have to be the one to ask the right questions, the one to demand answers and the one to reveal the truth - one way or another. For the sake of mankind, no collateral damage would be too high. Luckily he didn¡¯t have to wait any longer. On the video-feed screen, he saw the technocrafter enter the medical lab and be welcomed by his assistant, Akemi Watanabe. They exchanged some greetings and even though Ramones could see the unwillingness on Tulward¡¯s face, the man actually played by the rules and laid down on the stretcher. Watanabe put on all the diodes and started the scanner. With anticipation, Ramones watched the machine running through the tests. Blood- and saliva analytics, radiation measures and x-ray scans were conducted in rapid succession. Obviously they were running some more tests in the background - gene analytics and even a basic scan of the Neuro-Chip. Ramones knew, Watanabe knew and even Tulward knew. But the latter couldn¡¯t file a complaint without any proof and proof was hard to find. After only a few minutes everything was done and his assistant removed all the cables and diodes from Tulward, who tried hard to keep his raging fury in check. ¡°A good sign!¡± Ramones concluded, ¡°This will not have been for naught.¡± While the two in the medical center were discussing the official results, which were pretty normal, Ramones finally got a message with the full report attached. Quickly he found the two most important parts. [*** Info ***] * G-Anomaly detected * Match found * Identification: 100% * Class E - Minor Energy Senses [*** Info ***] [*** Info ***] * Neuro-Chip analyzed * 2 Matches found * Basic CBT665, Probability: 71% * Basic CBT664, Probability: 26% [*** Info ***] ¡°What? That¡­ that cannot be!¡± Ramones yelled and ripped the screen from his desk in a fit of anger. With a crash the display shattered on a nearby wall. With a face red of fury, the officer stormed out of his office and hurried towards the medical facility. The results were bullshit. He was sure of that. Class E - Minor Energy Senses was pretty much what Tulward was analyzed with after he got his mutation. The official explanation was that his G-Anomaly didn¡¯t change, but ¡®his brain got better at processing the feedback from his senses¡¯. The ability to sense ?ther was just a happy anomaly in his mutation. And the Neuro-Chip? Ramones had read Robin¡¯s profile more than once and knew he officially got the standard model that most of the UAS citizens had implanted, a CBT665 - just as the scan suggested. When he arrived at the examination room, his guest was just about to leave. The officer tried to calm himself down and put on his best friendly face. He introduced himself and welcomed Tulward as if he really was just some random dude from Rucasur. However, Ramones knew that Robin Tulward was more¡­ so much more. ¡®Neither does an Energy Sense-mutation bestow such extraordinary senses, nor is any known Neuro-Chip so power-hungry¡­¡¯ He thought as he watched the head of the leaving technocrafter that was glowing bright blue in his vision. *** Robin tried to suppress the shaking of his feet until he arrived at his room. After entering, he immediately slumped down on the couch and concentrated on his breathing to calm his racing heart. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Too close¡­ damn!¡± He cursed. Guard had warned him before, but somehow it never really sunk in - if they found out what his real gains from the Drel outpost were, no agreement or contract would prevent the UAS from dissecting him from head to toe. Only now that he was directly confronted with this kind of situation, did he realize how carefree he had been the last few weeks. This time he got lucky. He was able to craft a small version of the drone¡¯s Interface-connector and smuggle it in the medcenter so ROMAS could access the system and change the reading from the scans in real time. But that was probably a one-time solution, who knew what they would try next time? ¡°Ramones¡­ There will be a ¡®next time¡¯, right?¡± Robin muttered while he watched the little messages in his Interface. He had no idea why the commander of this station was so sure that something was off with his story, but even without ROMAS Robin had realized that the man was fuming like a volcano right before it exploded. Also, he agreed with ROMAS on the second part. If the man had any clear indication of his mutation or his Neuro-Chip, Robin wouldn''t be lying here on his couch, but sitting chained up in some lab waiting for further testing. ¡°Time to get off this planet. Gaining some distance from this bloodhound. Hutton had warned me already and I don¡¯t wanna find out how much he is willing to bend the rules to achieve his goals.¡± After resting a bit, Robin got up and went to his workstation. It was time to check out the team that the UAS had arranged so far. The list was actually pretty short, with only six members assigned to the mission. Robin himself would be the ¡®captain in training¡¯ as the file described it, as well as the engineer. Keran would obviously also be aboard and get the role of team leader, which is mostly related to his team of scientists that they will meet later on. But Keran also had the job of mentoring Robin. He did agree with this, as Keran seemed to be a reasonable, affable man and he could see himself really learn something from the experienced explorer. The third member was a guy called Enzo Abivatto. He will be the pilot and his file listed a really impressive career with many intersystem-flights and even two galaxy-jumps. That man knows what he is doing. Members four to six were for security. A pair of brother and sister, Sevastian and Alena Vlasov, led by Harold L. Pierce. While the siblings had already worked together, the assignment to Pierce was new. This mission probably was a good way to get a bit of training for this trio. ¡°Okay, I really wanna have my own research- and science-guy¡­ time to give Timothy a call!¡± That was the only thing he was really sure of. He wanted to have his friend aboard - the geek had stuck his nose long enough into the Drel outpost. ¡°For security, hm¡­¡± Robin mused. He really wanted to have Patience on his team, however he neither saw the siblings splitting up nor Patience taking over the leading position for security. ¡°Yeah, definitely not! So, I¡¯ll open another slot for her - assigning her under Pierce¡­ if she even wants to come that is.¡± Looking at the list some more and studying the profiles again, Robin had an idea. It was only a faint chance, but maybe¡­ Just as he was about to make a few calls to Rucasur, a new message popped up. It was also from Keran and when Robin saw the updated list with the UAS-crew, a bright smile formed on his face. Quickly he deleted the file of Enzo Abivatto and exchanged it with the one of Niu Alaris - an ¡®inexperienced but highly motivated¡¯ pilot. ¡°Now this will become a proper adventure!¡± He cheered and sent a short message to Happy, congratulating her on that decision. *** ¡°Robin? How are you doing?¡± Timothy asked after ROMAS opened a comm channel. ¡°Hey mate! I¡¯m doing fine. I¡¯m on Gaunus right now and maaaan - you need to see that! There is water all over the planet. It¡¯s crazy!¡± Robin exclaimed, happy to hear the voice of his friend. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it on the News before, it really seems to be an impressive sight. But believe me, you have to see this! I¡¯m at the Drel outpost and the stuff here is awesome, dozens of new machines, weapons and tools which purpose we still don''t know.¡± ¡°Well, yeah I have seen it¡­ you remember, I kind of discovered the place?¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, right. Whatever, why are you calling? Gaming is off the table for now, too much to do¡­¡± Timothy said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already loot enough of that place? Time to go on the next adventure!¡± ¡°What? No! I could spend my whole life here and still wouldn¡¯t be able to learn everything there is to learn. I can¡¯t leave now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ dude, there is so much else to explore, don¡¯t linger too long on only one small part of this endless universe.¡± Robin tried to pursue him. ¡°No way man, really. This is a great opportunity for me that might not come again.¡± Timothy actually denied him once more. ¡°We have our own ship, one fitted for research¡­¡± ¡°Sounds great, but still no!¡± ¡°There are pretty girls in the crew¡­¡± ¡°That¡­ you are playing dirty!¡± Timothy wailed, ¡°But no, not going!¡± ¡°Huh.. how unexpected¡± Robin muttered, ¡°Well, that¡¯s kind of embarrassing now - I was sure you would join in¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®embarrassing¡¯? How sure?¡± Timothy questioned with a hesitant voice. *Cough* Robin cleared his throat, ¡°Sure enough to hand in your profile for review just an hour ago.¡± ¡°What? Are you crazy?¡± Timothy exclaimed in panic. ¡°There is good news though¡­!¡± Robin tried to salvage the situation. ¡°You can withdraw my file?¡± ¡°Uhm, no. But the UAS HQ evaluated you as ¡®highly compatible¡¯ with this mission.¡± ¡°How is that good news? Now they will definitely assign me to that expedition!¡± ¡°Yeah, but you have to see it from another perspective¡­ the UAS obviously assesses you as a competent scientist!¡± ¡°I already knew th..¡± Timothy whimpered, all hope lost, but Robin interrupted him. ¡°Whatever, great to have you aboard, mate! I¡¯ll have to make some more calls, see ya in a few weeks at most!¡± Quickly he closed the comm and sat back on his couch, laughing hard at the antics of his friend. They knew each other long enough that Robin was well aware that Timothy would really try to remain at the Drel outpost until he took his last breath. Every now and then the researcher had to be forced to his luck. But of course Robin didn¡¯t shut him out of the Drel-project once and for all - he had requested Timothy as a temporary member and asked the UAS to let him return to Ruca II, if he didn¡¯t want to keep exploring after the mission was done. Putting that aside, he steadied his breath and ordered ROMAS to open the next comm. It took some time before the new channel was opened. ¡°Tulward? To what do I owe the honor of this call?¡± ¡°You saved my life, literally. Of course I¡¯d give you a call to thank you!¡± Robin chuckled but meant every word he said. ¡°Huh.. thanks I guess? So, what do you want?¡± Landom Walzor asked. ¡°I wanna offer you a position as team leader of a small security unit for an upcoming expedition, interested?¡± Chapter 72 - Into The Unknown Robin sat in the canteen together with Keran. They both had big plates full of food. Much of it was fish, but Robin also saw many exotic fruits he didn¡¯t recognize. Two days had passed since the forced checkup and Robin was getting nervous. He really wanted to leave the planet as soon as possible. Luckily Keran had just informed him that their ship will arrive tomorrow. ¡°So the team configuration is done?¡± The man asked him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve checked all the profiles a few times and am mostly happy with the setup.¡± ¡°I heard Alaris joined in, taking the place of our pilot?¡± ¡°Your pilot¡± Robin scoffed, ¡°Isn¡¯t she also ¡®your pilot¡¯? I¡¯m pretty sure she was listed as one of your best freshmen when I last checked.¡± ¡°Oh? Touchy topic?¡± Keran asked with a raised eyebrow after his snarky comment. ¡°Yeah, sorry¡­ whatever. Besides the both of us, Niu will be there as pilot, the Vlasov siblings will also join, but the team leader will be Landom Walzor. He is from Seka Security and while he¡¯s not as experienced as Pierce, I do trust him. The security team also has one pending slot for a friend of mine, we will see if she takes it when we get to Rucasur.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a problem and while I personally don¡¯t think Walzor is a good choice for the role, I see where you are coming from and support that decision nonetheless.¡± Keran nodded. ¡°Thanks, much appreciated. There are two more positions I opened up.¡± Robin explained. ¡°Two? I only saw your request for Reed, but who is the other one for?¡± ¡°Timothy Reed, yeah. He is a capable researcher of alien technologies. I hope he¡¯ll be able to learn a bit from you and your team, but also that he acts as a more independent unit - outside of your official assignment and more free to choose side topics we may encounter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty good thinking. My team only focuses on the Keeper monolith and I¡¯ve more of a mentoring role. Having someone for the broader topics will help you in the long run. What¡¯s with the last slot?¡± Keran once more agreed with Robin''s decision. ¡°The last position, yes!¡± Robin grinned and made a dramatic pause, ¡°It¡¯s my personal security, a bodyguard if you will.¡± ¡°What? Why would you need a bodyguard? That¡¯s a bit overkill, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s not a big thing. I was working with Prof. Aurelius last week and really like the BWT Combat Drone. The project is about to be stopped since its uses are very limited. I do have a good connection with it however. It¡¯s like an unusual talent that you need in order to be able to control it to a degree that makes it useful.¡± Robin said and shrugged. That wasn¡¯t too much to ask, right? The drone would only start collecting dust in the lab - giving it to ROMAS is the obvious choice to make. Keran thought this through a bit, until a frown crept on his face. ¡°And you do have this unusual talent, yes?¡± ¡°Yup, I was also surprised when we stumbled across that.¡± Robin nodded, his face pure innocence. ¡°Ugh..¡± Keran gave a deep sigh, ¡°That¡¯s a load of bullshit, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What? Never!¡± Robin exclaimed with fake exasperation and added a bit more earnest, ¡°I went along with the checkup, even so it was clearly against the agreement. You could show some good will now.¡± The officer from the UAS main HQ ignored the last remark and inspected Robin a bit longer. ¡°How certain are you in keeping control of the drone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve worked a lot with it over the last few days, I¡¯m 100% sure I can make great use of it.¡± Robin said with conviction. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ll make sure its weapons stay here on Gaunus.¡± Keran finally accepted. ¡°What? What kind of bodyguard is unarmed?¡± ¡°You have the Vlasov siblings for that. Use the drone as a scout, pet, toy or whatever, but I¡¯ll not let you take control over a fully armed combat drone!¡± ¡°Fiiine¡­¡± Robin conceded and went over the final team constellation in his mind once again. He was quite happy with it. Keran and his team were more like a second crew that would tag along with them, which left only Sevastian and Alena as new faces for the team. Hopefully they will get along well. *** Already later that day, Robin was able to meet the siblings and he really hit it off with them. They were both in their forties and had blood-red hair. Alena was a tall woman with cold, piercing eyes. She didn¡¯t talk much and observed her surroundings all the time. Robin was unsure if she was on duty at that moment or if it was just her normal behavior. Her brother, Sevastian, was quite the opposite of Alena. His eyes were squinted most of the time from joking around and enthusiastically talking about their awesome journey - he used his hands a lot while telling a story and as he was talking most of the time, he was kind of flailing his arms non stop. Sevastian was a real hulk, with broad shoulders and the biggest hands Robin had ever seen. The siblings had traveled the Mereus Cluster for some time as mercenaries for hire, before they joined the UAS. This will be their first official mission and while Alena voiced some dissatisfaction about Walzor becoming the team leader despite having no real experiences, they didn¡¯t make a fuss about it. This will be a simple mission anyways. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I really need to see you having a contest in arm wrestling with my friend Patience.¡± Robin chuckled, ¡°She also has a Class D - Enhanced Strength mutation and is always looking for someone to compete with!¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great, when will we meet her?¡± Sebastian immediately was excited to find her for a brawl. ¡°She is on Rucasur, I¡¯ll introduce you. I promise!¡± Robin laughed and looked at Alena. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about your G-Anomaly though. Would you give me a rough roundup so I know what I¡¯m dealing with?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Class C - Sharp Senses mutation. A multi-effect G-Anomaly. My senses are better than usual, but only to the level of the Class E mutations. In return it¡¯s not only one sense that got enhanced, but many. In my case vision, smell, hearing and touch.¡± ¡°That sounds awesome!¡± Robin exclaimed at that wondrous G-Anomaly, which seemed to be pretty useful. Alena only scoffed and said nothing but Sevastian jumped in to explain the other side of the coin. ¡°She cannot disable her senses - if she gets hurt, the pain is much more intense¡± He said soberly and then grinned. ¡°If you fart, she hears it from a mile away and has to live with smelling it too!¡± He loudly laughed while flailing his arms like crazy. ¡°Umm.. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Robin awkwardly said, not sure how to answer that. Poor woman though¡­ After talking for some time, Keran motioned to end the meeting. It was time for the final preparations. ¡°I want to leave as soon as possible. Our first stop will be Rucasur where we will fetch the rest of our team, before we visit some moons on our way to Terulos. I¡¯ll give you a complete briefing after take off.¡± Robin explained to the siblings and even Sevastian dropped his antics and listened in. ¡°Actually I wanted to go on a shopping spree, but I¡¯m a bit short on time - would you be ready tomorrow evening?¡± ¡°Sure, why are we in such a hurry and what is missing?¡± Alena asked and Robin thought about it for a moment. He wanted to have an open communication with his crew, but right now was not the time. ¡°I¡¯ll explain the circumstances in the briefing, okay?¡± He vaguely said, but believed to see Alena nod in approval, ¡°As for shopping - well, on my way to Gaunus, we met some pirates and¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool! You have to tell me everything!¡± Sebastian immediately caught on. ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s keep the stories for the long, boring days of traveling¡± Robin laughed, ¡°My point is, Walzor was with us and caught quite the hit. One reason for his survival was his armored suit.¡± ¡°You wanna tell me, you have no equipment?¡± Alea frowned and even her brother raised an eyebrow. ¡°Nope, everything came a bit out of the blue. I¡¯ll get the stuff on Rucasur.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. What if we are attacked on the way?¡± Sebastian mused, his goofy side completely gone. ¡°I also think that a bit more preparation wouldn¡¯t hurt. Could you get them a suit and helmet, if I send you their profiles?¡± Keran asked the siblings. ¡°Sure, we will be at Jacko¡¯s anyways later today. Do I put that on the UAS bill?¡± Sebastian said. ¡°Yeah, we will cover these costs for them¡­ but no weapons!¡± Sevastian just shrugged and looked back at Robin. ¡°Preferences for the color-theme, captain?¡± Robin gave it some thought and grinned, ¡°thank you for your effort! ...does it come in black?¡± *** The following evening Robin walked through the many hallways and stairs towards the ocean¡¯s surface, Keran by his side. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± The UAS officer asked. ¡°A bit, yes.¡± Robin said, ¡°I¡¯m not only starting to travel the universe, which I¡¯ve always dreamed of, but I am also taking on responsibility for a whole crew, not just myself¡­ even though you¡¯re still around having the last word.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good you see it like that, since it¡¯s exactly the idea that you have to think about more than your own actions. I¡¯m not some kind of permanent safety measure. I¡¯ll only step in, if shit really hits the fan or else this endeavor will be all for naught. From a training perspective, that is.¡± ¡°Thanks, Keran.¡± Robin said and after a moment of silence he added, ¡°Gimme a hit on the head before I do something completely stupid, will ya?¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯ve got you covered.¡± Keran chuckled. When they walked through the last door and stepped out onto the platform, Robin saw Happy and the Vlasov siblings already engaged in a discussion that included a lot of flailing arms from Sevastian, giggling from Niu and glaring from Alena. All around them was the raging ocean, which was once again throwing big waves at them. Somehow it still had a soothing effect on Robin¡¯s mind. ¡®This feels just right. I hope we all will become a real team, not just in name.¡¯ He thought when he saw the three joking around. As the ship wasn¡¯t here yet, Robin¡¯s eyes fell on the three big crates that the siblings had brought. ¡°Hey folks!¡± Robin waved when they looked over and saw him and Keran approaching. ¡°Have you already made yourselves known?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Sevastian yelled over the wind, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us we would have such a famous pilot aboard! She broke the long-standing record for the intergalactic test by more than 15 minutes!¡± ¡°Wait until you see her fly.¡± Robin laughed and returned the nod from Alena. ¡°Great to have you aboard, Happy!¡± He said and gave her a friendly slap on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks for¡­ shaking me up.¡± Niu answered with a faint voice. He understood her, it wasn¡¯t an easy decision to go against her family. But he stood by what he had told her. This was her best course of action, without closing too many doors for later developments. ¡°Is that the equipment?¡± He asked the siblings and motioned at the crates after Keran also went though a row of greetings. ¡°Exactly as you¡¯ve ordered them, captain!¡± Sevastian gave him a sloppy salute. ¡°Great, now we only need to wait for¡­¡± Robin began but was interrupted by the swooshing of thrusters that drowned out even the howling winds. The ship that was coming in for a landing was small to medium sized and completely white. Robin didn¡¯t even spot a logo from the UAS. It was about 45 meters in length and formed like a rectangular tube, 20 by 20 meters. At its rear two thrusters were attached and four vertical thrusters were integrated in the bulky landing gear. He could see many windows and even a shutter that probably hid a small hanger at its belly. Robin was a bit relieved when he saw a small turret on the top of the ship and on its bottom respectively. He had already read that the ship was extremely well shielded and had some weapons mounted - even if those were on the smaller side. It would extend the range of actions they could take in certain situations, so they wouldn¡¯t be at the mercy of any random pirate. The UAS IP Hubble - named after some ancient space telescope that mankind used to observe their solar system. It will be his home for the coming weeks and accompany him on his journey that is finally about to start. ¡®Not quite a beauty, but practically for this expedition and my first proper trip. Everything I learn now will be taken into consideration when I decide on what ship I chose from the UAS after we checked the monolith.¡¯ Robin thought and felt excitement well up in him. ¡°I¡¯ll not make a speech here and now - we still have to gather the rest of the crew first.¡± He said and grinned, ¡°So let¡¯s go to Rucasur, then we will finally be ready to get started!¡± Interlude 02 & 03: The Hunt Begins On a moon far outside of the inhabited universe, a Drel facility the size of Seka could be seen. The Drel were using it as one of their hidden locations for advanced research on weapontech. The scientists and technocrafters that worked here stayed for so long, they brought their families and often settled down permanently. The whole outpost was like a big, bustling city with hundreds of thousands of citizens, protected by an enormous globe that shielded them from environmental hazards. At the center of this city, a big tower stood tall and overshadowed all other buildings. In its topmost floor, the commander in charge, Koltan Ben Seguranas, looked on in silence as the huge humanoid robot walked out of the hall. He was lost in thoughts and only refocused his eyes when his assistant and old friend Genaro Tul Bemutu came in, moments after their visitor had vanished. ¡°It is gone, it disappeared as suddenly and secretly as it appeared before¡­¡± Genaro said and Koltan could hear the insecurity in his voice. ¡°Are communications back online?¡± Koltan asked. ¡°No, everything is still blocked. I have no idea how it does that.¡± His friend said, ¡°Do you believe it? That it is what it claims to be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard of the old legends, but never did I think any of those could have even a grain of truth in it.¡± ¡°I always thought those to be just some stories parents tell their children to scare them at night¡­¡± ¡°Any feedback from the scans?¡± Koltan shook his head to concentrate on the matter at hand. ¡°Nothing yet - just where did it go? It can¡¯t have come here without any means of travel, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Koltan mumbled, lost in thoughts again. He tapped on his datapad for a moment and a report from last week opened: ¡°Contact lost: Outpost XDS1154¡± That one wasn¡¯t too far away from here. However, the expedition sent to check on them travels from the central regions of the Drel. It will need a few more weeks to reach there and find out what had happened. ¡°We have a hit!¡± Genaro suddenly exclaimed and sent Koltan a distorted image of a spaceship. He couldn¡¯t tell how big it was, but when he saw the bright white ship that was adorned with golden symbols and dozens of criss-cross running spikes, recognition flashed in his eyes. Koltan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Raise all shields, prepare the Orbital Defense Cannons¡­¡± He muttered, his eyes unfocused. ¡°You think it will try to attack us?¡± Genaro asked with a raised eyebrow. That would be madness - this facility was protected in both defense and offense with the best their race had to offer. They were Drel, they stood at the pinnacle of the universe when talking about warfare. Who would try to mess with them? A notification on his datapad interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Communications are slowly coming back, at least we can send a small message now!¡± Koltan remained silent for a moment and sighed again. ¡°Send word: The First has awakened, The Second has returned - The hunt has begun.¡± ¡°What does that even mean? Do you really¡­¡± ¡°Fire all cannons, don¡¯t hold anything back!¡± Genaro relayed the commands and looked at his friend in worry. He was always cool headed, never feared any conflict. What is pushing him to such drastic actions? Moments later they heard the muffled explosions triggered by the shooting of the Orbital Defense Cannons. Together they watched a radar picture on one of the screens. Twelve little dots rose from the moon and neared a single dot that was further away and represented the enemy''s ship. Koltan threw a quick glance at his friend. ¡°Maybe we get lucky¡­ but in any case: it was an honor to work with you at my side for so long. You are a true friend!¡± Genaro also looked up. ¡°Do you really think this will be a hard fight for us?¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t be hard¡­¡± Koltan muttered and before he could continue, they saw the shots finally arrive at the ship on the video-feed. A shield flashed for a moment when all twelve projectiles hit at the same time and engulfed the vessel in raging flames, before everything calmed down again. The ship was still resting there in the deep void of the endless space, not disturbed by the attack at all. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Only when they saw the white ship fire a small projectile downwards to their moon, Koltan finally finished his sentence. ¡°...it won¡¯t be a fight at all.¡± Moments later, contact with outpost XEH1492 was lost, too. *** Krezolgok walked slowly along the path that wound through the deep forest. The sun was high in the sky and heated up the damp air. He hated this season, the high humidity made his fur stick to his skin like a wet rag. Who thought it would be a good idea to build this camp here in the middle of the rainforest? He kept following the trail and observed his surroundings. Krezolgok saw many birds flying around and some small animals hiding under the bushes but of course he couldn¡¯t spot any traces of predators at all. Here, they were the predators, they were the hunters, they were the top of the food chain. Every sentient being and every beast with at least a sliver of awareness recognized this undeniable fact. Thinking back at his shameful initiation rite two days ago, anger arose in him. With a growl he lashed out at a tree with his claw, leaving deep scratches on its bark. Pain shot through his arm as his wounds were strained once again. When Krezolgok finally arrived back at the camp, a stern looking guard already waited for him. ¡°Bloody Wolf is awaiting you! Hurry up, Bultaz.¡± It bellowed and shoved him forwards. Bultaz, the name for those that failed their rite but still survived. The greatest shame one could get. Losing a fight is one thing, but then at least die an honorable death at the hands of your enemy. However, losing and still being alive to tell the tale? That means you¡¯ve either fled like a coward or you were so weak that your enemy didn¡¯t even see a need to kill you off. Krezolgok however was just unlucky. Correct, he lost the fight against the Notobruk, but it was really close and the beast actually wanted to kill him after his legs gave in and he couldn¡¯t stand upright any longer. Unfortunately, just before it could close its huge maw to finish the job, another Notobruk came to the scene and chased it away. He heard both beasts rumble through the forest for some time, before everything went quiet. Krezolgok had waited and longed for their return, but neither of them came back, giving his body enough time to heal him a bit and stabilize his condition. He survived in shame, reduced to a lowly Bultaz by the whims of fate. He came to a halt in front of the biggest tent of the camp. It was made of leather from beasts way stronger than mere Notobruks, hunted and killed by their alpha, Bloody Wolf, himself. Krezolgok took a deep breath to calm himself down and then announced his arrival with a low, subservient growl. ¡°Come in, Bultaz!¡± Nervously he stepped into the tent and spotted the tall male sitting behind a desk, many different datapads were lying messily around him. Like all Zulbano, Bloody Wolf got his proper name after the initiation rite. Even when he was young, he must have been a hell of a fighter, killing a Botonga with only his claws. Today his fur was getting gray in many areas, signs of his advancing age. His right ear had a piece missing and his long, wolf-like snout was marked with scars - the face of this alpha was telling stories of fights, honor and glory. ¡°You failed. You¡¯ve brought shame not only to you, but to your family and clan, too.¡± He said, his voice low and accusatory with a hint of disappointment, ¡°I had high hopes for you¡­¡± Krezolgok remained silent. What could he even say? That it wasn¡¯t his fault that he survived? That fate played petty tricks on him? He was alive, that was his burden to bear and no one else was to blame. ¡°We will break down the camp tomorrow, we have to return to the clan.¡± Bloody Wolf said and Krezolgok got even more nervous. What does that mean for him? As Bultaz you live a life at the bottom of the community. ¡°What will happen to me?¡± He carefully asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. ¡°Actually, that depends. You could come back with us and take a job fitting for your title,¡± The alpha growled with disdain, ¡°or you could grasp another opportunity to earn a name.¡± The young wolf''s eyes went wide. Another chance? That was rare¡­ The old male gave a sigh and his face softened a bit. ¡°You didn¡¯t do too bad. Weak, but not shamefully weak. I know the circumstances played you a bit. However, that doesn¡¯t change the result. Only you can do that. I can help you to get a second chance, but if you mess that up, not only will your life be at stake, but the clan will have to pay the price, too.¡± He said and rummaged through his datapads. After he found what he was looking for, he handed it to Krezolgok. ¡°We got word that there is something brewing in the Drel¡¯s region. We don¡¯t know what and have no idea of the timeframe. So far, not even rumors have reached us. However, the leaders have absolute faith in the source of this information. They hope that unrest will rise and spread among the galaxies. It was decided to halt all our infiltration-operations for now and wait until we know what is about to come. Maybe we will profit from the situation.¡± Krezolgok¡¯s ears began to twitch. Why did the old wolf tell him all that? That would be above his rank, even if he had defeated the Notobruk¡­ with only using one claw. ¡°The leaders want to ensure that our operations remain hidden for the time being. However, there was an unlucky encounter in some backwater system. The job is easy to understand but hard to fulfill: Find all those that do know of our involvement and make sure they can¡¯t spread the word.¡± After seeing the Bultaz¡¯ disbelieving look, he clarified. ¡°We cannot send a hunting squad, as it would attract too much attention, also the system is so far away from any major hub, that the risk of exposing anything sensitive isn¡¯t high. Therefore this is the perfect opportunity to send someone like you. Succeed and gain a name or fail and die like a warrior - your family will follow your death to free the clan of any shame. It¡¯s a win-win situation, what do you think, Bultaz?¡± Bloody Wolf barked, a predatory grin on his face. Krezolgok immediately nodded and held the datapad tight. This was his only chance he could grasp to not live as a Bultaz for the rest of his life. He saw the faces of his parents and his little brother. They would be proud of him when he returned with the name of a warrior! After he left the tent and walked to his own resting place, he took another look at the datapad. ¡°Pranum Expanse, Mereus Cluster¡­¡± He growled, ¡°TechnoBlood¡­ let the hunt begin!¡± Chapter 73 - Gathering The Crew ¡°You aren¡¯t that bad, captain!¡± Sebastian laughed while Robin found himself sprawled on the floor once more. ¡°Fuck off, damn brute!¡± He whimpered and crawled back to his feet. It was the morning after their departure from Gaunus and the siblings had the great idea to evaluate the combat capabilities of their captain. The sparring went exactly as well as his training sessions with Patience. Robin limped over to the bench at the side of the small fitness room and Keran handed him a towel, a big grin on his face. ¡°Keep that grin to yourself or I''ll let him test you, too!¡± Robin scowled and the man raised his hands in defense. ¡°I do agree with Sevastian, your training is better than one would expect from a technocrafter.¡± ¡°Was it your friend who trained you? Prudence?¡± The red haired man asked after he also walked over. ¡°Patience, yes. While she doesn¡¯t embody prudence and definitely not patience, she is indeed a good trainer.¡± ¡°She will join as a member of the security squad, right?¡± Alena, who was sitting next to Keran, asked with a cold stare. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. I hope she comes with us, but¡­ there was a lot of shit going on in her life recently and maybe she will stay at Rucasur to regain her footing. However, even if she joins, she will not become a proper member of your squad since she has no training for such a job. She would be more like an intern or trainee.¡± Alena only grunted and gave a small nod. Robin understood her rejection of the idea that Patience could join as a full member. They already had Walzor as an inexperienced leader, no need to make things even harder for them. After cleaning himself up a bit, Robin left the training room and slowly walked through the ship. The ship was split into three decks. In the back of the ship was the engine room and a little hangar where he could store the Melody II. The BWT drone was also stored there and waited to be deployed. After that came a big laboratory in the topmost deck that reached all the way to a meeting room at the front of the Hubble. The lower deck was dotted with cabins for the crew and a kitchen/canteen/common room. In the middle deck of the ship were the fitness room, the captain¡¯s quarters, a storeroom and the bridge of course. The decks were connected by two elevators that could be found at both ends of the ship. When Robin arrived at the bridge, he saw Happy sitting in the front left seat for the pilot. The station to the right was empty. He sat down on the captain¡¯s seat that was in the middle, slightly behind the other ones. Niu looked up and laughed when she saw his battered state. ¡°Really? You too?¡± He sighed. ¡°How was the training with Hulky?¡± She asked. ¡°Hulky? You should stop giving everyone random names.¡± Robin said, ¡°Painful but educational, I¡¯m really looking forward to the first bout between him and Patience!¡± ¡°You think she will come?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I really do hope so¡­ That aside, how are you doing? Any opinions on the ship¡¯s capabilities?¡± ¡°Nothing much, no. Pretty basic design, nothing out of the ordinary. We do have a great QVT that allows us to reach Rucasur in only 5 days. That¡¯s really fast - most other ships need between 7 and 10 days, therefore we don¡¯t have a jumpdrive. We are decently shielded - if not to say overshielded. When push comes to shove, more than 70% of the available energy can be assigned to the shields. That should buy us enough time to run away. And we should bet on running and not on fighting. The weapons are crap.¡± ¡°How are we controlling them?¡± ¡°Shields and weapons are operated from that station.¡± Niu pointed at the empty seat on the right. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll assign that post to Keran and Alena.¡± Robin promised and hesitated for a moment. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°No word from my family so far, if that is what you mean.¡± She grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s a good sign, isn¡¯t it? And what about the ship?¡± Robin probed. ¡°It''s great! While it¡¯s a pretty basic model, it¡¯s still a nice ship!¡± ¡°Yeah sure, tell that story to someone else and be honest with me.¡± Robin sighed and shook his head. ¡°The ship really isn¡¯t too bad, just¡­ small?¡± Niu muttered after a short silence, ¡°I¡¯ll get used to it, no worries.¡± ¡°I cannot change it right now. But you¡¯ll get a vote when we select our own ship after the mission, ok? There are some pretty big ships on their list already¡­¡± That got her to perk up. ¡°Send me the list, I¡¯ll start to go through it!¡± ¡°Sure, when we do this job right, they will even extend the list!¡± Robin said and was happy to see her cheer up a bit. ¡°Anything else? I really could use a shower¡± ¡°Ah yes, one more thing.¡± Niu said, ¡°We are a bit understaffed. With only one pilot, the ship is always on autonomous mode when I¡¯m asleep or not available. While that is manageable, it¡¯s not optimal. You wanna extend your license anyways, right? Why don¡¯t you join me on the bridge every now and then and I¡¯ll explain how everything works. That would help you to prepare for the interplanetary license and could come in handy, when you''re needed here.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, I would really like that!¡± Robin immediately agreed, not only would he be more useful on this ship, he would also have good reasons to accompany Happy on the bridge so she wouldn¡¯t be on her own all the time. ¡°But now, I really need that shower!¡± ¡°See ya later, captain!¡± Niu waved him goodbyes. *** ¡°... more and more settlements get attacked and there is unrest rising in many of the galaxies at the outer rim of the Civilized Territories! The UAS has yet to publish a statement.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible, Jason. Please tell me we do have at least some good news for our audience, too.¡± ¡°Well, not directly good news, but some spicy rumors! The Drel are getting more active after millennia of laying low. Lately they were seen more often in the neighboring galaxies of their homeworld. There are rumors that they lost a few of their weapon-research facilities in some kind of accident - it is suspected that they blew themselves up while testing a new bomb of sorts!¡± ¡°The Drel? We haven¡¯t heard of them in ages. The accidents sound terrible, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, shit must have really hit the fan. The rumors claim that they not only lost the facilities, but even the whole moons they were built upon!¡± ¡°Wow! A good reminder of the deadliness of their weapons¡­¡± Robin turned off the screen and shook his head. More disturbing news came every week. He got the feeling that something was brewing out there in the endlessness of the universe. Like a monster that began to stir in its sleep, just before it woke up. Five days had passed since their departure and they should be nearing their destination any minute now. Half an hour later, Robin was sitting in his captain¡¯s seat while Niu occupied the pilot''s place and Keran manned the final station. Through the window they could see Rucasur growing bigger at a rapid pace. They already dropped out of superluminal travel and planned to land in Seka. ¡®It only has been a bit more than three weeks, but it¡¯s already strange to come home like this¡­ as the captain of an interplanetary exploration vessel!¡¯ Robin¡¯s head began to spin a bit when the situation sank in for real, but quickly got his bearings again. ¡°Keran, contact Flight Control and get us a landing pad.¡± He ordered. After only 40 minutes, Niu brought the Hubble down as soft as a feather. All around them were other ships parked and Robin realized that this was his first visit to Seka Spaceport. Since only interplanetary ships came here for trading, restocking or whatever reason they had, he never visited this place before. ¡°Great landing, thanks Niu!¡± He said and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. Keran, can you please arrange the refueling? We are only down by 10% but there is no reason not to max out again before we leave.¡± ¡°Sure, will be done. How long will we stay?¡± ¡°Only until evening, that is¡­ 8 hours? Walzor will meet us here then.¡± Robin checked the time and turned to Niu, ¡°You have any plans?¡± ¡°Yep, I¡¯ll bring Alena to some great places for shopping!¡± She giggled. ¡°That¡­ okay, why not.¡± Robin shrugged, even so he could hardly imagine the cold Alena going on a shopping spree, who was he to judge? Great to see Niu was already warming up with the rest of the team. When Robin and Niu arrived at the elevator that¡¯d take them outside, the siblings were already waiting. ¡°Hey captain!¡± Sevastian greeted him. ¡°After beating me up every day, you really should stick to Robin and leave the ¡®captain¡¯ be - feels like you¡¯re mocking me.¡± Robin laughed while the platform dropped down through a pressure lock. ¡°All right, Robin. You¡¯re going to get your friend?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll meet up with her at my boss¡¯s workshop and also bring back the Melody II. Please be back at the ship in 8 hours. I don¡¯t wanna stay here longer than necessary.¡± They quickly split up and Robin found himself sitting in one of Seka¡¯s trains only minutes later. A bit of melancholy washed over him when he saw the familiar buildings of Quantum Forge District passing by. After he got off the train, Robin slowly made his way towards the workshop. *** Standing in front of the vexed door, it was actually unlocked but refused to move on its own. Robin chuckled and pushed it open. The hall was only dimly lit and almost empty, only the Melody II was still there, reminding one of the intended purpose of these rooms. The floor was as clean as the rest of the workshop, Robin however stopped at one particular spot and looked down. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists - anger tried to rise in him, but he fought it down. This wasn''t the right place or time for that. He let go of a deep breath and walked into the office with steady steps. The woman with the long blue hair sat on the old couch already, three drinks were waiting on the table. Robin looked at Patience for a moment and then sat down next to her. He gave her one of the cups, took one for himself and placed the last one on the chair Jim always sat on. ¡°To Jim!¡± Patience said and raised her cup. ¡°To Jim!¡± They took a few sips and then Robin emptied Jim¡¯s cup over the chair, soaking it in alcohol. ¡°How are you doing, Patience?¡± ¡°Better, I think¡­ and you?¡± ¡°Yeah, better, too. I was able to distract myself with the preparations for the expedition¡­ even met some Cetro on my way, but nothing substantial for now.¡± ¡°You are still on it?¡± She asked after a moment of silence. ¡°I¡¯m not one to break a promise easily. I¡¯ll use every method I have at hand - I even made it part of my deal for this job that the UAS supports in the search for TechnoBlood.¡± ¡°...thanks¡­¡± Patience muttered. ¡°I¡¯m not doing that for you, I¡¯m doing it for Jim¡­ and for me.¡± They continued to drink for some time, before Robin put his cup down and looked at his friend. ¡°How is the training with the new studio? Made any progress?¡± ¡°¡®Tch, are you looking for another training session?¡± Patience scoffed. ¡°Nah, got beaten up every day on my way here. It must have something to do with your G-Anomaly that you are so violently inclined.¡± ¡°Sounds like you found yourself some worthy substitute coach!¡± She chuckled. ¡°Maybe, but I still prefer to train with you.¡± Robin said and leaned back, ¡°Time is running out, Patience. Have you made up your mind?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± She said and hesitated, ¡°I¡¯ll join in on this expedition and make sure you aren¡¯t messing this up. Also, I wanna spend some time with Happy¡­ It has been too long!¡± Robin began to grin, he really hoped she would come, but wasn¡¯t sure until this moment. ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯m happy to have you aboard!¡± He exclaimed cheerfully but Patience raised a hand to calm him down. ¡°I¡¯ll join in on this expedition and only on this one. I accepted a job as coach for juniors of RustHollow Quarters. It begins in three months and Niu said we should be back by then, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, right, but¡­¡± Robin began but was interrupted. ¡°This way of life isn¡¯t for me, Rob. It¡¯s great as a fun adventure and all, but I don¡¯t want my whole life to be like that. I had enough time to think about this and I see my future here in my familiar surroundings¡­ my home.¡± Robin kept quiet and tried to understand her perspective. She was probably right, not everyone was hyped to weather the dangers of the universe every day. He could respect that. ¡°Then let¡¯s make this last adventure count, should we?¡± He said with an impish grin on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s make it count!¡± Patience agreed and raised her cup again. Chapter 74 - Setting Course: Trov S When the Melody II landed next to the Hubble, it was getting dark already. Robin and Patience had made a quick stop at the museum on their way back and gave Hutton a short visit. Now that they arrived, it was only half an hour before the appointed time of departure. While Robin and Patience got off the ship, the Hubble lowered its elevator and Niu shot out. ¡°Patience! Heyyyyyy¡± She yelled half across the spaceport. ¡°Happy, little girl. How are you doing?¡± Patience grinned and gave the bundle of energy a hearty hug. Robin felt a satisfying feeling wash over him. This is how things should be! He grabbed Patience¡¯s luggage as well as a package from Hutton and brought everything to the platform. Just as he was about to ask his pilot to open the shutter for the Melody, a PTV flew over and landed next to him. ¡°Captain!¡± The stern looking man that stepped out of the vehicle gave him a salute. ¡°Mr. Walzor, good to see you. It¡¯s great that we could win you for this expedition! Please call me Robin.¡± ¡°Okay, Robin¡± The man shook his hands, ¡°Landom it is!¡± ¡°How are your injuries? Any lingering problems?¡± ¡°Nope, nothing. The doc said you patched me up pretty well. But let¡¯s leave that talk for later. I brought¡­ a guest?¡± ¡°Huh? I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone else¡­¡± Robin looked confused at the PTV, just in time to see another man climbing out. He had short blonde hair which was pretty disheveled right now, had black rings under his eyes and wore a white coat of a scientist. Also - his hands were cuffed. ¡°Timothy? Man, great to see you here¡­ well, you look like shit and as if Landom tried to apprehend some random person again, but it¡¯s nice we meet in person at last!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t run around and arrest random people!¡± Landom exclaimed in defense. ¡°Hey Rob! Can you please get these things off?¡± Timothy said and raised his cuffed hands. Robin threw Landom a questioning gaze and received a shrug in response. ¡°The UAS took him to Rucasur with the last transport so we don¡¯t have to make an extra stop on Ruca II. However, he tried to flee and hid on another transport that was about to go back to the Drel outpost. Since he has an official assignment, I had to take tougher measures¡­¡± ¡°Really? What are you? Some badass secret agent?¡± Robin chuckled and gave Landom a nod. After Timothy was free again, he rubbed his sore wrists. ¡°At least I can now claim that I was arrested once! Damn, Rob! Take me back to my outpost!¡± ¡°Timothy, do you really think I would just mess with you? Keep calm, we will do this one job together and if you don¡¯t like it, you can go back to Ruca II. Believe me, this will be good for you.¡± Robin explained, while Landom and the women were already on their way to the Hubble. ¡°Happy, please open the shutter for the Melody II, will ya?¡± He shouted over his shoulder before concentrating back on his friend. ¡°Aye Aye Captain!¡± ¡°You can do that? Secure me another slot in the Drel-research-team?¡± Timothy asked with a skeptical face. ¡°Mate, that was part of the deal. While you need a bit of a push sometimes, it¡¯s not my decision what you do with your life. Give this expedition a chance and if it sucks, I promise, I¡¯ll deliver you to Guard¡¯s old door personally!¡± ¡°Guard? That¡¯s what the AI was called, right? I have so many questions! How do¡­¡± Robin laughed and raised his hand to stop his friend. ¡°Let¡¯s do that later, okay? We have many long and boring days of traveling ahead of us. Follow the others and get into the Hubble. I¡¯ll store the Melody and then we can finally take off.¡± *** ¡°Alena, your brother is aboard? It would be quite embarrassing if we forgot one of us the first time we took off¡­¡± The red haired woman gave him a look and Robin wasn¡¯t sure if it was just another kind of glare or if she tried to suppress a giggle. ¡°He is in the fitness room, preparing.¡± She said. ¡°Preparing? For what?¡± ¡°For the meeting with your friend, the other brute.¡± ¡°Ah, right. I¡­ yeah, whatever.¡± ¡°Niu please get us out of here and set course to Trov S!¡± ¡°Aye Aye Captain!¡± She cheered from the pilot seat. ¡°Really?¡± Robin asked after hearing that again. ¡°At least for a few more days!¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Alena took the remaining seat and moments later, the Hubble left Rucasur¡¯s atmosphere. With this, Robin¡¯s adventure really began. He had his crew, a mission, some side quests and a proper ship to call home for the time being. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the moment a bit, before he opened the ship¡¯s internal comm. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Hey folks - we are finally complete and on our way! Since we collected our last crew member on Rucasur already, we¡¯ll skip the visit to Ruca II and head directly for Trov S, one of Gaunus¡¯ moons. Get yourself comfortable and make your cabin a home. We will live on the Hubble for a few weeks at least. In one hour, at 1900, we will meet up in the conference room on the upper deck for an introduction round and the mission briefing. Destination: Trov S, ETA: t -5 days. Robin out.¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed Robin took another deep breath and grinned¡­ finally! ¡°No ¡®This is the captain speaking¡¯? I¡¯m a bit disappointed¡­¡± ¡°Next time, Niu. Next time.¡± One hour later, the whole crew was sitting at the huge conference table in the meeting room. ¡°Let¡¯s make one round of introductions and after that, I¡¯ll dive into the mission briefing, alright?¡± Robin, who sat at the table¡¯s head, said and looked at Keran, who was to his right, to begin. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m Keran Bex and will be in charge of the team of researchers we will meet later. I also will be taking up the role as field-medic, as my mutation is a Class B - Rapid Regeneration.¡± Some amazed Uh¡¯s and Oh¡¯s could be heard. It¡¯s not every day that you could meet someone with a Class B G-Anomaly. Robin had read this in Keran¡¯s profile before and wondered as he only knew of self-healing abilities and had never heard of one that could be used to heal others. But when he asked the man about this, he only said ¡®Pray that you never have to find out how that works!¡¯ - which was kind of creepy so Robin dropped the topic and tried not to think about it. After Keran, the others also introduced themselves one by one, before it was time for Robin to explain the key parts of their journey. He gave a rough roundup on the mission itself and let Keran explain the details as well as the hazardous conditions they will find in the Goya System and on Terulos. ¡°So, to summarize the mission: Go to the Goya System and find Terulos, there we will look for a big Keeper artifact and try to get something out of it with my mutation. After that - mission done and everyone can go home!¡± ¡°You forgot the ¡®not dying to freakin¡¯ solar flares and electromagnetic storms¡¯ in the dead system!¡± Niu added, which was immediately followed by Sevastian. ¡°And the ¡®avoid death due magma spraying out under your feet and icy winds converting you into a popsicle¡¯-thing!¡± ¡°Yeah, right, let¡¯s avoid that¡­ anything else?¡± Robin asked with a sigh, but everyone just shook their heads. ¡°Great, so we won¡¯t go directly to the Goya System. Our first stop will be at Trov S, there we will check out a location I¡¯ve heard of. We¡¯ll use that short trip as a test to get used to another out in the field.¡± He explained and continued after no one raised questions. ¡°After that, we will head over to Seavis. While it is also one of the five planets in the Mereus Cluster, most people don¡¯t know much about it. We will look for another special location there, but that should be a bit more exciting, as we will head to one of the uncharted areas of the planet. Natural phenomena disturb any scans and long-range analytics of that region, so who knows what we¡¯ll find. From Seavis we move to an asteroid that drifts along the borders of the Mereus Cluster and fetch Keran¡¯s team before we take on the long flight to the Goya System. Happy, how long?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ roughly 20 days, give or take.¡± Niu quickly answered. ¡°We will restock on Seavis when we are done with the side-mission and you will have some free time, after that we will be bound to the Hubble for some time. Prepare accordingly. Any questions?¡± *** ¡°How do you like your new laboratory?¡± Robin asked after he entered Timothy¡¯s new playground. ¡°It¡¯s okay, not too bad. All the relevant analyzers and scanners are there and the ship provides enough energy and processing power to get some serious research done¡­¡± ¡°But¡­?¡± Robin asked after he noticed Timothy¡¯s hesitation. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what I should do! We are on our way to a fully explored moon and I don¡¯t think there will be anything to research for a long time¡­ why am I here? I could be at the Drel outpost and help with really important things.¡± His friend complained with a sad face. ¡°Well, first of all you could try to socialize with the rest of the crew. Why are you so insistent on isolating yourself?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know them!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why you should talk to them. Damn, Timothy, science and research is a job, maybe also a hobby, but don¡¯t let it dictate your life. I¡¯m not that great with people either, but even I understand that staying alone day in and day out sucks.¡± Robin sighed when he saw Timothy still not convinced. ¡°Fine, just promise me to give them a chance, will ya? In turn, I may have something for you to study¡­¡± That finally got the man excited. ¡°What are we talking about?¡± ¡°Two things to be precise. The first is this little package that I brought you as a gift.¡± Robin said and put the box he got from Hutton on a table. His friend immediately began to open it. ¡°It¡¯s Keeper-tech. You can use it to learn about their technology and prepare for the monolith. You can also talk to Keran, he and his team have researched this technology for a long time already.¡± Timothy took a small black pyramid out of the package and inspected it with gleaming eyes. ¡°Marvelous, do you know what it is?¡± ¡°Yeah, a bit. That¡¯s what the second thing is about. Please keep that between us for now, okay?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want the UAS to know about this?¡± ¡°Not now, no. They already have some idea of what is going on, but don¡¯t know the whole story. Let me tell you how I came to know about this little pyramid¡­¡± Robin explained in detail what exactly did happen, when he did the job at the museum all these months before. How he heard voices in his head, how he found the map and what he learned about it so far. After he finished his story, he grabbed a pen and began to write down a copy of his legend. ¦¤ - Mountain ? - Wuranger Site ? - Vanguard Facility ? - unknown ? - Drel Outpost ? - unknown ? - unknown ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that one of the last markers should be for the Eltaran and one is probably for Keeper Info-Stations, the last is unknown.¡± ¡°That is amazing! You know the locations of these alien sites? You need to uncover them all!¡± Timothy exclaimed in excitement. ¡°No, that is too much of a hassle. Most of the sites were already discovered by the UAS anyways. My idea is to complete the legend and look for any interesting locations that may still be unknown to the UAS. After that I¡¯ll sell them the map. They already suspect that I have something like that in my hands, so it¡¯s better to sell it before they decide to just take it.¡± Robin explained his plan. He had thought about it a lot over the last weeks and the move from Ramones really shook him awake. It¡¯s impossible to hide the map much longer and it¡¯s his best course of action to get rid of it and profit before it burns his hands. Timothy thought about that and nodded. ¡°You may be right, let me check a few things and I¡¯ll see how I can help you with that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine mate, I would like your help in identifying the marker for Keeper, you once mentioned an Info-Station on Ruca II. The last two markers shall be uncovered as team exercise. When that is done, you could help me look for potentially undiscovered relic sites.¡± ¡°Yeah we can do it like that. Let me draw you a map from Ruca II, you should be able to match it quickly!¡± ¡°Thanks mate!¡± Now, it was time to see how the rest of the crew was getting along! Chapter 75 - A Quick Mission After Robin had dealt with Timothy¡¯s worries, he walked to the fitness room. On the flight to Rucasur he already learned that this was the most important location and the room with the most action. Throwing Patience into the mix only made it worse. And he was right, even from the outside he heard shouts and cheers - obviously Happy was there, too. When the door slid open, he saw Patience and Sevastian in the ring. They were in the middle of a fight and it seemed like Patience had the upper hand. Sevastian was just throwing a fist at her face which she nimbly evaded with a sidestep. In one fluid motion she ducked down to dodge his second punch and started a counter. Sevastian also tried to evade, however her attack was only a feint and at the last moment, Patience shifted her feed, rotated her body and managed to land a nasty hit to his side. Sevastian stumbled back and Patience kept coming, not giving him any moment to find a new pacing. Her fast, nearly playful blows drove the man backwards step by step while he tried to evade each and every blow. Robin looked on in confusion. He fought with him and knew he was much better than¡­ that. Evading cost him too much time and movement, why wasn¡¯t he blocking? Sure, Patience had Enhanced Strength and that would hurt like hell, but it still should be his best option to break this flurry of attacks. When the metallic wall of the room stopped Sevastian¡¯s retreat, Robin could see a grin flicker over Patience¡¯s face while Hulky¡¯s eyes went wide in panic. He ducked to the side just in time when Patience came at him with a strong right hook. A loud bang echoed through the room and Sevastian, who had narrowly dodged the blow, sank to the ground with relief. Patience yelped in pain and held her hand but still had a big, crazy smile on her face. Robin finally understood why Sevastian was focusing on evading so much when he saw the deep imprint of a fist in the metal wall where the man¡¯s head had been moments before. ¡°Wohooooo! Another round, another win! New score: Patience 7, Sevastian 0!¡± Happy, who stood up on the bench next to Landom, shouted like a cheerleader. ¡°Patience, you are so awesome! Hulky sees no sunshine anymore!¡± Patience gave Niu a thumbs up before she helped her opponent up and shook his hand. ¡°You got your upgrade?¡± Robin asked after he had stepped closer to the wall and inspected the dent. ¡°Yup, Moel paid for it after I achieved some success in my training. I have to pay him back, but without interest and at my own pace!¡± ¡°Good deal and that explosive force is pretty impressive. Make sure to not break your own hand.¡± Robin said, ¡°Class C - Major Strength Enhancement, congratulations! You really deserve it.¡± ¡°How are you doing? Head still in one piece?¡± He asked Sevastian who was dragging his feet towards the bench. ¡°Yeah, everything is fine. She¡¯s just a beast!¡± He said and grinned, ¡°I think few can hold their ground against her in the ring.¡± ¡°Pah,¡± Happy dismissively grunted, ¡°You are just out of shape, Hulky. Don¡¯t look for excuses in her mutation!¡± ¡°What do you know, Midget? You wouldn¡¯t be able to survive 10 seconds in the ring¡­¡± He angrily complained and Robin had to admit that Happy¡¯s comments are a bit harsh coming from the sidelines. ¡°You wanna bet? Come on, let¡¯s give it a test! You and me - if I kick your ass, it¡¯s ¡®Yes Master!¡¯ for a week for you!¡± Niu actually didn¡¯t step down and even challenged him. Sevastian threw a questioning look at Robin and Landom who both just shrugged. Either she knows what she¡¯s doing or this will be a tough lesson for her - the man definitely knows how to fight as Robin came to learn in their training sessions. Niu hopped down from the bench and took Patience¡¯s position. They circled around each other for a moment and it was obvious that the man didn¡¯t take her lightly. Niu¡¯s stance also revealed that she at least had some training before. In the end it was the small woman who made the first attack and Sevastian had to block a few punches. When she let her flank wide open, he sidestepped her next fist and aimed for the ribs. Niu however nimbly evaded his blow and redoubled her efforts. This fight quickly got into a stalemate, Niu had neither the power nor the skill to pressure her opponent in any way but therefore her Highspeed Reflexes made it nearly impossible for him to hit her. Just as Robin thought this would end badly for her, as her endurance was definitely lower, Happy suddenly threw herself forward, dodged the huge man¡¯s fist and rolled between his legs. Still on the ground Niu rolled on her back and kicked Sevastian directly in his arse. For a moment everyone was quiet, only when Happy began to giggle did it finally sunk in. ¡°See, I told ya, I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡± A faint ¡®Ouw¡­¡¯ could be heard from Landom and Patience fought hard to hold back a laugh. Robin also saw Sevastian¡¯s disbelieving face. That poor dude really had a bad day. ¡°You damn vixen! Was that really necessary?¡± Robin asked the troublemaker. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. She won fair and square. It¡¯s my fault I didn¡¯t take her condition to win so literally.¡± Sevastian waved it away and then sighed, ¡°I¡¯m on a ship with three beauties and each of them can kick my ass with ease. What fucked-up job did I agree to?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. When Robin saw Landom fishing out a beer from who knows where and handing it to Sevastian, he gave the man a mental thumbs up. Seems like he was already working on earning the siblings recognition. ¡°What¡¯s with you captain, you wanna step in the ring with me? It would be quite refreshing for me to win a fight for once today¡­¡± ¡°Nah, sorry mate, I already had enough training sessions over the last few days. Besides, my fighting style does not come into play in such an environment.¡± Robin quickly declined. It wasn¡¯t his job to cheer the man up by playing punching bag for him. ¡°Oh, you have a fighting style now? Where does this come from?¡± Patience mocked from the side. ¡°He is right, Patience! Actually, you have to see that¡­ wait a moment!¡± Happy chimed in and when she closed her eyes, Robin got a really bad feeling. Moments later, one of the screens to the side turned on and showed a video from a surveillance camera in a hangar. ¡®Oh shit, where did she get that?¡¯ Robin began to sweat after recognizing this scene to be his fight with Hopewing. ¡°Ah, Happy. Let this be, it¡¯s old stuff, no one wants to see that.¡± He tried a lame excuse. ¡°No, I definitely want to see that!¡± was the instant answer from Patience, Sevastian and even Landom. ¡°Traitors!¡± Robin cursed and resigned himself to his fate. At the beginning his friends were actually pretty impressed by the fight and how he always managed to follow Hopewing¡¯s movements, even without a line of sight between all the ships and crates. When the moment came where he climbed on the container and jumped down on his enemy, the reactions were split. Happy and Sevastian just laughed like crazy, Landom threw him a glance that meant a mix of ¡®impressive¡¯ and ¡®moron¡¯ and Patience just stood up and took Robin¡¯s hand. She dragged him in the ring and stared at him for a moment. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°You little shit, who taught you such bullshit?¡± She scowled, ¡°We train! Now and every coming day!¡± *** ¡°Come on, it was really funny, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Niu tried for the umpteenth time already. ¡°You really like to see the world burn, don¡¯t ya?¡± Robin muttered, still sulky. Of course he was still pissed, Patience had beat him up regularly for the last four days. ¡°I think your fight was impressive. You managed to use your mutation to your advantage and balance out the fact that your enemy had a weapon as well as your massive lack in skill.¡± Alena said. ¡°Thanks, I guess?¡± Robin said, not even wondering why even she knew about the video. ¡°ETA?¡± He asked to change the topic. ¡°Less than 30 minutes.¡± Niu answered and Robin opened the ship¡¯s internal comm. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°Time to get to work everyone! We will arrive at Trov S in 30 minutes and while we will probably only find some abandoned ruins, I want it to be a proper field test. I expect everyone to wear his gear and I¡¯ll even bring ROMAS. Landom and his squad are in charge of clearing the area and securing the surroundings. The setting is: We¡¯re about to enter unknown territory with a high chance of enemy contact.¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed Over the next few minutes, Robin changed into his new gear and returned to the bridge. Alena also was back in her seat and observed their approach on Trov S. She was already wearing the helmet to hook in on the comm channel from the security squad. Only Keran and Timothy will not take part in this exercise. Timothy because he will only come out to a relic site or whatever once the area is finally cleared and Keran because he wants to be an observer to give feedback afterwards. Robin gave Niu some instructions on the exact location he was looking for and soon their scan got a hit. While Happy brought the Hubble down, Robin left the bridge after Landom called him over. Alena actually took control over the lower turret to give them fire support from the ship if needed. Near the elevator that was the exit, the rest of the crew was assembled. Everyone was donned in black, heavily armored suits and wore a also black helmet with a darkly tinted visor. The only way to differentiate between different people - other than body type, of course - were individual white symbols printed on the helmet and the suit¡¯s back. The combat drone, which was now actually a scout drone because of its missing weapons, hovered next to Robin. He had introduced it as ROMAS to the crew, which allowed him to openly communicate with his AI without anyone wondering who he was talking to. With Robin¡¯s approval, Landom took command and organized their operation. He went first, together with Sevastian and Patience, and after the location was secured the others followed. Landom guided them through some craters of the moon, made Alena shoot some rocks at one point and ROMAS even had to scout a nearby cave, before they arrived at the relic site. It was another building, not unlike the one from the Vanguard, and Robin and Patience both got some bad flashbacks to their meeting with the smugglers. Here however, no criminals awaited them - there wasn¡¯t even a door that needed to be cracked open. Landom really went all out and extended this drill to the limit, before they finally called Timothy to take a look. The researcher only observed the dilapidated building a bit, threw a glance in each of the empty rooms and gave a short report. ¡°That¡¯s an old Bih¡¯ar ruin. They were a lowly developed race that was living under the Starborn. After the Endless Empire fell, the Bih¡¯ar couldn¡¯t keep up with the rapid changes and faded more and more into the background until they went extinct a few hundred years later.¡± He explained, ¡°This facility¡¯s purpose is unknown, as it is already looted and nothing of value remains.¡± Robin wasn¡¯t disappointed, he got one more entry for his legend and his team had a chance for a proper field test. All in all he was really satisfied with how this went. Hopefully Landom could earn some trust with his squad and Keran will have some helpful feedback. While the security squad organized their retreat, Robin took a look at his updated legend.
[*** Map Legend ***]
¦¤ Mountain
? Wuranger Site
? Vanguard Facility
? unknown (Eltaran?)
? Drel Outpost
? Keeper Info-Station
? Bih¡¯ar Ruins
Chapter 76 - Dreamer’s Hope The Hubble shot towards their next destination, the nebulous planet Seavis, with superluminal speed. Meanwhile its crew used the time to get more used to each other. Patience and Sevastian hit off quite well and spent most of their time in the fitness room. Happy was either accompanying them or chilled on the bridge together with Alena. Even though the two women were different as day and night, they somehow became friends pretty quick. Timothy, Keran and Landom mostly stayed on their own. However, every now and then they met for a drink or to exchange pointers about different topics. Keran helped Landom massively with his feedback after the mission on Trov S and the Seka Security officer actually managed to gain some trust and recognition of the Vlasov siblings, binding together the little squad. Every two days they would exercise a different scenario on the ship, where the rest of the crew had to play a role. Wounded, raider, hostage,... Landom had many ideas and not only did the training help to toughen up the security squad, it was also a nice diversion from the long days of travel for everyone else. Robin¡¯s days were filled to the brim with all the stuff he had to do: Learning how to fly the ship from Niu, training his fighting capabilities with Patience and Sevastian, answering endless questions about alien relic sites from Timothy and planning and preparing their visit to Seavis with Keran. Time to train his mutation was hard to find and the days rushed by. A few hours before their arrival at Seavis, Robin found most of the crew gathered in the gym once more. On one of the screens the news was just coming to an end and his friends were in the middle of a hot discussion. ¡°I tell you, that has nothing to do with enemy alien races. They would never waste their time like that!¡± Timothy was explaining with a desperate face. ¡°How would you know? So far, no one understands what the attacker¡¯s goal could be.¡± Landom argued. ¡°Guys, I tell you, it¡¯s a bored hacker that just wants to mess with the UAS and make people like you lose their mind!¡± Happy laughed. ¡°Robin.¡± Alena nodded when she saw him enter. ¡°Did I miss something?¡± He asked as he had no idea what this was all about. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the dude who leads half of the UAS¡¯ data-security teams on a merry chase?¡± Sevastian asked and Robin could only shake his head. ¡°Since a few months there have been anomalies on seemingly random and mostly unimportant UAS-servers.¡± ¡°Anomalies?¡± Robin tilted his head, ¡°What kind of anomalies?¡± ¡°It looks like someone dumps huge, like enormous, amounts of cryptic data on these servers. It doesn¡¯t have many negative consequences as the servers only slow down a bit and have no relevant services running, but it pisses off the UAS more and more each time they fail to catch the hacker.¡± Timothy explained. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s not cryptic, it¡¯s trash! Just a ruse to make everyone chase after it!¡± Niu laughed. ¡°Could also very well be a test of the security of our infrastructure. To find loopholes for real attacks¡­¡± Landom added. Niu shrugged and continued, ¡°Every time the UAS comes close to single out the server and disconnect it from the rest of the net, the hacker moves the data somewhere else. Then it takes a few days before they find a new lead and the whole thing starts anew.¡± Somehow Robin got a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, which confused him a bit, but he didn¡¯t linger too long on this and shook his head. ¡°Well, we will know sooner or later what his goal is. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s really just some idiot with a bright brain and too much time. Would suck if the UAS network is so easy to breach for anyone.¡± He said and remembered why he came here. ¡°You should begin your preparations. We are closing in on Seavis and should reach it in less than 4 hours. This won¡¯t be an exercise like the training on Trov S but our first real deployment. While we are not entering enemy territory or anything, the region isn¡¯t exactly what you would call ¡®lawful¡¯. I don¡¯t wanna have any mishaps today.¡± ¡°Aye aye captain!¡± Happy laughed while everyone picked up their stuff and left for their cabins. Quickly Robin was the only one left in the gym. A smile could be seen on his face. ¡°They are getting along well. We are slowly becoming something like a family. This is how I always imagined it to be¡­¡± He whispered into the empty room, ¡°Now only a proper adventure is needed. Let¡¯s hope Seavis is worth the long trip!¡± Slowly he made his way to the bridge. It was time to once more go over everything he knew about the small settlement they were about to visit. *** Soon the planet came closer and was visible to the naked eye. ¡®Green¡­ green like the endless forest that spans over most of the surface, except for where the cities or one of the big oceans are. How long have I dreamed of seeing a real forest? ¡­and now it will be in fucking grayscale¡¯ Robin sighed and suppressed the rising anger, ¡®It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll find a solution to get back my color vision and this is only the first green planet of who knows how many.¡¯ ¡°Niu, status?¡± He asked and concentrated back on the topic at hand. ¡°-12 to atmo¡± ¡®12 minutes before we enter the atmosphere¡­¡¯ He took one deep breath and looked over to Keran. ¡°Hail Planetary Flight Control, I want us to go down as close to Dreamer¡¯s Hope as possible. No pad or hangar needed. We will come to the capital¡¯s spaceport for refueling and restocking after we are done here. Dreamer¡¯s Hope was the name of a small rustic coastal town, nothing more than a big settlement with few permanent inhabitants. Most of the people were adventurers, prospectors and smugglers. While Seavis was colonized by the UAS, it didn¡¯t get much attention on a political or economical level. Therefore Seavis was what is commonly described as a ¡®backwater planet¡¯. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. This settlement however was built at the border of the most interesting place you could find on the planet and maybe even the whole Mereus Cluster. Beyond the coast lay a vast ocean that stretched to the horizon. Thick clouds hid its surface not only from spying eyes of ships and satellites, they were also electromagnetically charged in a way that could block most of the scans the UAS could perform. Hundreds of little floating islands drifted across the ocean in this hidden region. They followed different currents and the wind often pushed them from one stream into another, making their movement paths chaotic and not predictable. These wondrous phenomena made this place a gathering point for anyone who was trying to find hidden treasures, chasing after old legends or searching for unknown alien relic sites. Robin and the rest of the Hubble¡¯s crew were about to join this mixed bag of visitors from all over the cluster. However, they didn¡¯t come here in hope of a lucky find, they came with a map to an unknown alien relic site and if Timothy¡¯s research was to be believed, it should be unknown not only to them but even to the UAS which hadn¡¯t documented any discoveries for this region. *** ¡°I¡¯ll bring us down there, okay?¡± Niu asked and pointed at a clearing in the forest only a few hundred meters away from Dreamer¡¯s Hope. Landom, standing next to Robin¡¯s seat, checked the location and nodded. Robin was happy that his chief of security was managing that, as he himself was distracted by the beauty of the landscape below them. To one side an endless forest stretched out as far as he could see. The tall trees created a dense fluffy blanket over the hilly lowlands and he didn¡¯t even need ROMAS to be sure that he was looking down on a green sea. To the other side was a wide ocean, not as rowdy as the one on Gaunus, but still with rolling waves that crashed onto a wide beach. The sky above was covered with dark clouds that flickered every now and then and flashed with small lightning bolts. On the water itself, Robin could spot small islands, nothing more than little plots of land riding above the waves. Between the ocean and the forest Dreamer¡¯s Hope was resting, small buildings made of stone and wood, no industrial complexes and no crowded highways. Just some simple roads with few vehicles speeding along. When the Hubble began its landing and dropped below the treetops, Robin felt like he entered a new world once more. All around them stood massive trunks, thick bushes and flowers grew wildly all around... he even saw birds flying between the leaves. ¡°Landing complete, initiating checkup!¡± Niu tore him out of his thoughts. ¡°Uhm... yeah. Sorry, I was distracted for a moment.¡± He awkwardly said, but saw the others looking at him with bright smiles. ¡°Welcome to the wonders of the universe, and this is just the beginning!¡± Keran laughed. ¡°Thanks. Okay, Landom, I think everyone in the settlement already knows about our arrival, ships like the Hubble shouldn¡¯t be the norm out here. So, no reason to hide our background. Everyone shall wear the suits but I think we should leave the helmets here. No reason to look like a badass fast response unit in the middle of an operation.¡± Robin said and looked at the security team leader. ¡°I agree. I¡¯ll leave Alena and Patience here, together with Niu. The rest of us should go and explore the city. You wanted to stay the night in an inn, right? I suggest that Sevastian and I go back to the Hubble later to take over for the others. That way we always have someone aboard to protect the ship.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Robin agreed and quickly informed the others over the ship¡¯s comm. 15 minutes later, he left the Hubble together with Landom, Sevastian and Keran. Timothy also stayed behind because ¡®he was close to something¡¯ and would only come tomorrow when they began to explore the Mystic Sea. After a short walk along a little path through the forest, they reached the settlement. Many people were already casually walking around, totally by happenstance and not at all because they were curious about the new arrivals and wanted to catch a glimpse of them. ¡°Well, I knew we would attract attention, but right now I¡¯m feeling like an animal in the zoo¡­¡± Sevastian grumbled. ¡°That will cease quickly, no worries.¡± Keran said and walked towards a man with a backpack that looked like he wanted to go camping. ¡°Hi there, Keran is the name. How is it going?¡± ¡°Uhm... good?¡± The man scratched his head, obviously feeling uncomfortable to be singled out like that. ¡°Is there a place to stay for the night you could recommend?¡± Keran asked. ¡°Ha, the forest, buddy, the forest! It¡¯s great to sleep under the protection of the treetops and listen to all the wild animals in the middle of the night.¡± The camper laughed and looked at the rest of the crew once more - four dudes in black armored suits, two armed with energy weapons. ¡°Well, maybe you would do better in the inn. The Lost Island is the place to go; good food and many people to share stories with. Down that road, two blocks, left side.¡± ¡°Thanks and come by later, maybe we can have a beer together!¡± Keran thanked the man and walked back to his friends. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely done that before¡­¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°One should learn how to get along with these people quickly. They are the best sources of news and rumors in remote locations.¡± ¡°You are probably right, thanks anyways. Let¡¯s go and take a look at that inn.¡± Robin said and took the lead. A few minutes later they entered a crooked and curvy, wooden building. On a sign was written Lost Island with a logo that resembled a foggy sea. It was loud inside, many people were sitting at tables in the slightly cramped room and laughed and chatted merrily with each other. Luckily, their entrance didn¡¯t make everyone shut up and stare at the new guests, like it happens in movies all the time. While the others looked for a free place, Robin went to the innkeeper and asked for three rooms. ¡°Sure, 75 cr per room. How long do you wanna stay?¡± The old man behind the counter asked. ¡°Three nights for the beginning, maybe we will stay a bit longer.¡± ¡°Looking for treasures?¡± The man laughed, ¡°You will need more than three days for that!¡± ¡°Is that so? How long do the others normally need to find what they are looking for?¡± Robin grinned. ¡°Touch¨¦, most of them chase after dreams, myths and legends for their whole life.¡± ¡°Well, unfortunately we cannot stay that long.¡± ¡°Yeah, no shit. But believe me, after hearing the stories of those who really do find something, you will come to think about it.¡± The innkeeper said and shrugged after he saw Robin''s skeptical gaze. ¡°Three rooms, three nights. Here you go, have fun!¡± After he paid, Robin went over to the table where the rest of his group was already waiting. They had ordered a beer, some local specialty, and were observing the rest of the guests. Robin really liked the relaxed atmosphere here. Like the rest of the little town it was completely different from the big cities. Almost everything was made of wood and stone, a fireplace provided warm light and the people all looked like adventures, with practical clothes, backpacks and stuff. The whole business-feeling you always found everywhere in Seka was absent. However, Robin knew this backwater place was also a beehive for smugglers and outlaws. A quick Echo-Pulse highlighted that not only the building was much more than ¡®just wood and stone¡¯, but most of the people in the room had weapons hidden on their body. One figure in particular caught his eye after his energy scan, since Robin saw him carrying a weapon that was not one of the standard models, but definitely of alien origin. To add onto that, the guy actually was clad in a dark gray coat and hid most of his face under a deep hood. ¡®Yeah, why don¡¯t you just hold a signboard up with I¡¯m totally not a shady dude!...¡¯ He chuckled as he saw the figure retreating into another room at the back. Chapter 77 - A Rough Night Robin and the others stayed in the Lost Island for some time, before they made their way to the beach. Once more the technocrafter was overwhelmed by the change of scenery. The soft sand under his feet was completely different from the rough earth on Rucasur. Waves from the ocean rolled onto the shore, their sound soothing to the mind. Everything smelled fresh, salty like on Gaunus but more alive. While Robin was still marveling at his surroundings, the others were captivated by the real wonder of nature that was before them. At least half a dozen black dots could be seen on the horizon. Islands that floated in random patterns along the ocean, hidden from modern scans and whispering promises about riches and secrets. ¡°Any idea how to start?¡± Keran was the first to break the silence and asked. ¡°I only know that it should be here in the Mystic Sea, the¡­ data I got has no information about how to navigate these islands whatsoever.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just fly over there with the Hubble and take a look at each island?¡± Sevastian asked with a shrug. ¡°If it was that easy, others would have done that already.¡± Robin said and continued to explain, ¡°You can fly low with a ship like the Hubble here, in theory. However, the electromagnetic storm impacts more than just the scanners when you get so close. It¡¯s said that most of the navigational systems begin to fail quickly after entering the area, as there are irregular occurring spikes in the storm. Therefore it¡¯s hard to get away from the ocean with such a big spaceship, if you don¡¯t wanna fly straight up through the storm - which is a bad idea. Most people use small ships or even real boats. Then, after getting hit by a spike of the electromagnetic storm that kills the nav systems, they move to the closest island and wait until the eruption lessens and the systems come back online. Small vehicles can stay on the islands without risking them to slowly sink, like they would do if the Hubble landed on them.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯m pretty sure the UAS has already skimmed through this ocean to give every island a visual examination. Whatever is left to find here should be hidden to the naked eye.¡± Keran added. ¡°So? What¡¯s the plan, captain?¡± Landom asked. ¡°Let¡¯s go back for now and see if we can find someone that is versed in navigating through these islands. Tomorrow we can start some trips with the Melody II and one more ship we should rent. If you squeeze up a bit, two of you will fit onto the copilot¡¯s seat. So I hope to start the exploration tomorrow as a group of four or five.¡± Robin explained and got approving nods from the others. ¡°Good.¡± He said and walked back to the settlement, ¡°Landom, please arrange the allocation of roles for tonight. Let the girls have a visit to Dreamer¡¯s Hope, too. I¡¯ll move ahead with Keran and start looking for a vehicle to rent. We will meet at the inn later.¡± It didn¡¯t take them long to find someone who had a stock of simple Sentinels for rent, the same ship from Corax that the smugglers used during Robin¡¯s first encounter. These ships however had no weapons mounted but instead more storage capacity and bigger fuel tanks to increase the range. Having dealt with that, Robin and Keran returned to the inn and waited for the others. Half a beer later, Happy, Alena and Landom joined them. Patience had decided to stay on the ship with Timothy and Sevastian. Night came quickly and at some point Keran and Landom both decided to hit the bed. They shared one room, same as the women. Meanwhile, Happy was still talking to the other adventurers, listening to unbelievable tales of treasures and legends. Alena wasn¡¯t found anywhere and Robin assumed she also had gone to bed already. When most of the guests had left the inn, Robin moved to the bar and Niu joined him. He ordered a Drifting Island, one of the house¡¯s specialties, for each of them but kept silent. ¡°Just ask already!¡± Happy finally said and took a sip from her cocktail. Her eyes went wide in amazement and she gave the innkeeper a thumbs up. ¡°Good stuff!¡± ¡°Thanks, Miss.¡± The man cheerfully replied and continued to clean some glasses. ¡°So?¡± She looked expectantly at Robin. ¡°Sooo¡­ Patience and Sevastian really do hit off well, don¡¯t they?¡± He chuckled and grabbed his drink, ¡°They are a good match, not only because of their mutations but they do think alike. I¡¯m happy for her.¡± ¡°Is the captain starting with gossip right now?¡± Niu laughed, ¡°I agree with you, though. However, that¡¯s not what you wanted to ask, isn¡¯t it?¡± Robin looked at his drink and put it back on the table - he was the leader of this adventure and today was not the day to get drunk. Instead he took a deep breath and turned to his friend. ¡°Any word from your family?¡± He asked what kept his mind busy the last few days. Happy took another sip from her drink and contemplated a bit. ¡°No, nothing yet. We left Gaunus before Joseph, my family¡¯s contact, arrived and ever since then there has been radio silence.¡± ¡°How did they react to the news of you taking part in the Hubble-mission?¡± ¡°I can only imagine my parents were raging at home. They normally don¡¯t tolerate such disobedience, however I just sent them a short message and avoided informing them about the changes personally via comm.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°They didn¡¯t reach out to you at all?¡± Robin asked, eyebrows raised. ¡°Nope, nothing¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that.¡± He said and carefully chose his next words, ¡°The UAS and I do have a solid agreement, but I experienced first hand that not everyone inside of the organization is in favor of our dealings¡­¡± ¡°The checkup from Ramones?¡± Niu asked. ¡°Yes, and what greatly disturbs me is, that like with your family, there should have been another attempt or at least another contact since long¡­ but nothing. I really thought they would try something while we stayed on Rucasur. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Niu said and had to pause to give a yawn, ¡°That¡¯s why you were in such a hurry to leave the planet?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it seems I¡¯m overcautious.¡± ¡°Maybe it worked and we left...¡± She had to yawn again, ¡°...we left before they could try anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s that easy. But enough of that, you should really hit the bed!¡± Robin chuckled when he saw her eyelids starting to droop. However, his grin immediately vanished after Niu actually dropped face first on the counter, fast asleep. He tried to shake her awake but got no reaction at all. When he heard chairs being pushed back, he looked around and saw that the room was almost empty. There were only six people left and they had all just gotten up. ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± Robin cursed under his breath and assessed the situation. Niu was obviously out cold, probably drugged. Was it by the innkeeper who was suddenly missing right now? Must be, no one else was close to their drinks. At least he hadn¡¯t touched his one. He fired a quick Echo-Pulse and saw that two of the guys in the group had energy weapons holstered. With the other three men and the woman he didn¡¯t find such guns, but they still could carry ballistic ones. He wouldn¡¯t detect those. With a slight surprise, Robin also sensed the alien weapon from the shady guy in the doorway to the back room, but couldn''t find it or the cloaked figure itself with his eyes. Unfortunately he didn¡¯t have time to think about that right now. ¡®You little, useless piece of code¡­ dammit!¡¯ He cursed and concentrated on the approaching group. ¡°You sure you wanna do this?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have skipped your drink, pal. Now this will hurt a bit¡­¡± One of the dudes said and suddenly jumped forward. He was quick and in an instant appeared before Robin, his fist propped for a right hook. However, Robin was prepared and the moment the guy moved, he already was in the middle of a long kick that connected neatly with the man¡¯s nether region. Everyone in the room winced and took a sharp breath. That must have hurt¡­ The guy gave a high pitched yelp and slumped down. ¡®One out, five to go!¡¯ Robin thought, but without much hope for his situation. The woman and one man flanked him, while the others closed in on him from the front - slower and more carefully now. With his back to the bar, Robin didn¡¯t have much room to move and decided on attacking rather than defending. He jumped towards the woman to his side and aimed a fist for her ribs. She nimbly dodged backwards and Robin spun around to confront whoever was behind him. Just in time he blocked a blow from one of the guys, but his arm hurt like hell - must be some strength or hardening type of mutation. Once more he threw a first at one of the guys and actually scored a hit, before he had to duck down and block a few punches. Pain raced through his body when many hits landed on unprotected parts. With one last struggle Robin grabbed his untouched drink and battered the glass, with its thick bottom first, into the closest face he found. It shattered into a mix of alcohol and sharp broken fragments. With satisfaction, he heard someone scream in pain, before another wave of fists hit him and he sank to his knees - eyes swollen, mouth bloody and bruised all over. Just when he expected more attacks to come, the thugs began to scream and yell in pain. When he looked up, Robin saw Alena dancing between the remaining group of four. The guy he hit first was still lying on the floor, whimpering, and the one he had hit with the glass was also out of the fight. However it looked like that not only was his face a bloody mess, but his knee also didn¡¯t seem to be in the right position. Meanwhile, Alena moved between the rest of the group with amazingly graceful movements. She weaved evasions together with attacks, pretty brutal attacks, into a beautiful dance-like show. Sometimes she still got hit, but it didn¡¯t seem to faze her at all, instead she aimed for her enemy¡¯s weak points with deadly precision. He saw her kicking the knee of a dude to break it, jabbing the throat of the other woman to choke her and one time she even aimed for the eyes with pointed fingers. Screams and shouts could be heard everywhere, but slowly it was only the thugs who were whimpering in pain. Once more Robin sent out an Echo-Pulse and this time he found an anomaly. Quickly he concentrated his main skill on a specific place behind the bar and his eyes went wide when he realized that the innkeeper was hunkering down there, waiting with an energy gun in his hands. ¡°A¡­garwl..¡± Robin wanted to warn his comrade but his mouth was swollen and bloody. He spat out and tried again, slowly and with a hushed voice that was seemingly drowned by the ruckus which was happening all around him. ¡°Alena! One¡­ one more, behind the b-b-bar, armed with a w-w-weapon¡­¡± He stammered, his face hurt like hell... No, his whole body was a freaking mix of pain. It seemed like Alena had heard him though, because she quickly knocked out the last guy with another knee-breaking kick, combined with a chop to his neck, and moved over to the bar. In one fluid motion, she pulled out her gun and jumped onto the counter. When the Innkeeper stood up, he found the barrel of a pistol directly pressed on his forehead, before he could even raise his own weapon. ¡°You better put that gun back down!¡± She said with a grin on her face. The man immediately complied and dropped his weapon. ¡°Okay, okay! I don¡¯t wanna have any beef with you, lady!¡± He hastily said. ¡°Yeah, too late for that¡­¡± She said, knocking him out in one fell swoop with the butt of her gun. After hopping from the counter, she squatted down in front of Robin. ¡°You look like shit, but you got two of them - not too bad, captain!¡± She laughed one last time, before her cold expression returned. ¡®So, she only laughs when she¡¯s in a fight? Sevastian was right, the women in our crew are all lunatics!¡¯ He thought and relaxed a bit. Lunatics they may be, but they were his lunatics and they were awesome! From the stairways that led to the upper level of the inn, Landom and Keran came rushing down. They observed the mess in the room, with broken furnishings scattered on the floor and six people lying around unconsciously or groaning in pain. Well, six plus their captain, the innkeeper and a loudly snoring Happy on the bar. ¡°What the actual fuck did happen here?¡± Landom exclaimed in shock. Chapter 78 - I Hate This Town… When morning came, Landom was tired as hell. He didn¡¯t get much sleep that night. After he heard the ruckus below his room and rushed down with Keran, it took him quite some time to clean up the mess. At first he thought Robin had gotten himself into a bar fight, but he dropped that idea quickly, after realizing that Niu had been drugged. Alena brought the woman to her room to rest and Keran helped Robin with some Recovery Stims. Landom had a quick call with the rest of the team on the Hubble to make sure everything was in order on their side and then focused on the situation at the inn. There was a small medical center in this town, so he called over the doc and a few helping hands to get the thugs. They were all put to sleep for 12 hours and taken into the infirmary for healing. He also notified local security and they promised that ¡®someone would be waiting for them, when they wake up¡¯. He kept the innkeeper however, as Landom wanted to ask him some questions. Unfortunately the whole interrogation was pretty lackluster. Apparently someone offered him a nice sum of credits if he could knock out Robin and Niu without anyone noticing. He roped in some friends as a backup plan and added a simple drug to the drinks. When Robin didn¡¯t fall asleep, they kicked the level of this operation up by one and wanted to overwhelm him. Landom believed most of what the man said and a quick research confirmed that the innkeeper and his friends weren¡¯t listed as criminals. They were just adventurers blinded by the easy money. That was also why none of them pulled out a gun, they never had the idea to shoot anyone. Only when he began to fear for the lives of his buddies, did the innkeeper take more drastic measures - or he at least tried. Well, neither was that night quiet nor unnoticed by anyone. So whoever pulled the strings in the back, was long gone or laid low. Still, Landom planned to do some more digging. Two of his people were nearly abducted directly under his nose - a mistake he didn¡¯t want to repeat. On that note, he had to admit that Alena did a great job. She was a bit brutal, but at least no one will have any lasting injuries and it wasn¡¯t as if the situation had asked for a soft-handed approach. When he was finally able to call it a day, he woke up Keran to take over the watch and fell on his bed. He only had two hours, but his mind still kept him awake a while longer. ¡°This is the adventurous life Robin is dreaming of?¡± He asked into the silent, dark room. ¡°First the pirates, now a kidnapping attempt¡­ and Robin¡¯s list is much longer, this is only what happened when I was around.¡± He closed his eyes and thought about his family back on Rucasur. He had no idea what time it was at home, but he liked the thought of his wife also lying in her bed, dreaming of him. ¡°It has a certain charm, but only as long as nothing bad really happens, as long as no one dies. Last time it was already close, way too close, for me.¡± Subconsciously, he rubbed the spot on his torso where the energy weapon from the pirates had hit him, ¡°This will be my adventure, something I¡¯ll be able to tell my boys when I come home. But never knowing if I will see my family again? No way¡­¡± Landom muttered and finally fell asleep. *** Wow, Niu was pissed - like reallllly pissed. Not because someone drugged her, no. What made her nearly explode was the fact that she had missed all the action, Robin getting beaten up and Alena saving the day. Patience and Sevastian also weren¡¯t happy to have missed the show, only Timothy didn¡¯t seem to care at all. When the whole crew met for breakfast in the inn the next morning, the overall mood was quite bad. It irritated Robin a bit that most of the negative vibes came from those that weren¡¯t even there when shit hit the fan, but whatever. The innkeeper was gone, taken by the security team that came earlier, but one of his substitutes took over and kept the business running. ¡°We will move out later today and have to decide on the team. Landom, you said you wanna stay here and look into what happened last night?¡± Robin looked over to the man in charge of security. They had a quick chat the night before and he gave him a bit of background information on his beef with Ramones and the situation between Niu and her family. If Landom wanted to start an investigation, he should at least have all the available information at hand. ¡°Yeah, someone has to stay to keep an eye on the Hubble and since I wanted to dig a bit into the kidnapping attempt, I¡¯ll remain here. I need some assistance however.¡± ¡°Sure, you make the call - who do you need?¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°Well, the one with the most helpful mutation would be you¡­¡± Landom gave an awkward smile. ¡°Yeah, not happening.¡± Robin laughed, ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°The Vlasov siblings? Especially Alena¡¯s mutation would be a boon.¡± ¡°Fine for me.¡± Alena said. ¡°I wanna have some action, too!¡± Sevastian grumbled but got a hit to the back of his head. ¡°Fine for him, too.¡± She said and glared at her brother. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I¡¯ll also stay here and if anything happens, I¡¯ll come and pick you up with the Hubble to save the day!¡± Niu chimed in. ¡°That sounds like a plan. Keran and I can both fly one of the small ships, with Timothy and Patience in the copilot¡¯s seat. We don''t expect any fights on our search for the laboratory anyways. Let¡¯s go to the shore and think over our approach on the islands.¡± Robin closed the discussion and waved at the waiter to pay. The young man quickly came over with a flustered face. ¡°Sir, you don¡¯t have to pay! Not after what happened last night. That¡¯s the least I can do!¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. Just buy us a round tomorrow and we are good. Wasn¡¯t your fault, was it?¡± Robin said and quickly wired him the credits before he could object. When they reached the beach, Patience, Happy and Sevastian showed the same surprised reaction as Robin had the day before. He let them run loose for some time and began to discuss with the rest how they should proceed from here. ¡°We talked to many people yesterday, but it seems like there is no way to discern which island will float where. Therefore, most adventurers just take random routes in hope to have a lucky encounter.¡± Keran explained. ¡°With this approach, it could take us forever to find something. Not to mention the fact that we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re looking for and whatever it is has probably been hidden somehow¡­¡± Landom added. ¡°It should be a ruin from the Eltaran. I¡¯m pretty sure of that and hopefully my mutation will allow us to find anything that¡¯s hidden under the ground.¡± Robin mused. ¡°Don¡¯t bet on it.¡± Timothy said, ¡°As soon as you are in range of the electromagnetic storm, your Energy Senses should be at least partly impacted, too.¡± ¡°Can you give us a short introduction of the Eltaran?¡± Alena asked Timothy who nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Sure. They are or were a very old race, from the days of the Starborn at least.¡± He began and immediately Landom interrupted him. ¡°Are or were? I heard they are still around, gone underground somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Yes and no. The Eltaran have always lived in hiding. They are specialists in gene-manipulation and therefore highly sought-out. Even the Starborn tried to catch each one they could find. Today there haven¡¯t been sightings of them for centuries, no one knows if they are still alive or went extinct like so many other races. The Eltaran did much of their experiments on their own body, that¡¯s how they quickly lost their fertility - not completely but having children is a rarity for them. In turn they live much longer. However, with a low reproduction rate, the risk of extinction rises massively.¡± Timothy explained and Keran nodded in agreement. ¡°So they are experts in veiling their tracks? Damnit¡­¡± Robin muttered, with no good idea how to tackle this problem. However suddenly he felt an itch on his back, his passive sense told him that energy was building up behind him. Irritated, he spun around and looked into the forest - only trees could be seen there. Just as his Echo-Pulse showed him what had triggered his passive sense, the cloaked dude he saw at the inn stepped out of the shadows¡­ like, literally. One moment there were just trees, bushes and grass and the next moment a figure walked out of one of the long shadows. As amazing as it was, Robin and the others couldn¡¯t marvel any longer at it, since the figure in the gray cloak pointed a strange looking weapon in their direction. ¡°I hate this town¡­¡± Robin heard Landom mutter next to him and had to suppress a chuckle while he, like everyone else, raised his hands. ¡°You have a map to the facility of the Eltaran?¡± The figure spoke and the deep voice confirmed that it was a man. ¡°Nope, just an info that it should be here - if we had a map, we wouldn¡¯t stand here and rack our brains, would we?¡± Robin said, annoyance seeping in his voice. ¡°Where did you get that info and what exactly is it saying?¡± ¡°Why the hell should I tell you?¡± Robin angrily retorted - he had to agree with Landom, what was wrong with this fucking town? ¡°Because I¡¯m aiming a weapon at you and your friends¡­¡± The hooded man flatly said. ¡°Well, point taken¡­¡± Robin conceded and thought on how he could get out of this situation - handing over the map was hardly possible. When he saw something in the corner of his eyes, he just started talking. ¡°You know, we really had a bad night already - you should know since you¡¯ve watched when I was beaten up, right? Why the hell didn¡¯t you step in and help? Maybe we could have become friends and all this wouldn¡¯t be necessary!¡± He blabbered and the dude threw him a questioning gaze. ¡°Really, I mean it!¡± Robin continued, ¡°Just think about all the pain you wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Before he could finish, the man heard something behind him and turned around, just in time to catch Sevastian''s fist with his stomach. ¡°...to suffer.¡± Completed Robin his sentence while the man dropped his gun and buckled over. Landom immediately rushed forward and fixated him in a tight grip. Meanwhile Sevastian raised his fist and cheered. ¡°Yes, finally! Ha! My time to shine!¡± Patience also came closer and patted his shoulder. ¡°Not bad, didn¡¯t think you would be such a sneaky bastard. I always thought of you as someone who fights face-to-face with honor¡­¡± His eyes went wide and he turned to face her. ¡°I¡­ normally¡­ this¡­ I¡­¡± He stuttered and earned a few laughs from the others. ¡°Come on, leave him alone, Patience.¡± Robin chided her, ¡°You did well, mate. I¡¯m pretty sure this dude didn¡¯t wanna shoot us, he hadn¡¯t even pressed the safety button on his gun, but you never know and your move was pretty awesome!¡± Sevastian awkwardly scratched his head and shuffled over to his sister. ¡°Let¡¯s see who we have here¡­¡± Landom said and pulled back the man¡¯s hood. When they saw his face, there actually were some astonished gasps. The man was old, not ancient like Prof. Aurelius, but the short white hair was definitely a sign of old age. He also had a white, bushy beard and his eyes, in stark contrast, seemed to give off a thin trail of black smoke. While that definitely a strange sight, his ears were what disclosed him to be of another race. Half the size of Robin¡¯s hand, they were forming a triangle with the pointy end to the back of his head. What really caught them off guard was, when the man blinked and suddenly a 3rd eye opened vertically in the center of his forehead. Robin wasn¡¯t even surprised when he saw the message from ROMAS pop up. ¡°That was... way too easy?¡° He muttered in confusion. Chapter 79 - Blood And Arrows ¡°Time to have a talk, mate.¡± Robin said to his latest guest. They were back on the ship and planning their approach on the islands. First of all though, Robin wanted to chat with the Eltaran, who hopefully could help to shed some light on this mystery. Keran was with him, as well as Timothy. Landom and the Vlasov siblings were somewhere in Dreamer¡¯s Hope to begin their investigation of the bar fight. The man lowered his hood and sighed. ¡°Thank you for bringing me here without exposing my presence.¡± He said. ¡°My friends here said that if we just showed you off like that, it would have serious consequences for your people.¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°They are right with the assessment of the situation. As you¡¯ve explained before, the Eltaran have lived in hiding since centuries, so successfully that the other sentient races aren¡¯t even sure anymore, if we still exist at all.¡± ¡°On that note, I don¡¯t wanna be an asshole or anything, but you look like you¡¯ve lived for some time - Timothy explained you¡¯re getting much older than most others - so you should have some experience of life. Why the hell did you think confronting us like that would be a wise move? You risked more than your own wellbeing, but the secrecy of your whole race¡­ what you did was pretty much a rookie-mistake.¡± Robin exclaimed, this was what he really couldn¡¯t understand. The man had taken so much risk without planning anything. When he confronted them, he didn¡¯t even put up a strong front but kept his weapon safe. Even without Sevastian, they could have overwhelmed him easily. ¡°You are right, I¡¯ve lived for 286 years - old, even for an Eltaran.¡± The alien sighed once more, his shoulders slumped, ¡°I¡¯m losing patience, I¡¯m beginning to make mistakes, I¡¯m¡­ getting sloppy. Just like you, I¡¯m here to look for a facility left behind by my ancestors. However, all I know is that it should be here and the only way of finding it, handed down by my people, is no longer feasible today. I¡¯m¡­ running out of time. When I heard you talking about the facility with such certainty, I jumped at the first opportunity I could find. I hoped¡­ or wished, that you have more information which, together with my knowledge, would solve this riddle.¡± Robin looked at the old man who sat on the other side of the conference table. He felt sympathy for him. He tried to rob them, yes, but he never had the intention of hurting anyone and this was about a laboratory left by his own race. If anyone had the right to set foot in there, it was him. He must have been searching for it for a long time if he takes drastic measures like that and makes such sloppy mistakes. However, the damage was done and all Robin could do was help him a bit with damage control. No way he would be able to hide the existence of the Eltaran from the UAS - not after Keran saw him and especially not after they brought him aboard the Hubble, a UAS research vessel. He had Happy shut down all communications for now to at least buy some time to have a chat with Keran first. ¡°Okay, so why are you searching for this facility?¡± Robin asked and saw that the man was looking uncomfortable from one to another. ¡°Do you have a name you can share with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ang¡¯Tue!¡± ¡°Hi Ang¡¯Tue, I¡¯m Robin Tulward and these are Timothy Reed and Keran Bex.¡± Robin introduced the people around him, ¡°Give us at least a rough idea. There is too much, that¡¯s not adding up. If you aren¡¯t talking, there is nothing I can do to help you in any way.¡± Ang¡¯Tue sighed once more, he now really looked as if the accumulated tiredness of 286 years had hit him. ¡°We do have¡­ some trouble after going through extensive mutations over the centuries.¡± He began to explain hesitantly. ¡°Like what Timothy said about your fertility?¡± ¡°Things like that, yes. The Eltaran are looking for leads that help us regain¡­¡± He paused and changed his words ¡°...stabilize our genes again. I am one of the few who¡­ travel around to find such clues. One of which is the data in this laboratory that has been lost for ages. I¡¯m running out of time. I need these files, they could save¡­ many of us.¡± Robin and the others listened in and understood that he shared as much as he could. He was obviously desperate, but his people will have to pay a steep price for that. Robin didn¡¯t know what exactly was at stake, but he hoped the man didn¡¯t fuck over his whole race just because ¡®he is in a hurry¡¯. ¡°So, Ang¡¯Tue, I¡¯ll be honest. You are on a UAS research ship and while I¡¯ll have a talk with Keran here, who is a leading researcher of the UAS, all I can promise you is that I try to delay the moment when they get word of your presence.¡± He said and got a sharp glance from Keran, ¡°So to put the cards on the table: We are here because of some really old, outdated information I obtained. I told you the truth before: I have no further instructions or leads on how to proceed. However, with you being here and chasing after exactly the same thing, the UAS will definitely take the bait and come back to search for the facility, even if they have to dig up every island in the Mystic Sea.¡± Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s head drooped even further, but Robin continued, ¡°I have a suggestion to make, if you agree and we get Keran aboard.¡± The researcher raised an eyebrow and threw him a sharp glance. ¡°Even if we get along well, captain, I¡¯m still fully committed to the UAS and will not work against its interests or those of mankind. This facility could push us years ahead in the field of gene manipulation.¡± ¡°No one wants you to work against the UAS, so will you listen to my suggestion?¡± Robin asked and Keran gave a hesitant nod. ¡°If - and I say if, because we still don¡¯t know if that will even work - if we can work together to find the facility, we can all profit from this. If you, Ang¡¯Tue, just want to get some data, a few tools or whatever, you can grab that stuff before the UAS gets the rest. Keran, we have the chance to find this location without the whole UAS swooping down on this planet and getting all the credit for it. So if we keep our new friend here under wraps until we find the outpost, you could make this a discovery that gets you a promotion and more support for your team. We are losing nothing and can gain big!¡± Robin tried to entice him. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°We are losing nothing? Didn¡¯t you just promise him to take what he came for?¡± Keran angrily exclaimed. ¡°I did and you know that while I¡¯m not directly under UAS command, I don¡¯t work against it. However, can you really sit here with a clear conscience and claim that it isn¡¯t right for him, an Eltaran, to have the first pick of a laboratory that belongs to his own people? We aren¡¯t talking about him taking the servers with all the valuable data or the machines¡­ we aren¡¯t, right?¡± Robin hesitated and looked at Ang¡¯Tue who quickly shook his head. ¡°I came for a copy of the research data, I have no problem if the original lands in the hands of the UAS in exchange for getting me there.¡± ¡°See, you wouldn¡¯t lose anything.¡± Robin argued. Keran slowly nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you would invest so much in him, since you don¡¯t even know him. But I learned enough about you to understand that you will profit from this the most. I agree to your terms, but with the condition of you handing over the map or whatever it is that led you here¡­¡± Robin¡¯s eyebrow twitched a bit, that was a bold move from Keran and he had the feeling that the man had only waited for a chance like this. ¡°Fine, but I won¡¯t hand it over to you. I¡¯ll sell it to the UAS for a reasonable price¡­ after we are done here on Seavis.¡± Keran thought about it for a moment and nodded. They shook hands and looked expectantly at the old alien sitting on the other side of the table. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Ang''Tue scratched his beard, ¡°It would probably be best if this works out now and we really find the facility, right? Let¡¯s go to the shore again and I¡¯ll show you what the old method of tracking the laboratory was. It¡¯s a bit hard to explain just in some words.¡± ¡°Actually, I would like to discuss one more thing before we move out again.¡± Timothy held up a hand to stop them from leaving, ¡°When we met at the beach, you stepped out of the shadow - literally. How did you do that? What is your G-Anomaly?¡± ¡®Huh, I totally forgot about that¡­¡¯ Robin thought and chided himself for being careless once again. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and stood up. Slowly he walked backwards until he reached a corner of the room where the lighting threw some shadows. An instant later, the old man just vanished. ¡°As if the darkness devoured him¡­¡± Keran mumbled. ¡°Yeah, but I think it¡¯s some kind of shadow-affinity, he isn¡¯t really gone. I can still see him with my mutation¡­¡± Robin added. ¡°What a fearsome ability. I shouldn¡¯t have any more electronic devices on me that you can track!¡± Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s voice came from darkness and moments later the man himself reappeared. ¡°The mutations from Eltaran are a bit different from yours. But if you want a rough classification, it would be named Class A - Shadow Attunement.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing! I¡¯ve never met someone with a Class A mutation before.¡± Robin exclaimed, ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna spill all my personal secrets here, but the rough idea is, like with all other attunement-mutations, that I can feel and interact with my element. The higher the Class, the bigger my sphere of influence becomes.¡± That correlated with what Robin knew. Jim had a low metal affinity and could manipulate the small metal orbs and little parts of a machine or tool. If Ang¡¯Tue was Class A, he could probably control enough shadows to completely cover his figure. Elemental affinities were among the strongest and most versatile mutations one could get, however there was one big downside: it was always an act of manipulation, never creation. So no throwing fireballs out of nowhere - if you had a fire affinity and found yourself without any fire nearby¡­ well, you would be pretty useless. When they left the room to get the Melody and the Sentinel, Keran stepped close to Robin. ¡°I support your decision and promise my cooperation as long as he doesn¡¯t step out of line.¡± He whispered and Robin felt his honesty, which lifted a little burden from his shoulders. ¡°However, remain vigilant¡­¡± Keran added, ¡°Since when is shadow an element?¡± That nearly made Robin stumble. Right, shadow was just the absence of light - definitely not categorized as an element¡­ *** Half an hour later, Robin and Timothy sat in the Melody II and followed the Sentinel along the beach. In the other ship were Keran, Ang¡¯Tue and Patience - they had changed the model for one with three seats and while Keran piloted the vessel, Ang¡¯Tue gave directions and Patience kept an eye on their latest group member. A few kilometers south of Dreamer¡¯s Hope, the ships came to a halt and everyone got off. The Eltaran led them to an unassuming stone formation on the beach and kneeled down. ¡°This is one of the Guide-Stars my people used back in the day.¡± He explained and everyone inspected the normal-looking stone. ¡°That¡¯s a rock, mate¡­¡± Patience grumbled, which earned her a chuckle from Robin. ¡°It¡¯s an intricate piece of tech, young lady!¡± He objected and rolled back his sleeves. After rummaging through his pockets a bit, Ang¡¯Tue threw Robin an awkward glance. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have a knife or something like that?¡± Robin frowned but played along and nodded to Keran, who had Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s things. The Eltaran took the small knife and made a little cut along his arm without any hesitation. When the blood dropped onto the stone, it didn¡¯t drip off the side but seeped into the rough surface. For half a minute nothing happened, before the stone suddenly gave a low hum once. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and stood up. ¡°Uhm.. that¡¯s what?¡± Timothy asked what everyone else also wondered. Ang¡¯Tue picked out a small device from the things Keran kept and put it on the stone. It looked like a simple, transparent display but as soon as it touched the surface, a small arrow appeared on the screen and pointed somewhere into the Mystic Sea. ¡°Uh, neat trick!¡± Keran exclaimed, ¡°You need the genetic code of an Eltaran to activate the stone and a special tool to read it out. Does it point directly to the facility?¡± ¡°No, there will be a row of 5 to 10 islands we will have to visit and repeat this step.¡± ¡°So, why didn¡¯t you do that already?¡± Robin asked, ¡°You said the method doesn¡¯t work any longer?¡± ¡°You see, here it works as intended. However, over the centuries the storm above got stronger and now it even impacts the reader. So, while I can still activate the Guide-Stars on the islands, I cannot read out the direction.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone like Robin with Energy Senses be able to make up for the reader?¡± Patience asked. ¡°I tried that already, but the Guide-Stars have such a faint energy signature that you cannot sense it without a Class A or above.¡± Ang¡¯Tue shook his head. ¡°Ha, let¡¯s see. I have to try that!¡± Robin laughed, put the reader to the side and laid his hand on the stone. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on his mutation. He had to focus really hard and needed a few attempts, but ultimately a small blue arrow formed in his mind that pointed exactly in the same direction as the one the reader had shown before. ¡°Pack your stuff, folks - we are about to start a treasure hunt!¡± Chapter 80 - Scavenger Hunt While Landom was starting his investigation of the kidnapping attempt together with the Vlasov siblings and Niu was keeping an eye on the Hubble, two small ships raced over the waves of the Mystic Sea. After only a bit more than 15 minutes, the Sentinel slowed down and began to land on an island below them. The Melody II followed along and soon the five people stood on a small plot of land that floated in the middle of the ocean. Not bigger than 30 by 30 meters and completely empty except for a bit of grass and rock. With each wave the island rose up and down, as if it was trying to shake off the unwelcome visitors. ¡°After only a few hundred meters into the ocean we lost all means of communication and many systems for navigation.¡± Keran said with a grim face and looked at Robin, ¡°How is the Melody II holding¡­ What the hell is wrong with you? Are you okay?¡± Robin was pale like a sheet of paper and shivered all over his body. ¡°I h¡­ hate this place! I wanna go ho-o-ome¡­¡± He whined and Timothy stepped to his side to explain. ¡°At the same time when the systems began to get affected by the storm, Robin also began to suffer from its effect. I don¡¯t really understand why, because he obviously should be fine while not using his mutation, but he stubbornly refuses to explain. Somehow it must still have a severe impact on someone with an energy-based mutation.¡± ¡°You really look like shit, will you be okay?¡± Patience asked him, honest concern in her voice. ¡°Yeah, I¡­ I think I¡¯ll get used to it so-o-oner or later¡­¡± Robin stuttered. He was a freakin¡¯ wreck right now. The storm messed with his stupid passive sense and he didn¡¯t even dare to imagine how he would have reacted, if he hadn¡¯t already trained tuning down the passive skill. Ang¡¯Tue already kneeled next to another plain looking stone that was probably an Eltaran¡¯s Guide-Star. ¡°Are you up to this? Or should we try at another time, after you had some time to acclimate?¡± He asked. ¡°Nah¡­ ju-just begin already!¡± Ang¡¯Tue looked at Keran who only shrugged and then cut his arm once more. Like last time, the blood quickly vanished into the stone and shortly afterwards a hum could be heard. Robin took over and sat next to the Guide-Star. ¡®Burn in plasma!¡¯ He cursed in his head, as the damn storm was making his whole body itch like hell. After he touched the stone with his hand, he needed many attempts before he finally could see a blurry image of an arrow in his mind. He quickly copied it to an analog notebook that Timothy had prepared and followed its direction with his eyes. ¡°Great, deeper into the storm¡­¡± He sighed. Without further ado, the group packed up and continued their journey. The second island they visited was nearly the same and when they looked for the third, they landed on the wrong one first. It probably just happened to be on the way to island three. When Robin read the new directions after they arrived on the third island, more than two hours had passed already and he finally began to get used to the storm with his passive sense a bit. They had flown deep into the ocean by the time they reached number four. The islands became sparser but larger - the one they just landed on was at least 120 meters in diameter. The scenery however didn¡¯t change at all. Still only a flat plain with a bit of grass and rock here and there. But at least the waves had now less of an impact than on the smaller ones at the beginning, making standing there more comfortable. Ang¡¯Tue, Keran and Timothy spread out to look for the Guide-Star, while Robin and Patience stayed with the ships and took out some picnic. ¡°How are you doing, Rob?¡± She asked him after they had sat down. ¡°Much better, just needed some time to get used to this fucking storm¡­¡± Robin mumbled, ¡°But do tell, how are you doing? Is it the adventure you imagined when tagging along?¡± ¡°We are just beginning, right? The real action will start when we enter the Goya-System, won¡¯t it?¡± She said with a grin. ¡°Yeah, but I think for the fact that we have only just begun, we already have some great stories to tell! Do you remember the dudes we met in the inn in Seka? The Weary Traveler? They would never believe this shit - traveling under the electromagnetic storm of the Mystic Sea and hunting for hidden alien relic sites!¡± He laughed and grabbed another fruit. ¡°I missed most of the action, though. I would have loved to see you in a bar fight!¡± Patience chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I noticed you are suspiciously often in training sessions with Sevastian lately¡­¡± Robin said with an impish grin on his face. ¡°What are you implying? We are just training!¡± Patience objected defensively. ¡°I wish you the best, you deserve every bit of happiness!¡± ¡°Ah come on¡­ We are still just¡­ testing each other out.¡± She said but the slight blush on her face revealed that she at least had high hopes for them to work out. They could relax for quite some time and just as Robin feared they stopped on the wrong island once again, he heard Timothy shouting. ¡°Found something!¡± The young researcher yelled over the noise from the crashing waves and the endlessly raging storm, before he quickly sprinted forward to an unassuming spot on the island that looked like every other place. However, Robin was still quite a bit away, so he couldn¡¯t see much. What he could see, however, was the humanoid robot that suddenly crawled out of the ground a few meters beside Timothy. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Patience cursed and rushed forward before Robin could even process what was happening. Stolen novel; please report. *** While Timothy was searching the island together with Keran and the alien, he mentally thanked Robin once more that he forced him on this trip - of course he would never let him know that, mind you, but he was happy nonetheless. That was a real, living Eltaran and they had not only talked to each other, Timothy even had touched him once, when they squeezed in the small Sentinel. Now he was on a scavenger hunt in the middle of the Mystic Sea, looking for an alien outpost that even the UAS didn¡¯t know of! At the beginning and after the training on Trov S, he was still skeptical about this excursion. But now? Holy shit, just imagine what they may find on Terulos¡­ With his studies at the Drel outpost he already began to climb the ranks in the UAS, but now he was combining his career with real field-research and even a bit of adventuring. Hopefully they weren¡¯t on the wrong island again. They had skimmed through nearly the whole place and there was only¡­ ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He muttered when he spotted a strange looking rock formation, not even 5 meters from the shore of the island away. ¡°Is that the Guide-Star we are looking for?¡± Quickly he informed the other about his find and sprinted forwards. It came to quite a surprise to him, when the whole rock formation suddenly vanished into the earth, leaving only a dark hole in the ground. ¡°What the¡­?¡± He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something move in the darkness. Only seconds later a humanoid robot jumped clumsy out of the hole and looked around, assessing the situation. It was made of a silver metal and about 1.5m tall, walked on two legs and had two arms, one had a blade welded onto, the other had a claw that held a strange tool. Noteworthy was that the robot didn¡¯t have a head and what he assumed to be its sensors were integrated in its torso. It staggered a bit, age hadn¡¯t passed by without a trace. The metal was rusty, screeching noises were made with every movement. Timothy didn¡¯t recognize the model, but it was probably Eltaran-technology, not exactly his field of expertise. His Class D - Eidetic Memory however did at least help a bit, as he recognized the tube-like tool in its right claw as a energy weapon. He took a slow step backwards, always watching where the gun was aiming and made sure to gain some distance. He heard someone running behind him and saw that the robot, too, focused in that direction. ¡°It has an energy gun!¡± Timothy yelled - it was better he took risk of getting its attention than letting the others rush into this unprepared. And its attention he earned. In a slightly stuttering motion the robot raised the weapon, took aim and fired a shot. Timothy jumped hastily to the side and was surprised when the expected pain didn¡¯t come, instead he heard his comrades shouting and coming closer. ¡°Did it actually miss?¡± Confused, he opened his eyes and looked towards the robot. It was only a few meters away and the gun was raised once more, aiming in his direction. Since he was lying on the ground, he had no chance to quickly jump out of the way again. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Just when he thought it was all over, an energy projectile hit the robot¡¯s bladed arm and shook him enough to miss Timothy once more. The shot impacted the ground a few centimeters to the left of his head and dirt and rock splattered in his face. Quickly he scrambled to his feet and prepared to run away, when Patience shot past him like a flash. With a flying kick to the robot¡¯s middle, she catapulted it into the air for a good 15 meters, after which it fell into the water with a loud splash and sank like a stone. ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s done, motherfucker!¡± Patience yelled at the crashing waves before she turned around and inspected Timothy. ¡°That was close, mate! Did you shit your pants or is it just dirt?¡± She laughed and he quickly patted his dirty trousers. ¡°Thanks a lot, Patience¡­¡± Timothy huffed, only slowly did it dawn on him how close he had escaped death just now. The others also arrived and while Ang¡¯Tue inspected the hole where the robot came from and kept an eye on the ocean at the same time, Keran and Robin made sure he was unharmed. ¡°Good dive roll for a dusty research guy!¡± His friend patted his shoulder after he made sure that everything was still where it belonged. *** Everyone needed a moment to calm down and only after they were sure that the robot couldn¡¯t swim and there weren¡¯t more of them hidden, did they sit down next to Timothy. ¡°That was close, man. Don¡¯t scare me like that again, will ya?¡± Robin said, happy that his buddy was still in one piece. He had seen the hole left by the shot that missed him - no walking away if you take a direct hit from that. ¡°You probably won¡¯t believe it, but it wasn¡¯t by choice¡­¡± Timothy scoffed with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t warn you upfront. I really didn¡¯t know and¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue began but his voice trailed off, when he lost himself in thoughts. ¡°Hey!¡± Keran poked him, ¡°What ¡®and¡¯?¡± ¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure. But this is the fourth island, the first ones were all pretty straight forward - was it luck or did my ancestors raise the difficulty? If so, what do we have to expect on the next islands?¡± ¡°Yeah, that sucks.¡± Patience said, ¡°My stunt from before isn¡¯t something we should bet on, how well are we armed?¡± ¡°Well, we didn''t expect any hostile encounters, that''s why Landom and his squad were allowed to stay in the town. But Keran has an energy weapon and Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s gun is also on the Sentinel. Does that thing work?¡± Robin looked at the Eltaran. ¡°Yes, it should be comparable to the one from Mr. Bex.¡± ¡°Could we have killed the robot with that?¡± Patience asked. ¡°Probably. My aim was a bit off and only impacted the arm. A proper shot to the torso should have done the job.¡± Keran said and Timothy nodded in agreement. ¡°Where is my Disruptor when it is needed?¡± Robin muttered with a pout. ¡°What was that?¡± Keran asked. ¡°Nothing. I have a ballistic pistol on my ship that we could use. But I¡¯m not sure how much it¡¯ll help against these robots.¡± ¡°So do we keep going or are we heading back to rearm and get the others?¡± Ang¡¯Tue asked. Robin saw that ROMAS analyzed the situation and agreed. They were lucky that they had only one ¡®wrong¡¯ stop till now, next time it could take them days to get here. ¡°Let¡¯s test the next islands and if the difficulty is rising, we go back. But for now I would like to continue - we were lucky to find the way that easily. I imagine that it would be possible to get many distracting islands on the way to the next marker, like with the 3rd one.¡± Robin explained, ¡°We¡¯ll be more careful and better prepared on the next island. Let¡¯s give it a go.¡± Keran nodded in agreement and the rest also seemed to be fine with that plan. After resting a bit, they activated the Guide-Star, which was next to the hole where the robot jumped out, and continued their hunt. Chapter 81 - When Hell Breaks Loose When the exploration team reached the fifth island, they were much more careful. Slowly they circled the whole area a few times, before they decided to land. Visually the island wasn¡¯t different from the one before, with roughly the same size. They got off their ships and Keran and Ang¡¯Tue held their weapons at the ready. Patience moved somewhat to the side and Timothy stayed by the ships. Slowly they moved forward, always looking for potential traps and alike. Robin fired his Echo-Pulse every few seconds in hope of discovering any hidden robot, machine or facility. His head quickly began to throb. The Echo-Pulse was exactly that, a pulse sent out in every direction for about 15m. Unfortunately, he had no means to control or restrict its direction, so the image that flickered in his mind was mostly a bright blue glowing mass; a result from the sky above where the storm was raging. Robin had to stay focused to his limits, to be able to see anything other than the electromagnetic interference. However, after only 10 minutes Ang¡¯Tue called them over. He had found the Guide-Star - no traps, no killer robots, nothing. Robin scanned the area around the stone multiple times, before he gave his okay and the team began to read the new directions. The next island, the sixth already, was even bigger than the last two. After landing, the aspiring adventures found themselves on a 200 by 250 meters wide plain. This time there was even a little hill in the middle, not more than a bump, but at least a welcomed change in scenery. Once more they skimmed carefully through the island, looking for traps or other surprises. When they closed in on the hill, Robin called the others to a halt. ¡°Give me a moment to check the middle more thoroughly.¡± He said and sat on the ground. He didn¡¯t use the Echo-Pulse for this section but his main skill. Slow and diligently to not miss anything, he activated his energy senses time after time, probing deep into the hill and the grassy ground around it. Keran and Ang¡¯Tue stood with their weapons at the ready to his side and observed the surroundings with watchful eyes. After many scans, Robin finally reached the region on the other side of the little hill. There he actually got feedback from his senses. Relief and anxiety flooded his body at the same time. Relief, because he now had at least confirmed that he could protect them from any hidden trap - anxiety because there was a freakin¡¯ robot buried in the earth. ¡°I have good news!¡± He said and everyone relaxed a bit, ¡°I found a combat unit!¡± ¡°How the fuck is that good news?¡± Patience immediately complained. ¡°Well, we now can be sure that I can find the robots and it¡¯s only a single one again. Seems to be the same model, but no promises.¡± ¡°We can work with that.¡± Keran said and walked closer to Ang¡¯Tue, ¡°Last time the robot did need a moment to assess the situation. We can use that as a window of opportunity for an all-out attack from two sides.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Patience agreed and looked at Robin and the Eltaran, ¡°Rob, you go back to Timothy. You already did your part, now it¡¯s our turn! You, old man, can you do this invisibility-thing and hide to attack it from behind?¡± ¡°This invisibility-thing is a shadow-based skill. Do you see any shadows around here, young miss?¡± Ang¡¯Tue replied with a warm smile, as if he was talking to his niece. ¡°Bah, whatever. Rob, step back and you two - get in position!¡± Patience ordered and walked towards the hill, ¡°I¡¯ll step forward to trigger its activation, move around the mound on one side each.¡± The others complied and Robin watched as the three moved in on the spot where the robot was hidden. When Patience was only four meters away, the ground suddenly opened and the combat unit jumped out. It looked to Patience and slowly raised its weapon, as if still deciding on the best course of action. However, an instant later an energy projectile hit its thigh and it stumbled backwards. A shot coming from the other side missed it completely. It turned towards Keran, who had fired first, and realigned its gun. The researcher didn¡¯t give it any more time and shot again, hitting it where its legs were connected to the body. Unfortunately that hit wasn¡¯t as fatal as it would have been for a human and the robot didn¡¯t even stumble. Keran quickly jumped a few steps back while he waited for his rifle to cool down. That was unnecessary though, as Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s second projectile hit the robot square in the back moments later, making it fall over face forwards. Both men quickly closed in while Patience pulled back. From only a few meters away, they both shot the robot once more - not missing this time - and silence fell over the island. Patience rushed forward, yelling something about ¡°Hold your fire!¡± and quickly jumped on the smoking unit. With her raw strength she took its arms in a tight grip and turned it around. Robin also moved in and checked the robot with his senses. ¡°It is dead¡­ offline¡­ uhm, broken? Whatever, no more energy is running through its main part in the torso.¡± He confirmed its ¡®death¡¯. ¡°Wow, you guys really suck with guns¡­¡± Timothy said after he walked over to inspect the combat bot. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why they aren¡¯t part of the security squad.¡± Patience agreed and the two men both awkwardly looked to the ocean as if searching for more enemies. Despite their poor performance, the situation was resolved without anyone getting harmed and they could even loot the rifle the bot had used. It was a much older and heavily modified version of Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s weapon and they couldn¡¯t change the charge, but after a quick scan, Robin estimated there were 3 to 5 shots left. After Timothy and Keran both confirmed that the rest of the robot wasn¡¯t worth anything, Robin continued his scanning of the ground before they found the next Guide-Stone. ¡°We are taking a rest for now and will resume the journey in an hour. Make yourself comfortable, but don¡¯t run around over there.¡± He said and motioned in the direction of the still unexplored part of the island. Who knew if there were more robots buried? If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How many more islands do we have to follow, Ang¡¯Tue?¡± Keran asked while they sat in a loose circle around the stone. ¡°It is said to be 5 to 10, depending on the constellation of the islands. So it should be one of the next four.¡± ¡°One more?¡± Robin looked at Keran, ¡°Then we take a break for the night - either here or we try to get back to Dreamer¡¯s Hope.¡± It was Timothy who shook his head and denied that idea. ¡°No, traveling by night is too dangerous in the Mystic Sea. Getting back when we can use Mereus as orientation is already hard enough, but when it¡¯s dark outside? Bad idea¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± He agreed with his friend, ¡°Great, prepare for a night under the beauty of the stars, folks!¡± Everyone looked up into the sky, where the never-ending storm was raging in the dark clouds. ¡°You really suck at this¡­¡± Patience flatly said and earned some chuckles from the others. They reached the seventh island an hour before sunset. It was once more bigger than the islands before, giving the group hope that they were on the right track. With now trained ease, they began to search the huge island. There were a few small hills like the one from before, and Robin switched continuously between Echo-Pulse and scanning to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything. When they passed the first third - maybe 100 meters - it was already getting darker. Timothy chilled in the Melody II, while the others carefully walked in a wide-spread row. ¡°This island is so big, there has to be something here, right?¡± Robin muttered and concentrated even more on his energy senses, ignoring his throbbing head. Suddenly, he noticed something moving in the corner of his eye and spun around. ¡°INCOMING!¡± He yelled and jumped to the side, just in time to dodge an energy projectile that was clumsily fired at him. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­ how...?¡± Robin cursed when he saw the three combat bots that had climbed silently out of holes in the ground a few meters behind him. They seemed to be in better shape than the last ones, even so rust was still eating away many parts. When he noticed a slight ripple around them, he realized his mistake and understood why he hadn¡¯t sensed them before. ¡°Careful, they are shielded!¡± He managed to shout, then all hell broke loose. *** Silent as the night that had fallen over this damned settlement, Alena followed the others along the dark and dusty corridor. Directly in front of her was the team leader carefully taking one step after another, but his clumsy movement disclosed that he definitely wasn¡¯t trained in such stealth missions. Well, he wasn¡¯t trained for most of the stuff they were doing, but he still did an adequate job under the given conditions. He came from Seka Security, nothing more than a glorified police. He never was confronted with situations like these before and she could see his inexperience seep into many of his decisions - right now she could even smell him sweating due to his nervousness. However, that they were here at all was also because of him being more of a police officer than someone in charge of security and that definitely was a good thing. Leading this small squad through the corridor was her brother and even without her enhanced senses she would be able to hear him from a mile away. But hey, he did his best and it wasn¡¯t like the shield he was carrying weighed a ton or anything. Sevastian¡¯s role was to tank any incoming enemy fire and Landom made it very clear in the short briefing before that he expects heavy resistance. The dark tunnel they followed should lead them to the hidden laboratory of a stitch who apparently sold his services to anyone who was willing to pay enough. In contrast to his qualities as a security guy, Walzor was a damn good inspector. Shortly after the others left for the Mystic sea, Happy was contacted by one of her childhood friends from within the Alaris family. Allegedly the family had sent someone to Seavis to get Niu back home without anyone noticing. The mission was aborted quickly after the kidnapping attempt had gone wrong, but Walzor used some of that information and everything he heard from Robin to craft some theories. After another round of interrogations and pressuring of the innkeeper that sold them out, he found a solid lead to this stitch. They needed most of the afternoon and early evening to find the exact location to the laboratory, but ultimately Walzor really pulled it off. Now she only hoped that his theory was solid and her brother won¡¯t mess this up. When she spotted a door a few meters ahead in the dark, she pushed the distracting thoughts aside and gave the others a sign to prepare. Sevastian stopped and everyone tried to quiet down as much as possible, while she began to listen for anything that could help to assess the situation on the other side of that door. Steps¡­ Hushed voices¡­ Steps¡­ After a minute or so, Alena put her helmet back on. She would lose most of the advantages her enhanced vision, hearing or smell are providing, but her head now was protected and she could safely talk to the other over the comm. ¡°At least two people are inside.¡± She explained, ¡°They are walking around and keeping their voices down¡­¡± ¡°They know we are coming.¡± The team leader concluded. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± ¡°Sevastian, are you up to this? We can still turn back and hope they don¡¯t get away before reinforcements arrive.¡± Walzor asked her brother. ¡°How good are the chances that we will be able to catch them tomorrow?¡± ¡°Not as good as today, but our safety comes first. They know we are on the move and have at least had some time to prepare accordingly.¡± Sevastian adjusted the heavy shield a bit. ¡°Enough talking, let¡¯s begin already!¡± ¡°Alright, step back a bit.¡± Walzor said and crept to the door. He took a small device out of his pockets and stuck it on the thick metal. After a moment of hesitation, he took out a second one and also put it on the door. Sevastian hefted the shield, rooting it in the rocky floor as well as possible, while Alena and Landom moved behind him and readied their energy rifles. ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­¡± A loud explosion shook the corridor and dirt trickled from the walls. For a second Alena feared that the whole tunnel would collapse, but luckily that didn¡¯t happen. However, thick dust set visibility to zero. She switched her helmet¡¯s optics to thermal vision but whoever was behind the door, they had just blasted open, was one step ahead. Dozens of energy projectiles were fired in their direction and those were aimed pretty well. Alena saw Sevastian straining his mutated body to the limit to keep hold of the shield that caught all the shots. After the first volley was over, she leaned out of the cover and returned the fire. Walzor did the same and also shot into the room, while her brother slowly pressed forward, shield still raised. With thermal vision activated, she could see three people in the room that hunkered down behind some turned-over tables. This could become a dangerous stalemate and she really hoped that the enemy, just like them, had no grenades to throw at hand. ¡°Careful, above us!¡± Landom shouted and actually stepped completely out of the cover. He fired wildly at a turret that just came out of the ceiling and aimed at Sevastian. He was too close already, the shield not able to provide any cover from that angle. The turret switched targets to the team leader, but Alena couldn¡¯t observe any longer, she had to keep the thugs in check that used the distraction to stand up and were about to shot again. She aimed for the first head that popped up and, without any hesitation, pulled the trigger of her gun. Chapter 82 - Battlefield When he heard the shout from the young human, Ang¡¯Tue swirled around. Three old combat bots crawled out of their hideouts and the slightly shimmering air around them confirmed the theory - his ancestors had obviously shielded them. It made sense though, the ones that had built all this assumed that it was possible to scan the ground at least rudimentary. That the storm outgrew their expectations wasn¡¯t planned. Installing shields to avoid sensors was the next logical step. ¡®At least these kinds of shields were crafted with a focus on stopping scanning attempts, not energy projectiles.¡¯ He thought and assessed the situation. The man called Keran had already raised his gun and was yelling at the captain to pull back to the ships before his helmet closed and the team switched to the near-field comm. The woman turned and also sprinted back to where they came from. When the first shots were fired, the robots split up. One was following the two fleeing people, the one that was just hit engaged his attacker and the last one focused on Ang¡¯Tue. With trained ease he felt for the darkness around him. After nearly 300 years, melting into the shadows from the dark clouds above came natural to him¡­ was it even still a shadow or already the dim light from nightfall? Didn¡¯t matter - he pushed the thoughts away. He had a pretty good idea of the furious look Keran must have on his face right now. With his target suddenly vanished, the robot looked for the next opponent. Immediately the human had to fight two of the combat units at once, probably fearing the Eltaran had left him to die. This wasn¡¯t his intention though. Not yet, he still needed the help of this group. Quickly he closed in on the two enemies from behind, his vision blurry due to the shadow¡¯s interference. Keran managed to fire his weapon once more, letting the shield flicker, before the bot fired back. The human jumped to the side but was still hit on his thigh. When the second unit also took aim, Ang¡¯Tue pulled the trigger, hitting it in the back and making it stumble forwards. Its shot missed the human, giving him time to scramble back to his feet. The shadows spat him out after the disruption of his surroundings and he would need a few moments before he could jump back into the darkness. Ang¡¯Tue fired a second shot, this time at the unit Keran was targeting. It would be better to take one out first. Its shield flashed again, looking more fragile this time and when the human landed another hit, it finally winked out. Unfortunately the man took a second hit, too - his left arm hung loose to the side after that. Finally Ang¡¯Tue felt his body had recovered and reached out for the shadows again - time was running out, as the second robot was already aiming at him. He stepped to the side while he vanished, but a sudden loud bang tore through the night and interrupted his concentration. The shadows receded from his control and the bot fired. Searing pain shot through his body when the projectile burned the flesh on his leg. More loud bangs could be heard - the rapid fire of a ballistic weapon. The other humans? The third bot? He couldn¡¯t focus on that. His body hurt like hell and energy projectiles flew all around him as Keran continued the fight. ¡®No cover at all on this shitty island¡­¡¯ He thought and shot at Keran¡¯s opponent once more. His own enemy was close by now and he quickly manipulated the dark shadows around it to condense in front of its optical sensors. That wouldn¡¯t distract it for long, but they only needed a short window of opportunity. He saw Keran avoiding a projectile and finally blasting the combat bot apart with his next shot. ¡®One down, one to go. How are the others faring? The bursts of ballistic fire still didn¡¯t stop coming.¡¯ Ang¡¯Tue anxiously thought but couldn¡¯t check since the blinded bot had already adjusted its sensors and pointed its weapon in the human¡¯s direction. The two men both shot at the same time. Its shield immediately blasted apart and left the combat bot vulnerable. However, it still had enough stability to hit Keran in the middle of his chest. The impact threw him back half a meter. Ang¡¯Tue couldn¡¯t wait for his weapon to cool down. He jumped forward and tackled the robot from behind, throwing it to the ground face first. ¡°Ouw, damn. I¡¯m getting old¡­¡± His shoulder ached now nearly as much as his leg. Hopefully the human was protected enough by his armor to get back on his feet, he won¡¯t be able to hold down the bot for long. The unit raged under him, trying to get back up and Ang¡¯Tue did his best to press it harder into the ground when he saw Keran struggling to his feet. Slowly the man limped over, pulling one leg behind. His healthy arm still held the gun and when he finally arrived, he opened his helmet to be able to talk. ¡°Thanks for your help. I thought for a second you would run off!¡± Keran chuckled with a pain-stricken face, ¡°Take its gun and roll aside, I¡¯ll finish it when you are out of the way. We have to help the others.¡± ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s still very lively! I¡¯ll blind it, but that won¡¯t help much.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and counted down, while he called for the shadows once again. ¡°Three.. Two.. one..¡± In one fluid motion he grabbed the robot¡¯s gun and rolled away from it. The robot was surprisingly quick to his feet, but the human was faster and scored a hit on its torso where the sensors were placed. The bot stopped dead in its tracks, before its other arm shot forward and the unit finally went still. It didn¡¯t fall back however - its bladed arm was stuck in Keran¡¯s stomach and kept it from falling. ¡°Damn old geezers!¡± Ang¡¯Tue cursed his ancestors in exasperation and rushed forward to help the man. Before he even reached him however, a huge explosion tore through the night. The shock wave washed over him and his body threw long shadows in contrast to the bright flames of the raging fire behind him. *** ¡°Return to the ships, you cannot help here!¡± Keran yelled and Robin saw that Patience quickly sprinted back. They were right, he would only be in the way if he stayed. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. With gnashing teeth he followed her, while dozens of different things raced through his mind. Hopefully Keran and Ang¡¯Tue would be okay. What could he do to help them? He had his pistol¡­ hardly a problem-solver in this situation. Patience¡¯s energy weapon also only had 3 to 5 shots left. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± He cursed when ROMAS came up with more bad news. And as if the situation wasn¡¯t fucked up enough already, he suddenly heard fast metallic steps behind him. When he looked back, he saw that the two men had engaged the robots and energy bolts flew all around, but one of the units had actually split from the group and was coming after him. ¡°Careful, Patience!¡± He shouted a warning. She immediately turned around and reflexively fired at the bot without hesitation. The projectile missed it by at least two meters and burned the ground next to Keran far in the distance. ¡°Woa¡­¡± The combat unit still closed in on them and the Melody was more than 40 meters away. What would he even do there? Fly away? Leave his friends behind? His crew? ¡°Shit!¡± He cursed once more and continued to run. ¡°Come on!¡± He yelled and Patience fired another shot, missing once more. ¡°Fuck you!¡± She angrily shouted and also returned to sprinting. They quickly reached the Melody and Robin saw Timothy hunkering down in the cockpit. The Sentinel was 15 meters to the left. Just as Robin thought about ¡®what now?¡¯, the robot decided it was close enough and raised its rifle. ¡°A ballistic weapon?¡± He muttered and saw Patience also hesitated. Handling weapons wasn¡¯t one of her skills, but she could also hardly start a brawl with this mechanical enemy. Shots rang through the night and Robin took in a sharp breath when he felt the pain of the bullets hitting his armor. ¡°What is going on here?¡± Timothy asked with a fearful voice, now that they were in range of communications. ¡°Start the Melody!¡± Robin shouted with no time to explain and saw that Timothy began to fumble behind the pilot¡¯s seat. Patience took a few steps forward and fired a third shot from a closer distance at the bot. Finally she hit it, but the shield only flashed slightly. Robin also took aim and fired a few shots in rapid succession. Most of them hit but neither shield nor robot showed any signs of that having an impact at all. The bot retaliated at Patience and even so she rolled out of the way, he saw her wincing when she got back to her feet. Many shots missed, though - instead the Sentinel behind her was riddled with bullets. He saw impacts all around its thrusters. ¡°To the Melody!¡± Robin yelled and also dragged himself closer. Once again he fired at the robot, not stopping until his magazine was empty. ¡°Wait for the right moment!¡± He said to Patience and ROMAS alike. While they waited for the unit to start shooting again, Robin assessed the situation. It was getting dark already which highlighted the many energy projectiles that flew in the distance even more. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­¡± The combat unit took aim at Patience once again and he saw her looking over at him. The dark visor of her helmet obscured her face, but he was pretty sure she was throwing him a fearful glance, not sure if betting her life on this was a good idea. An instant before the next hail of bullets rained down on them, the shield at the Melody¡¯s rear flickered to life. The bullets suddenly appeared not even an arm¡¯s length from Patience, directly in front of her face, scaring the shit out of them and clattered to the ground. ¡°FUUUCK! Rob!¡± She roared on the comm. ¡°Yeah, glad it worked. No time to lose now, I just checked your rifle - one shot left. Make it count! 23 seconds before the shield powers down¡­¡± ¡°We will talk about that later!¡± She growled and for a moment Robin was more afraid of her than the robot. The bot fired another round, but Patience managed to keep her cool and got down on one knee for a better stance. ¡°11 seconds¡­¡± He updated her while he reloaded his pistol. After the next volley of shots, she finally fired her last shot, hitting the robot directly on its sensors. The shield flickered once again - it wouldn¡¯t hold much longer. But it didn¡¯t make a difference, they were out of ammo while the combat bot seemed to have some shots left. ¡°6 seconds¡­ what now?¡± He asked his friend. ¡°Distract it, I have a plan!¡± She replied and Robin reacted without thinking about it. The moment the shield blocked the next attack and went off, he sprinted away from the Melody, opposite of Patience, and fired the whole magazine at the robot. To his surprise its shield actually was broken and he got its attention as planned. With a long jump he rolled forward, evading most of the bullets that came as an answer. Behind him the Sentinel caught them once again, more holes could be seen now. That was his only possible cover so he moved closer and tried to get around it, before the next attack. He left the range of near-field-comm and hunkered down in the sudden silence. ¡°...¡± Robin peaked from behind the Sentinel. On the field in front of him he saw the robot lying on the ground, Patience standing over it, with her weapon gripped at the barrel. Again and again she bashed the bot with her newly acquired club. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked after sneaking a little closer and reestablishing communication. ¡°You.. fucking.. bastard.. ¡± Patience yelled in rhythm with each hit she landed on the bot. Relief washed over him, trying to trick him into lowering his vigilance. Robin had learned from his past mistakes though and sent out a quick Echo-Pulse to check the status of the combat unit. However, when he suddenly got a brightly glowing image from the Sentinel next to him imprinted in his mind, his eyes went wide. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± He jumped forward, away from the ship and sprinted a few meters. ¡°The Sentinel is about to explode, get out of here!¡± Robin shouted to warn his friend. To his surprise, Patience didn¡¯t run, but dropped her ¡®club¡¯ and grabbed the bot by its bladed arm instead. ¡°Wuahhhhh¡­¡± She yelled and with the whole might of her newly upgraded mutation she managed to throw the damn robot towards the Sentinel the moment it exploded like a bomb into a bright ball of fire. Chapter 83 - The Aftermath Even though night had long since fallen by now and darkness reigned supreme on this little island in the middle of nowhere, Robin checked the chassis and systems of the Melody II as diligently as possible once more. Was it the fourth time? The fifth? He didn¡¯t know anymore. His head was throbbing like hell and the whole situation was a massive shitshow with Keran as the protagonist. With a sigh he left the ship and returned to the fire that marked the middle of their newly established camp a bit further in on the island. Ang¡¯Tue, Patience and Timothy were sitting around the campsite, Keran was lying on a makeshift bed a few meters away - still unconscious. ¡°How is it?¡± Timothy asked when Robin returned from his inspection. ¡°Tough? Fucked up? A mess? Just choose one of them¡­¡± He scowled, but then remembered to pull himself together - even if they were more like a group of friends journeying together, he was the captain and they needed a captain right now. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said in a low voice and sat down next to him, ¡°Not everything is bad. The Melody seems to be fine, I couldn¡¯t find any critical damage - she needs a paint job, but apart from that she should be ready to go. The Sentinel¡¯s wreckage also stopped smoldering. No noteworthy energy levels could be detected anymore. How is the situation here?¡± ¡°We have food for two days and as long as it doesn¡¯t start to rain, this camp will do. Ang¡¯Tue already assured us that rain is quite the rarity in the Mystic Sea due to the storm. So we should be good for now.¡± Patience explained and Ang¡¯Tue took over. ¡°The human is still unconscious, however his bleeding completely stopped and the wound began to close.¡± He said and a thoughtful expression crept on his face, ¡°A marveling mutation that is. He should be able to fully heal himself if enough time is given¡­ time and nutrition. His body needs massive amounts of energy to sustain the rapid healing process.¡± ¡°How long do we have?¡± Robin asked with a stern face. ¡°We can support his healing for 12 hours, 14 at most.¡± The alien said, ¡°After that his body will stop the workings of the regeneration-mutation¡­¡± ¡°He will not be stable by then, will he?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°No, if that happens, he will quickly succumb to his wound.¡± Ang¡¯Tue shook his head. ¡°We could go back to call for help¡­¡± Patience said. ¡°Yeah, but Keran isn¡¯t in a condition to travel, so we would have to go back to get the help here but have no chance to return in time - and not with the Hubble. While the big ship could land on this island, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find the way in the first place.¡± ¡°If you and Ang¡¯Tue go back, you could notify the others and have Niu follow you in the Hubble while you two are leading the way in the Melody.¡± Timothy suggested. Robin sighed and shook his head. ¡°You are right mate, but we won¡¯t be able to find the mainland by night - your words. Everything is dark and navigation is offline. Let¡¯s hope we are fast enough when the sun rises tomorrow. For now, try to get a bit of sleep. Our bodies are in dire need of rest.¡± Patience and Timothy both nodded and retreated from the campfire to a place next to Keran. They each had one of the last two sleeping bags that were stored in the Melody. Most other things had been in the Sentinel and were lost in the explosion. Despite all the worries on their minds, it didn¡¯t take long before Robin heard the snoring of Patience from within the darkness. He wasn¡¯t wrong, they needed to rest. With the exception of Timothy, everyone else had to use recovery stims. The armored suits prevented the worst, but Patience and Robin both still had gotten many bad bruises and 4 or 5 shallow wounds from bullets which managed to penetrate the armor. Ang¡¯Tue, who didn''t have an armor, got pretty nasty burns from the hit he took. But at least his limb wasn¡¯t torn off - could have gone worse for him. The two men sat in silence for a long time, just following their own thoughts and staring into the flames. ¡°Was it worth it?¡± Robin finally spoke, ¡°I mean, revealing yourself and the fact that the Eltaran are still out there, hiding from the rest of the universe? Why would you risk so much just for the copy of some data?¡± Ang¡¯Tue kept quiet and just raked the dying fire a bit. ¡°It is¡­¡± He said after a long time, ¡°Your friends, Keran and Timothy, they probably aren¡¯t high enough in the hierarchy of the UAS. But the leaders of most of the sentient races and institutions like the UAS should be well aware that the Eltaran are still around. Even if they were oblivious, haven¡¯t you heard the rumors? The Keeper are returning. Do you really think the universe¡¯s knowledge collectors don¡¯t know about the state of the Eltaran?¡± Now it was Robin¡¯s turn to remain silent and ponder about the question. ¡°It still has severe consequences, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It sure does. Every manhunter, slaver and many bored mercenaries will see this as a chance to make big profit. A living Eltaran is worth a fortune.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Robin said, ¡°I¡¯ll repeat my question: Was it worth it?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Yes. The data will hopefully help all my people to regain¡­ to recuperate.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and now sounded like the old man he was for the first time. ¡°All my people? This isn¡¯t only about the fate of your race, is it?¡± ¡°Each generation of the Eltaran has¡­ more problems than the one before.¡± He said and hesitated for a moment before he ultimately decided to continue, ¡°I have a little granddaughter. She¡¯s only 9 years old, but she will probably not make it past 15¡­¡± ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± Robin muttered, refraining from any other comment. Ang¡¯Tue shared much more than reasonable with this piece of information. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®The Eltaran are about to go extinct - they¡¯ve reached their last generation¡­¡¯ ¡°Why are you here? I heard Keran say that you¡¯ll profit the most from finding the laboratory. How is that?¡± The old man changed the topic. ¡°He knows me well!¡± Robin chuckled, ¡°Obviously I¡¯ll not gain more than the Eltaran, but from mankind¡¯s perspective? Heh...¡± ¡°Your G-Anomaly? It isn¡¯t normal¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue sharply concluded. ¡°Yeah, the UAS doesn¡¯t know what exactly is going on, but I¡¯m sure they can make good guesses on my situation already.¡± Robin explained, ¡°I had a few encounters that changed part of my G-Anomaly¡­¡± Slowly he told his story in a shortened version and without mentioning the most secret parts, but he still gave the Eltaran a pretty good summary. When he finished, the man looked at him and then began to laugh. ¡°For a moment I wondered if you told me all that as some kind of exchange for all the secrets you¡¯ve learned through me. But that isn¡¯t the case, right? Not only, at least¡­ you want to use the facility to fix or upgrade your mutation but even if you find the laboratory and the needed machines are there - you still would have no idea what to do. You are looking for my help!¡± ¡°Guilty as charged!¡± Robin shrugged, there was no need to hide it. The Eltaran was his best chance to upgrade his mutation. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do if the time comes.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and gave him a nod. ¡°Thanks! There is another question I wanted to ask, if I may?¡± ¡°Sure, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­¡± Robin began and gave an awkward smile, ¡°Just hypothetically of course, someone got a part of his brain removed. The part that is responsible for color vision. This person would see everything in grayscale from then on. If you would meet someone like that, who is searching for a way to regain his color vision, what would you suggest to him? Is that something the Eltaran could help with?¡± ¡°That is a¡­ very specific question for a constructed, hypothetical scenario!¡± Ang¡¯Tue laughed and Robin just shrugged, not giving any more away. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t trivial however, you said the brain matter was completely removed? That would shut out most of the solutions Eltaran-science could provide, I think. I assume this totally made-up person is a human and has already checked mankind¡¯s medical- and technical approaches?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s say it is like that. Any other ideas? Any leads one could follow?¡± Robin nodded. ¡°I think you will need some kind of technological substitute or support, combined with a training- and relearning-process of the brain. You should go and look for a Mohait I think - or find yourself a Keeper, they would definitely know.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said. ¡°Me? You mean the person in this hypothetical scenario!¡± ¡°Naturally!¡± Robin mused about that a bit while he watched the gray flames of the fire dancing in the night. ¡°Thank you, thank you very much¡­¡± He finally muttered and stood up to leave. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Where are you heading?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at the site where the robots appeared. Maybe I¡¯ll find something¡­ anything. I¡¯m worried for Keran.¡± ¡°Be careful, we only checked the first 3rd of the island and are not up for another fight like that.¡± ¡°I know, no worries.¡± Robin said and walked into the darkness, lost in thoughts about what Ang¡¯Tue had told him. ¡®There is no simple solution, is there?... Damnit, I¡¯ll kick this stupid AI¡¯s ass when I get it back online!¡¯ When he arrived near the three holes in the ground, he stopped the grumbling of curses and obscenities and activated his senses again. ¡°Nothing. There is nothing else in the ground¡­¡± Just like before, he could sense not even a hunch of energy below the surface. He didn¡¯t give up, though. He hadn¡¯t sensed the robots with his casual sensing at first and if he had focused even harder, maybe he would have found them. Only after many more attempts, Robin finally slumped down, his head hurt like hell and the frustration was making concentrating only harder. ¡°You really think there is more to this, than what we see with the naked eye?¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and appeared next to another hole. ¡°Holy mother, fuck! You scared the shit out of me!¡± Robin yelped in surprise. ¡°Sorry, old habits¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ whatever. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for. There are a few things that are bugging me. For one, I didn¡¯t sense the robots - so who knows what else I have missed? And the other thing¡­ The more I think about it, the more one question is pestering me: If this isn¡¯t the last island, what the hell do we have to expect on the next one? What else are your ancestors going to throw at us? Do they really wanna see us dead?¡± ¡°I see where you are coming from, yes. However, I don¡¯t think that they really wanted everyone that comes close to the laboratory dead - the bots even attack Eltaran. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more like a test than a deathtrap.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a test, how much do they want to raise the level? They can¡¯t really expect huge, fully armed combat teams to come. They should have thought about a situation like this, where only a small group of explorers or scientists came looking. They probably assumed it to be all Eltaran, not humans or other races, but that aside¡­?¡± ¡°So you think the facility is under this island?¡± Ang¡¯Tue asked, looking around expectantly as if a building would suddenly appear out of nowhere. ¡°As I said: I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just that something feels off. Also, I didn¡¯t find any other Guide-Star so far. Last time, they were close to the ambush sites.¡± ¡°But we did only search one third of the island, it¡¯s possible that there are more robots buried here.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll give it just a few more tests and then call it a day.¡± Robin said and stood up. He walked over to one of the holes and jumped down. Like on the other islands, these holes were just some metallic boxes hidden in the ground with a cover that looked like the earth above. An Echo Pulse gave nothing away. Another one.. Nothing. A scan with his main skill.. Nothing. Another one.. Nothing. ¡°Ah, fuck this!¡± He cursed and climbed back out. ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be more reasonable to assume that Ang¡¯Tue would be the key to find anything, if there was something hidden here?¡± Timothy said as he came closer. ¡°Hey buddy, why are you not sleeping?¡± ¡°Because you are cursing loudly in the middle of the night¡­¡± He scoffed. ¡°Yeah, point taken, sorry.¡± ¡°I think you are right.¡± Ang¡¯Tue chimed in, ¡°My blood also is the key to activate the Guide-Stars, so why should it be different with the entry to the facility?¡± ¡°You wanna splatter your blood all around here and see what happens? That sounds like a quick way to die of blood loss - it¡¯s a big island!¡± Robin objected. ¡°Let¡¯s try it at least here¡­¡± The Eltaran said and pulled up his sleeves. With trained ease he cut his arm again and dropped his blood in one of the holes. With expectant faces all three looked at the little puddle. When nothing happened after half a minute, Timothy shrugged. ¡°Well, it was worth the try!¡± Ang¡¯Tue stepped to the other two holes and also let a bit of his blood drop into each of them. ¡°Leave it be, we will find it tomorrow after we stabilize Keran¡¯s condition¡­ somehow.¡± Robin said wearily and turned to leave with Timothy. He took only a few steps before he suddenly heard a deep rumbling behind him¡­

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[Update] Heartbeat - Vacation Is Great! [29.03.24] Hey folks, I just wanted to say hello and send a heartbeat. Vacation is great, I''m having an awesome time with my family and have visited the desert already, as well as stayed in the jungle for a few nights! I also already restarted writing and am working on regaining some backlog. So we are right on schedule and chapters will be returning on 15.04. as promised. Have a great day and happy Easter! Dusky --------------- Wow... 500 words needed to publish this chapter. Well, I don''t wanna bore you with some kind of lengthy vacation-talk, so let''s stick to lorem-ipsum for now! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis molestie eleifend diam, sodales commodo ante sodales sed. Quisque eget felis efficitur, sagittis tellus eget, bibendum nulla. Sed convallis imperdiet massa, eu sodales ligula blandit sit amet. Vestibulum tortor diam, congue ac ex ac, sagittis bibendum velit. Donec varius quam eget condimentum fringilla. Fusce non sapien neque. Aliquam erat volutpat. Ut id condimentum elit. Maecenas volutpat ultrices lacinia. Donec tristique libero ut augue aliquam, ac commodo erat efficitur. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Sed aliquet, leo finibus ullamcorper tempus, metus erat iaculis eros, sed efficitur enim massa vitae ex. Sed posuere ullamcorper augue. Sed fringilla nisl in sapien ornare, ac porttitor tortor imperdiet. Vivamus libero est, commodo sit amet auctor sed, posuere ut tellus. Ut mi libero, ultrices ac aliquet ut, scelerisque porttitor tellus. Suspendisse vitae velit tincidunt, dignissim lacus eget, elementum dolor. Donec facilisis consequat neque et fermentum. Duis quis quam eu ligula porttitor fermentum non sed magna. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce eu bibendum arcu, quis tincidunt nisl. Ut quis tristique justo. Vivamus elementum, urna a volutpat tincidunt, lacus diam laoreet sapien, iaculis mollis erat felis vel augue. Quisque elementum convallis velit sed imperdiet. Nunc feugiat consectetur felis, at tristique massa elementum vel. Cras eu nisl leo. Suspendisse sit amet tincidunt erat. Pellentesque quis mollis lacus, sed molestie lectus. Vivamus hendrerit diam eu sem euismod, non scelerisque nulla blandit. Aenean ipsum nulla, placerat ut pulvinar eu, auctor a ipsum. Mauris pulvinar ornare dolor non condimentum. Mauris vitae tristique risus, in posuere felis. Nullam varius, arcu id tincidunt volutpat, sem ligula placerat neque, ac lobortis dolor diam eu diam. Phasellus non fringilla arcu. Nulla hendrerit sodales convallis. Fusce porta risus in enim efficitur volutpat. Donec quis lorem lectus. Nam quis tellus erat. Nunc arcu risus, volutpat non ligula pretium, gravida blandit elit. Pellentesque convallis ex justo. Fusce non risus nulla. Fusce bibendum, erat vitae lobortis ultricies, erat diam dapibus elit, non malesuada mi ex nec sem. Sed non pharetra mi. Nullam pellentesque tincidunt tempus. Curabitur justo sem, laoreet eu pretium quis, tincidunt nec massa. Maecenas scelerisque rutrum nibh, a posuere nisl suscipit in. Nullam a sodales mauris, quis vulputate lacus. Maecenas gravida urna massa, at malesuada diam aliquet eget. Curabitur auctor id justo a luctus. Vivamus a ipsum in quam ullamcorper feugiat. Quisque fringilla blandit nibh, in tempus justo ornare ac. Etiam arcu metus, bibendum nec pellentesque vitae, accumsan eu quam. Chapter 84 - A Matter Of Trust ¡°You are kidding me, right?¡± Robin muttered and walked up to Ang¡¯Tue, who had taken a few steps back. In front of them the whole ground began to sink downwards, slowly vanishing in the darkness of the night. The rumbling continued for a good minute and just when the island stopped its shaking, Patience came running over. Her annoyed face told everyone how excited she was about this sudden development. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say something about sleeping and taking a rest?¡± She scolded Robin, ¡°How the hell shall I sleep if you freaks are trying your hardest to sink the island?¡± ¡°While I really had a strange feeling, this¡­ somehow still comes as a massive surprise!¡± Robin laughed after leaning forward to peer into the darkness, finding a staircase leading into the depth. ¡°I must say, young man, you make a fine researcher. Your first guess was directly on point!¡± Ang¡¯Tue exclaimed and enthusiastically patted Timothy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Patience, you wanted to rest, right? Why don¡¯t you stay here and watch over Keran while we undertake the arduous job of checking out this facility?¡± Robin grinned at his friend. ¡°You are impossible, you know that?¡± She complained and threw him a finger, ¡°Unfortunately you are right, I¡¯m the best choice for taking the first watch - you are still an asshole though!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send Timothy back as soon as possible to switch with you, okay?¡± He assured her and took the energy weapon she brought. ¡°What? No way I¡¯ll leave this facility before I¡¯m done inspecting every data and machine we find, if it really is an Eltaran laboratory!¡± Timothy instantly jumped up in indignation. ¡°Oh boy, you have no idea¡­¡± Robin just chuckled and began to descend into the darkness. ¡°Put on your helmet and activate night vision. Ang¡¯Tue, you will be fine with your mutation I assume?¡± ¡°Not as much as you think, but it¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Ah fuck, I hate this mode!¡± Timothy cursed, ¡°While you can see, everything is just in different shades of gray. How should I be able to make a proper inspection like this?¡± ¡°Yeah, tough life¡­¡± Robin said with gnashing teeth. After following the stairs downwards for maybe two or three floors, they came to a halt in front of a massive metal door. Robin immediately scanned it with his mutation, but only got a blank image in return. ¡°It¡¯s not powered.¡± He shared with the others and after a second of hesitation, he added, ¡°Or it¡¯s shielded. Damnit, my confidence took quite a hit after the ambush¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overcomplicate things. The facility was hidden and only opened with my blood. The simplest answer may very well be the solution.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said, grabbed the handle and opened the door with a swishing noise. Just like that, without any alarm going off, robots attacking or who-knows-what, they entered the Eltaran facility. ¡°Huh...¡± After they walked in, dim lights flickered to life above them and the prickling of his passive sense made Robin aware that the whole building was slowly waking up. They found themselves in a short corridor with three doors and another staircase, leading further down. The first room was a small living quarter with four beds and a small bathroom to the side. While it wasn¡¯t what they were looking for, the group still learned a lot about the facility¡¯s history. Someone had meticulously made all the beds before leaving and even prepared some towels for the next visitors. Obviously this building wasn¡¯t left in a hurry. Also, there wasn¡¯t any dust or decay to be found, hinting at a pretty good sealing of this complex. The next room was something like a community area with small lounges, a meeting table and a little kitchen. There wasn¡¯t any food that could help them buy time for Keran however. After a few hundred years, that would be spoiled anyways, no matter how well this place was sealed. The third door led to another living quarter, only for two people but otherwise the same as the one before. ¡°Seems like it was planned that the people working here would stay for a longer time and not just for a few days. While everything is small and a bit cramped, someone tried to give it a comfy feel.¡± Robin said when they came out of the last room. ¡°Makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Timothy agreed, ¡°With the storm outside, coming here is quite the endeavor. So the scientists are expected to stay for a long time and not go out all the time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget, that my people have lived in hiding not just for the last century or so but even back when the Starborn were still around. We avoid moving as much as possible¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue explained. ¡°Yeah, right. That sounds like quite the stressful life. Maybe you¡¯d like to tell us a few stories about your past after we are done here?¡± Robin asked with honest interest. ¡°Yes, maybe¡­¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go down. There must be the core of this facility.¡± Timothy hurried them and descended the other stairs. The next floor was completely different. After they passed another thick metal door, they stood in a big room with many little tools and machines Robin didn¡¯t recognize. There were a few empty water tanks that looked like they were prepared for some poor soul to be put inside, readied for some creepy experiments. Robin saw two stretchers that were probably for patients and a few office desks. There was one other door and Ang¡¯Tue was already heading towards it, while Robin and Timothy were still taking in all the impressions. Quickly following after the Eltaran, Robin saw that the door led into a small cabin that looked like a modern server room. Ang¡¯Tue immediately wanted to tinker with the access station but Robin called for a halt. ¡°Wait a moment, Ang¡¯Tue.¡± He said and when he saw the old man turn with squinted eyes, he quickly continued, ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll stay true to my word. You¡¯ll get your data - before we do anything else, okay? Just not rush this please¡­ Timothy!¡± Robin called for his friend. ¡°Huh? Ooooh, that¡¯s neat!¡± Timothy exclaimed after he also came into the small server room. ¡°Yeah and this is where the Eltaran¡¯s data is stored, right?¡± The alien nodded, still looking annoyed to be stopped. ¡°Timothy, do you know how this stuff works?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Yeah, Eltaran tech isn¡¯t that complicated and not much changed over the years - at least as far as we know. Only the machines working with mutations are a black spot for me¡­ and most other people.¡± He explained. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°How is that?¡± ¡°Well, while their tech is pretty basic stuff, as soon as it touches the mutation-field, it gets¡­ mystic. You learned much about the Wuranger, right?¡± ¡°Ugh.. yeah. Damn wood-elemental like bullshit.¡± Robin groaned as he remembered his visit to the exhibition in Seka. ¡°Well, Eltaran and their mutations are a bit like that. It feels more like some messed up voodoo than proper technology.¡± Robin looked at Ang¡¯Tue who only shrugged but at least had changed to an amused expression. ¡°Okay. Ang¡¯Tue, please consider my point of view for a moment. If I let you copy the data and you ¡®accidentally¡¯ delete it before the UAS can get their hands on it, I¡¯m more than done.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡± The old man asked. ¡°I somewhat do, but there is too much at risk right now. Let Timothy make a copy and please don¡¯t touch the computer before that, okay?¡± ¡°While personally a bit hurtful, I have to agree it is a wise decision from your perspective. Please go ahead Mr. Reed.¡± Ang¡¯Tue agreed and handed Timothy a little device that was probably a memory stick of sorts. The researcher quickly stepped to the access panel and tapped many buttons. Ang¡¯Tue watched him but refrained from commenting. After 10 minutes of awkward silence Timothy handed the Eltaran the stick and began to repeat the process for himself, making another copy. ¡°Thank you, you''ve kept your word.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and gave Robin a small bow. ¡°We had a deal, of course I would stick to my part.¡± Robin replied, with a soft voice he added, ¡°I really hope that the data holds the solution you are looking for. Good luck!¡± ¡°Gratitude!¡± Robin und Ang¡¯Tue returned to the laboratory and took another look around. While Robin didn¡¯t know what any of the tools or machines were used for, Ang¡¯Tue stepped to one of the stretchers that had many little holes in it. ¡°This is what you are looking for.¡± He said, ¡°It is a device for gene-manipulation.¡± ¡°So, you could just upgrade any mutation with this? Mankind has been looking for something like this for ages¡­¡± Robin muttered. ¡°Ha, no, that is not how this works. If it was that easy, humans, and even the whole UAS, wouldn¡¯t be as stuck with the G-Anomalies as they have been for the last decade.¡± ¡°So, what does it do?¡± ¡°It repairs defects in your genes!¡± Timothy explained after he also came back from the server room. ¡°Repair? Shouldn¡¯t repairing a G-Anomaly mean it gets better¡­ upgraded?¡± Robin wondered. Hadn¡¯t Guard said in his message, that he repaired his genes and after that his mutation essentially was upgraded? ¡°No, it¡¯s different. Let¡¯s say your genes are like a book. Each chapter describes a different part of your body and its functions. Hearing is a chapter, vision is one chapter, immune system is a chapter and so on. In this analogy, your G-Anomaly would also be one chapter. However, when you are born, that chapter is locked and only after you get the treatment it gets unlocked, giving you access to its effects.¡± Timothy said, falling into a lecturer¡¯s mode. ¡°Okay, seems plausible¡­¡± ¡°Upgrading your mutation means there is a second chapter for your G-Anomaly that can be unlocked. Not all mutations have a second part, others have even three or more chapters. Right now the UAS works on a method of unlocking these other chapters.¡± ¡°And repairing?¡± Robin asked after he understood the general idea. ¡°Repairing means we take a look at all your chapters that are unlocked and check if there are pages missing. Then we try to recreate these missing parts. That results in this specific function of your body working better. In most cases all your chapters are fine, except for those people that have natural gene defects, however for nearly all people the chapters with the G-Anomalies are pretty messed up and repairing them helps to make your mutation more effective.¡± Timothy finished his lecture and hesitated for a moment, ¡°When my genes got repaired, my mutation - Class D - Eidetic Memory - stayed the same, but now I can ¡®store¡¯ much more information in my head.¡± ¡°That was actually a pretty good analogy, I might use that for our young ones later, too!¡± Ang¡¯Tue enthusiastically nodded. ¡°Yeah, thanks. But do say, you got your genes repaired? Where? Why have I never heard of this before?¡± Robin pointedly asked and saw his friend wincing. ¡°Ah you know, that is kind of locked knowledge to UAS personnel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there was nothing about that in the documents I got when I arrived on Gaunus.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s an introduction. You have to reach a specific level to get access to this¡­ so please don¡¯t fuck me over, okay?¡± Timothy said and awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°Repairing genes is often pretty expensive. It makes sense that the UAS doesn¡¯t want to advertise it.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said. ¡°Yeah, there is a bit more to it or else they could just say you have to pay for it yourself, but it¡¯s also not like a privilege-only thing. They use this therapy on sick people with natural gene defects to help them live a better life.¡± Robin thought about it and his mood fell a bit. If Guard already had repaired his genes, what else could Ang¡¯Tue do for him? Also, his mutation didn¡¯t only get ¡®a bit better¡¯, he now had completely new skills. He still believed in his upgrade-theory, even if the scan of his G-Anomaly returned mostly bullshit characters. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Robin said and turned to his friend, ¡°Timothy, please get Patience here. She should get a repair-session, too. Who knows when we would get another chance like this.¡± ¡°Okay, on my way!¡± Timothy readily exclaimed and walked to the door. ¡°Timothy¡­¡± Robin said slowly when he noticed the way-too-happy mood of his friend, ¡°I know you¡¯ll stop in the upper level to check everything out, but I expect Patience to be down here in an hour at most! Keran doesn¡¯t have much time left¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ yes.¡± The young man said and left. ¡°You look disappointed!¡± Ang¡¯Tue said after Timothy was gone and the two were alone. ¡°I already got a repair-therapy once, I think. So if this machine cannot upgrade my mutation, then I don¡¯t have much hope for any improvements.¡± Robin explained. ¡°You think? Interesting choice of words¡­¡± The old man chuckled, ¡°Shall we test it out?¡± ¡°No.¡± Robin declined and got a raised eyebrow in return. ¡°We have so many crazy machines down here. There must be something that can help Keran, right? Can we focus on that first?¡± Ang¡¯Tue observed Robin for a moment. ¡°Maybe, but then we won¡¯t have enough time for your mutation. Are you sure? It¡¯s as you said, another chance like this will not come by easily¡­¡± Without hesitation Robin shook his head. ¡°Thanks, but he is part of my crew. They come first.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t loyal to you, though!¡± Ang¡¯Tue pointed out. ¡°I know, he is completely devoted to the UAS and mankind in particular. Even so, I believe he will keep his word.¡± Robin said, ¡°And I do have my own codex, as fragile as it may be. I think if I start putting my wishes for power over the survival of my people, I¡¯ll become someone I don¡¯t wanna be. It would be hard to return from that path.¡± Ang¡¯Tue just listened and slowly nodded. ¡±Amiable, loyal, level-headed. You will become a great leader when you stay true to your values and morals!¡± He said and smiled, ¡°Now, up on the stretcher with you!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Robin began but Ang¡¯Tue waved him off. ¡°I can only do very little for him. I can buy him 12 more hours at most. We can do that after we have finished this. Better the young, fierce lady doesn¡¯t see you mutating a second time, right?¡± ¡°...it was a test?¡± Robin asked when realization hit him. ¡°Yes, I wanted to see what kind of person you are. I¡¯m more than satisfied! Now come here!¡± Moments later, Robin was lying butt naked on the stretcher with the many holes in it. ¡°How will this work?¡± He asked with uneasiness in his voice, since one needle-like sensor was already injected in his arm. ¡°Fascinating! Marvelous!¡± Ang¡¯Tue exclaimed after he got the first results from a quick scan shown on a display. ¡°You identified the problem correctly. I cannot upgrade your mutation the normal way and repairs were done well. However, there is still another option. That will cost me quite a bit though.¡± The old man moved next to Robin and looked at him with the grin of a sleazy merchant. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal!¡± Chapter 85 - Advancing ¡°A deal?¡± Robin looked at Ang¡¯Tue skeptically. ¡°Yes. I know you play it down, but you actually are still afraid I¡¯ll mess up your genes or anything, right? We still don¡¯t know each other that long after all. So, why not make a deal? I can help with your mutation, giving it something like an upgrade. However, in return you have to do something for me.¡± The old man said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my mutation? What deal are you suggesting?¡± ¡°Your mutation is a bit different from others. Let¡¯s go back to the analogy your friend used before. Our mutations are chapters that need to be unlocked, upgrades are just another chapter. Repairs help to fix missing pages of all your chapters. Your mutation right now has two chapters, so you already got an upgrade. However, what I cannot see is if there are more upgrades to unlock - which is interesting since I''ve never heard of such a case before. Your genes for the mutation are also completely repaired already. It¡¯s the mutation itself which makes this a most fascinating case though.¡± Ang¡¯Tue explained, his three eyes all sparkling with excitement while thin trails of smoke rose from the edges. ¡°The chapters of your mutation themselves somehow have other chapters that are still locked, sub-chapters if you want. The analogy gets a bit shaky here, but let¡¯s assume it¡¯s another feature to your mutation that is still not accessible to you right now. I already noticed that your G-Anomaly is different from normal energy senses, but I didn¡¯t realize just how far off it is!¡± That was much to take and Robin had to think back to his meeting with Guard. Once more he really wanted to ask it, just what the fuck it had done to his genes. But then again, the anomalies started even before he met the Drel¡¯s AI. His ability to sense ?ther, the energy type the Keeper are using for their tech. His hyper-sensibility in regards to detecting even the faintest traces of energy. Too much is just¡­ wrong. If it is something he didn¡¯t get from Guard, then he should have been born with it, right? The first instance where he noticed something different was when he interacted with the Keeper pyramid, but that encounter was not something that had fundamentally changed his genes, it could only have unlocked something at most. So if he was born with it and a quick gene-analysis like this could reveal parts of these anomalies, shouldn¡¯t the UAS already know about it? Like with everyone else, they checked his genes thoroughly after his G-Anomaly was unlocked. How could they have missed that? Were his genes still veiled at the beginning? Was the scanner they used too simple? Or do they know about his anomalies ever since then¡­ Robin began to feel the world press down on him like a heavy weight on his mind. He closed his eyes and tapped into his mutation. This way he at least could hide from the trist, gray surroundings and get some color back to his life - even if it only was a bright blue. Slowly he breathed in and out, calming his mind. ¡°What deal are you suggesting?¡± He finally asked Ang¡¯Tue, who stood next to him and had remained silent. ¡°I have the data, but I cannot send it from here - I need to go to Acosea. Only from there will I be able to contact the Eltaran. However¡­¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to leave when the UAS comes. They will never let you walk away just like that.¡± Robin completed the unspoken sentence. ¡°Yes, I fear it will be like that. I¡¯d like you to help me to get away from here, reaching Acosea, the capital of Seavis, and after that we can part ways. In return, I¡¯ll help you to unlock the ¡®sub-chapters¡¯ of your mutation.¡± Robin thought about that. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision to be made, he would go directly against the UAS with that. If Keran blew this up, he would be really done for. ¡°Okay, you help me - and Patience by the way - and in turn I¡¯ll promise you to try my best to get you to one of the big cities. But I cannot guarantee anything. Therefore, talk to Timothy, too. Explain to him, what he has to do to send the data himself. So if shit hits the fan and the UAS invites you to be a¡­ long-term guest, you can at least be sure that the data reaches the Eltaran.¡± ¡°That¡­ is more than what I could¡¯ve asked for. Thank you.¡± Ang¡¯Tue nodded in agreement. ¡°Great, so with that off the table, please begin. It is really awkward lying here naked on a stretcher all the time, while we have fundamental discussions about our future!¡± Ang¡¯Tue didn¡¯t dally around after that and immediately began to tinker with the machines surrounding the stretcher. Robin was anxiously watching him. He wasn¡¯t afraid of being double crossed by the Eltaran since he really needed Robin¡¯s help, and to be honest, Robin never really was afraid of Ang¡¯Tue messing with him in the first place. He liked the old man and even though they knew each other only for so long, a basic trust was already built. Maybe it was because of them fighting together, maybe because of the old man just having this kind of charisma or maybe because Robin simply was too naive. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. When he saw that Ang¡¯Tue once more pulled back his sleeve, it finally dawned on him what the man meant, when he said ¡®it will cost him¡¯. How often has he led blood in the last 24 hours? That can¡¯t be healthy, can it? With some pistol-like tool Ang¡¯Tue pointed at his own heart and began to groan in pain. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Robin exclaimed in shock but was ignored. The old man slowly pulled the tool towards his arm, as if he was dragging along something under the skin. With his other hand he grabbed what looked like a syringe and pricked it into his lower arm. Soon, when the pistol-thingy reached that spot, the syringe filled itself with a strange liquid. ¡®Should be blood, right? But I saw him bleed before and at that time it was the same color as everyone else¡¯s. This looks much brighter, as if it is blood diluted with water¡­¡¯ Robin thought while he observed the process. After half the cannula was filled, Ang¡¯Tue put the tool away and pulled the needle out of his arm. Heavily panting he sat down on one of the office chairs to catch his breath. ¡°Mate, what the hell did you do? That¡¯s no blood, is it?¡± Robin asked. ¡°That¡­ is the price I have to pay to fulfill my side of the deal. It is related to the Eltaran¡¯s affinity to mutations and not something we easily part with as reproducing it¡­ forget it, let¡¯s finish this.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and stood up. He put the cannula into a little slot at the side of the stretcher and returned to the desk where the computer that controlled this machine was. ¡°Ah right, that will hurt a bit. You better bite down on your shirt.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± Robin began to overthink this whole endeavor but still grabbed his shirt and stuffed it in his mouth. ¡°Okay, ready? 5.. 4.. 3¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and began to count down. However long before he reached zero, Robin felt something impaling him and began to scream as if he was skinned alive. Luckily his mouth was stuffed, so it was more like a muffled yelling, mixed with lots of tears that dripped down his face. The pain was nearly unbearable. His back hurt as if someone had stuck a hundred nails in it all at once. Despite his wavering mind that wanted to fade into unconsciousness, Robin thought back to the many holes in the stretcher and realized that this may very well be the truth. Just when he finally saw himself winning the fight against the raging pain, he heard the old man¡¯s voice from far away. ¡°Okay, now the painful part begins, be prepared!¡± ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Pain, a world of nothing but pain! The little pricks in his back from before were nothing in the face of the pain from his genes which were getting forced into new shapes against their will. His whole body felt like it was on fire, prickling and numbing, burning and freezing, pressured and torn apart - all at the same time. Suddenly, new pain followed - pain in his face¡­. And there it was again. It was nothing compared to the rest, but still disturbing. Once more his face hurt and Robin forced his eyes open. Someone stood over him and slapped him full force. ¡°There you are, stay with me young man. It¡¯s nearly done!¡± The figure was right, not as quickly as it came, but still faster than expected, the pain subsided and peace returned. ¡°You did well! Falling unconscious isn¡¯t that dangerous but it takes much more time to recover afterwards - and we don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and pointed at the door where Patience stood with a horrified expression. ¡°What the fuck is going on here???¡± She yelled, fear and anger mixed in her voice. ¡°Just some repairs to his mutation, no worries. He will be back in top shape in no time.¡± The Eltaran awkwardly chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for caring. Don¡¯t beat him up just yet - I think I agreed to this somewhat.¡± Robin spat out his shirt and cawed, his voice not fully recovered. Carefully he sat up and reached for his back and touched his wet skin. He couldn¡¯t find the expected wounds, the needles must have been very thin or they injected a strong healing stim before retreating - probably both. The pain was really gone by now, he felt¡­ good? Grinning, he stood up from the stretcher and looked at Patience with arms wide open. ¡°See, everything is fine. I feel great actually!¡± Patience just stared at him, eyes wide open. From behind him, he heard Ang¡¯Tue give a little cough. When he turned around, he saw his reflection in one of the glassy panels. Not only was he butt naked, his whole body had a glistering sheen as if it was wet. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± Robin yelped and quickly covered his private parts. ¡°I¡­ just what the fuck¡­¡± Patience was still struggling for words. ¡°Yeah, stop gawking already and prepare yourself! You are going next!¡± He scowled but she only looked as if he was an idiot. ¡°I¡¯m going next? Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°Ah well, young miss, a poor choice of words on his part. I¡¯ll help you with a standard repair of your genes, no bloody mess involved, I promise.¡± Ang¡¯Tue tried to salvage the situation. ¡°No blood and no getting naked, I assume!¡± She scowled. ¡°Of course! I would never¡­¡± The old man said defensively and began to sweat when he saw her angry glare. Chapter 86 - Break Some Bones Robin saw that Patience was still torn between beating them up and taking part in the repair procedure. Since he didn¡¯t want to see her explode for real, he quickly directed the attention to another topic. ¡°Oi, Ang¡¯Tue, what about all this¡­?¡± He asked and motioned at the blood on the stretcher and his body. ¡°Ah right, no worries. This laboratory is designed for these kinds of bloody work.¡± ¡°You mean, it¡¯s a slaughterhouse?¡± Patience grumbled. ¡°No! No, no, no - it¡¯s for researching genes and associated ¡®practical testes¡¯. These often tend to be bloody¡­ for Eltaran at least.¡± ¡°No wonder, you rammed like 100 spikes in my back!¡± Robin cursed under his breath but then remembered his mission to distract Patience, ¡°Great, so no worries then, right?¡± ¡°Yes, you can step into one of the tanks over there.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and pointed at the creepy looking water tanks he noticed before, ¡°For the blood here¡­¡± The man pressed a few buttons and with a hiss, steam was blown over the bloody table. Immediately it began to sizzle and the metallic stench in the air multiplied for a moment before it vanished in just a few breaths. When the steam dissipated, only a clean stretcher remained. ¡°That actually was impressive!¡± Patience exclaimed and looked over to the bloody Robin, ¡°You! Get yourself cleaned and put on some clothes or are you into streaking now?¡± Robin didn¡¯t dally around any longer and quickly stepped into one of the tanks. It closed on its own and comparable to a fancy shower, liquid was sprayed from above and the sides. Soon, all the blood was washed from his body and vanished in a drain in the floor. When he came back out, Robin saw Patience already lying on the stretcher with a few needles in her arm. ¡°How is it?¡± He asked the Eltaran. ¡°She has a standard strength mutation with one upgrade. The repairs should help her body to better sustain the immense power coming from her muscles.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Patience asked from the side. ¡°This stuff is not my field of expertise, I¡¯ve not done that very often. I don¡¯t know what each mutation¡¯s repairs will cause. Your friend Timothy, the researcher, would probably know more. But rest assured that is a pretty basic process, the machine does it completely on its own. It normally isn¡¯t very painful, as not too much is getting changed.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± She agreed. Robin observed as Ang¡¯Tue initiated the process from the station on his desk. Some lights began to blink and ROMAS quickly identified them as a ¡®positive green¡¯. ¡°How long will that take?¡± He asked after a few minutes. ¡°Not more than half an hour. She got a cocktail injected as well as something akin to a radiotherapy to instantly initiate the process and then¡­¡± The old man explained but suddenly was interrupted by a sickening crunch of something breaking. Before anyone could realize what was happening, Patience roared like a wild animal and began to thrash around, threatening to get tangled up in the cables from the machines that were still connected to her body. ¡°What is happening?¡± Robin asked with panic in his voice when he heard more crackings¡­ ¡°Fuck, are those her bones breaking?¡± ¡°I have no idea, but we have to get the sensors out of her body so she doesn¡¯t get hurt!¡± Both men rushed forward and tried to restrain the raging and screaming Patience. However with her upgraded strength mutation, she really was a beast. Ang¡¯Tue caught a random hit on his right shoulder and Robin saw the man actually perform a backflip on the spot. Luckily he managed to pull out two needles - only one remaining. He winced when he heard an extra loud crunch from Patience''s back and the screaming became more high-pitched. Immediately afterwards, his friend went limp and lost consciousness. Ang¡¯Tue, back on his feet, checked her pulse and nodded. ¡°She is only knocked out. Get Mr. Reed down here!¡± Not hesitating, Robin rushed out of the room and hurried up the stairs. It was still dark when he stepped out of the facility and back on the island. The fire was already extinguished and he needed a moment to orientate himself. ¡°Okay, not cool. But I have no time for bad weather now. I need to get Timothy to Patience!¡± Robin scolded and called loudly for his friend over the howling wind. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°We need to get Keran out of the storm!¡± Timothy yelled when he finally came closer. ¡°No, he is in no condition to be moved right now.¡± Robin denied, ¡°Also, something went wrong with the repair of Patience genes. She was in massive pain and at some point fell unconscious¡­ Timothy, I heard her fucking bones breaking!¡± ¡°You¡­ ARE YOU CRAZY??? You didn¡¯t narcotize her before the therapy? Are you stupid? What did you think would happen?¡± ¡°Well, Ang¡¯Tue assumed her body would adapt to be better at supporting her strengthened muscles or something.¡± ¡°YES! Exactly! Burn in plasma, you idiots! That means her bones and tissues get a full rework. That takes at least 4 hours and is one of the most painful processes you can go through!¡± Timothy explained in exasperation. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her before?¡± ¡°Uhm... oh...¡± Robin stammered when he thought back at Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s exact explanation. ¡°Oh fuck¡­¡± Timothy quickly rushed into the laboratory to check on Patience, even though there probably wasn¡¯t much he could do anymore. Meanwhile, Robin stayed at Keran¡¯s side and observed the storm in the sky. ¡°ROMAS, help me set the correct priorities, please.¡± ¡°Yes, great, we agree on that. Are there any more steps to this great plan of yours or is that all?¡± ¡°Okay, chances are shit in any case. We could build a stretcher to get Keran down, right?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°That¡¯s way better, good!¡± Robin sighed with relief. ¡°Fuck, right. I need to get the Hubble here or anyone else if that¡¯s an option. Ang¡¯Tue said he can extend the time for around 12 hours, giving us a total of 19 hours left. Still not much time. How long does the outbreak of the storm normally last?¡± ¡°Burn in plasma! That is too long¡­ no one will be able to come here while the storm is raging, even if I managed to send out a SOS. Damnit, what to do?¡± He couldn¡¯t wait any longer and needed to send out a call for help as soon as possible. That was what he could control - regarding the storm¡¯s duration, he was helpless and could only hope for the best. He was a technocrafter, so if anyone could do something to call for help, it was him. Quickly he ran back down into the facility. Patience was still unconscious and Ang¡¯Tue looked like he already got the scolding of his life from Timothy. ¡°The storm is flaring up. Dismantle one of the beds and craft a stretcher to get Keran down here. Ang¡¯Tue after that, please do what you can to extend his life. Timothy, come up when you are done and help me. I¡¯ll try to build something to get out a message.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have much time, the weather is getting worse by the minute.¡± Timothy said. ¡°I know, on my way.¡± After Robin was back outside and he checked on Keran once more, the first rain set in. Time was running out. He covered the man with some sheets he brought from inside and sat down. In his mind he began to sort out possible ideas. When the others came to fetch the patient 10 minutes later, the rain had grown to a solid downpour. Robin put on his helmet and gave a sad sigh. ¡°It¡¯s our best option, isn¡¯t it?¡± He asked and ROMAS quickly confirmed his guess. ¡°Ugh... damnit!¡± Robin cursed and got up. He quickly walked over to the Melody II and patted her winglets as he had done it all so often before. ¡°Sorry girl, this will really hurt¡­¡± He muttered and grabbed the toolbox from the cargo area. With fast, trained movements he began to dismantle different parts of his beloved ship. When Timothy was back and informed him of the successful transfer of Keran, at least one worry was resolved. The storm however got even worse, strong winds made the heavy rain bash against his suit and the temperature dropped even further. ¡°Ang¡¯Tue is preparing something for Keran to buy him time and Patience is still unconscious but the process seems to work as intended. Though, I¡¯m unsure how she will react when she wakes up¡­¡± Timothy awkwardly said. Robin couldn¡¯t play that game for now and directed the attention on the many parts laying on the ground. ¡°I have nearly everything I need. Only the most critical part is missing.¡± He explained and showed him the things he disassembled from his ship. Two steering nozzles, the two small winglets, one of the systems in the cockpit and the casing from the pre-ignition chamber from one of the thrusters. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°I have to get to the repulsor. We need to extract the energy converter¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you crazy? There are good reasons why these things are not to be dismantled.¡± ¡°I know, but we are missing an usable energy source. That is the only option I can see, but I¡¯m open for alternatives. Just hurry up, the storm is getting worse by the minute!¡± ¡°With our suits we should be safe from anything bad weather could throw at us. They are literally made for spacewalks, what else could¡­ FUCK!¡± As if to answer Timothy¡¯s question, a huge blade of ice impaled the ground a few meters to their side. The low temperatures, together with the strong winds and rain, gave birth to some really deadly projectiles that randomly flew around. ¡°Okay, I agree, hurry up!¡± He exclaimed in panic and Robin immediately began to dismantle the last parts. The repulsor was too big to get it out as a whole, so he had to take the conversion-unit while they were still out here in the storm. Which was a fucking stupid idea, since even under optimal conditions this was quite the risky operation. Carefully Robin began to loosen the screws that held the casing. ¡°Tongs!¡± He said and Timothy gave him the tool. Slowly and without damaging any of the electronics inside, Robin removed the plate and handed it over to his friend. ¡°Nippers!¡± ¡­ Over the next few minutes cables were cut, screws removed and circuit boards dismounted. The storm got more angry with time and the two men heard impacts and shattering ice more frequently. Before he started his final step, Robin checked the repulsor with his mutation. The stress from before hadn¡¯t allowed him to check if his G-Anomaly really had changed, but so far everything felt just like ever. Blue lines appeared in his vision and highlighted the converter which was permanently under high voltage. ¡°I just have to avoid touching the encasing of...¡± He was interrupted by an ice projectile that hit the Melody¡¯s side and shook the whole ship. ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°We have to go, the ice parts are getting bigger!¡± Timothy shouted from below. ¡°I know, I¡¯m nearly done¡­¡± Once more he concentrated on his mutation and slowly pulled out the conversion unit. If he made contact with the casing, the whole repulsor would be fried together with Robin himself. While that was already not preferable, the real problem was that this was their only chance to get the power supply for this little project. If he breaks that, not only would they unable to use this method anymore, the Melody also was out of order by now. They would be really stuck here. Slowly, millimeter by millimeter he pulled back the module. The wind shook the ship and his hands wanted to shake but Robin soldiered on. He concentrated so hard on the blue energy he saw and wished for it to slow down, reducing the risk of anything happening if he touched the wrong place by accident, that he somehow got the feeling that it really did exactly that¡­ The pulsing of the blue lines calmed down, everything became more serene - as if a sudden peace fell over the ship. In this trance-like state Robin separated the two pieces and took a deep breath. Finally! Immediately he jumped from the ship and collected the other things together with Timothy. Now was not the time to ponder about this strange event. Back in the laboratory, he sunk to the first chair he found and calmed his racing heart. That was too stressful. However, there was no time to rest just yet. Together with Timothy he began to assemble the small project. His friend already began to program parts of the steering system he got from the Melody¡¯s cockpit and set new parameters. Time flew by and only when they finished the crafting process, did they check on their surroundings. Patience was still unconscious, as was Keran. However, Ang¡¯Tue had prepared something for the man to optimize his nutrition. ¡°Close to 5 hours have passed. The storm is still raging outside, Patience should wake up any moment now and Keran¡¯s timer is down to 12 hours. That¡¯s the best I could do.¡± ¡°Thanks mate, let¡¯s hope that it will be enough.¡± Robin said wearily and inspected the result of their work. The thing they had built looked like a small, crappy version of a drone with two wings to the side and a completely oversized thruster in its rear. It wasn¡¯t longer than 50 cm but heavy as hell. Definitely not something optimized for flying. ¡°You are sure that will do?¡± Robin asked while Timothy checked the drone. ¡°Yeah, it is a little heavy but that will help it stay on route in the storm.¡± The researcher confirmed. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s get this thing flying and hope our people catch the signal!¡± Robin said and picked up the drone. Together with Timothy he warily stepped out of the facility once more. Ice shards flew everywhere. This was a real danger zone by now. ¡°Okay, so now comes the magic!¡± Timothy said, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand your confidence in the right direction¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later¡­ much later.¡± Robin waved him off and looked around the dark island. Night was coming to an end but the raging storm still reduced visibility to 50 meters at most. He put the drone down on a small nightstand they brought, roughly pointed in the direction of the Melody. Carefully Robin rotated it a bit. ... After some forth and back, ROMAS finally confirmed the correct direction and Robin gave Timothy a thumbs up. The man just shrugged and tapped on his datapad. Quickly they both stepped back a few meters and watched with anticipation. Moments later the ¡®thruster¡¯ of the little drone came to life and before anyone could say anymore, the UAV shot forward like a rocket - straight ahead roughly 2 meters above the ground. In a blink of an eye it vanished into the depths of the storm. Chapter 87 - The Hero Always Comes Late ¡°The operation was a failure.¡± The black haired woman reported hesitantly, fearing another outburst from the commander. However the man only continued reading some files on his workstation and nodded with a faint smile. ¡°That was to be expected. It was a long shot anyways and more like a gesture of goodwill to the Alaris family. Those guys were just a few nobodies, country bumpkins without any skill. It would be kind of disappointing if it would have worked.¡± Akemi Watanabe was a bit surprised by the calm demeanor of Ramones but kept her mouth shut - the man wasn¡¯t wrong with his evaluation. ¡°While it would¡¯ve been nice if they could have made the scan, what we got out of this is way more important. An Eltaran!¡± The man exclaimed, now grinning, ¡°We always knew they were still hiding somewhere, however it is close to impossible to catch one of them. You were right Watanabe, that Tulward really produces results!¡± ¡°What will be our next steps? Is the headquarter already informed about this find?¡± She asked. ¡°Have you learned nothing yet? Don¡¯t you know how many rules they immediately would make up to use this opportunity to forge a deeper bond with the Eltaran? For what? That in the end the fish escapes and the whole race goes back into hiding? No! We have to solve this as quickly and quietly as possible. I assume the team will barter for a deal as soon as they find the laboratory. Any news from Bex?¡± ¡°No, we think that he still is within the Mystic Sea - no communications are working there. However, the Hubble is still in Dreamer¡¯s Hope with a small part of the crew. So it¡¯s safe to assume the others will return there, too.¡± Watanabe reported. ¡°How long until our team arrives?¡± Ramones asked. ¡°21 hours!¡± She said and prepared to leave. ¡°Watanabe,¡± Ramones called her to a halt, ¡°How are the tests with this Disruptor-thing coming along?¡± ¡°Nothing yet. The team fails to recreate the energy charge.¡± ¡°If the old man is still not dead, tell him to let the drones be for now and help with the Drel-weapon.¡± ¡°Will be done.¡± *** ¡°So, he¡¯ll be fine?¡± Happy asked the doctor who came out of Sevastian¡¯s room. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore. He is over the hump and just needs some quiet time to rest.¡± The Ommih explained with a friendly smile. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. How is Landom?¡± ¡°Just a few scratches and a broken leg. He¡¯ll be back on his feet in no time.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Happy shook the man¡¯s hands. ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯ll head back now. Left my office empty for too long already.¡± After she saw him off, Happy slowly walked towards the Hubble¡¯s bridge while pondering about this messed up situation. The ¡®quick mission¡¯ the team had planned developed into a proper disaster. Two hours after the three left, she got an emergency message from Alena, requesting medical assistance. Happy immediately called for the doc and the two guys from local Security. Together they recovered the team from the stitch¡¯s hidden workshop. The result of the mission was a complete shitshow. From what she heard from Alena, they were surprised by a turret and Landom tried to tank the enemy fire. He got a few hits but his suit prevented the worst. Unfortunately before he could take it down, the auto-turret still got a few shots on Sevastian. It managed to penetrate his suit and destroyed most of his right shoulder. After going down, Hulky dropped his shield, which fell to the side and smashed Landom¡¯s leg. Meanwhile, Alena kept the thugs in check, but ultimately had to kill them all since she was the last one standing from their team and couldn¡¯t find any other way to ensure their safety. ¡°No permanent damage was done to them at least, so that¡¯s a yeah!¡± Happy mumbled when she finally reached the bridge, ¡°I only hope that Alena finds anything in the remains of the workshop¡­¡± After getting in her seat, Niu checked all the systems and passive scans she had set up after Robin and the others didn¡¯t return when night fell. Now a storm was raging outside and while it wasn¡¯t too bad here in Dreamer¡¯s Hope, she looked up reports about the condition within these storms. ¡°They found themselves a shelter, stop worrying so much Niu¡­ you are Happy, right?¡± She chided herself and started another scan. This was a fruitless endeavor as the sensors didn¡¯t even reach the closest island in the Mystic Sea. And what if she found something? She could hardly fly into the Mystic Sea at normal times - but in this storm? Yeah¡­ no sane pilot would risk crew and ship by flying willingly into a storm that not only makes navigation a mess but also fires icy projectiles at you like an angry child that throws its toys. Just as she wanted to log into the net to distract herself for some time, a loud alarm began to ring on the whole ship and an automated voice shouted warnings. ¡°INCOMING MISSILE! Your region is under attack. INCOMING MISSILE! Your region ¡­¡± ¡°What the???¡± Happy yelped in surprise and reflexively raised the ship¡¯s shields to maximum, having more than enough power left with the engines being offline. Quickly she switched her view to the radar scans to look for the source. While she was still trying to figure out the situation, another alarm began to beep. This one however made her perk up as it was one she set up herself to listen on emergency frequencies for any broadcasted SOS¡¯s. Before Happy could resolve any of what was happening, both alarms went off and the ship fell quiet again. The first thing she checked was the radar and realized that the missile, or whatever it was, came from within the Mystic Sea and vanished as soon as it reached the forest on the shore about 3 km north of Dreamer¡¯s Hope. The scanners didn¡¯t catch anything resembling an explosion, so it was either a dud or it never was a missile at all. Putting that aside, Niu looked for the recorded SOS. When she saw the message attached, her eyes went wide and she immediately opened a comm to Alena. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s happening? Who is attacking? I¡¯m already on my way back to the ship!¡± The woman instantly answered the call. ¡°Landom gave you a call? Yeah, we aren¡¯t under attack but got a message from the expedition team. We need to get them out of the storm immediately.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Are you crazy? That¡­¡± Alena began but stopped mid-sentence, ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± ¡°Thanks, please bring the doc! He just has left and should still be on his way back to the town.¡± Niu said. ¡°He won¡¯t be happy¡­¡± ¡°No, he won¡¯t¡­¡± Happy quickly opened the ship¡¯s internal comm and explained the situation before she began to calculate the ¡®missile¡¯s¡¯ origin with the data provided in the emergency message. Minutes later, the people of Dreamer¡¯s Hope saw the Hubble majestically rise above the treetops, before it accelerated and rushed straight into the raging storm as if it was one of its flashing lightning bolts. *** When Robin saw the timer ROMAS had pinned him drop by another 30 minutes, he slowly got up from the bed and quietly made his way towards the living quarter on the other side of the hallway without waking up Timothy. Close to 8 hours had passed since they launched the drone and only one hour was left before the earliest possible arrival of the Hubble, if they even got the message and dared to enter the storm. The shitty weather was still raging outside, the storm lasted for more than 23 hours by now and no indicators of it receding could be found. Robin had tried to get some sleep but was way too anxious to really rest. At least he used the time to make a few tests with his G-Anomaly. It was strange though, it was as if nothing had changed at first, but somehow his head always told that he could do more now. Only after a few hours of testing, Robin finally managed to achieve a small success and got into the trance-like state like before again. It was all still shaky and unreliable, but his first results indicated that he was now able to have a slight influence on the energy he sensed. Like someone with an elemental affinity who could control metal or fire, but less direct. It seemed like he could slow down or accelerate the energy flow, if it wasn¡¯t too strong. However, energy didn¡¯t work that way, you couldn¡¯t slow down power as if it was water. So, while Robin was still confused about this and needed much more time to figure out everything, it was a pretty promising start. If he could somehow manipulate energy that would be big! After checking on Keran in the other room, Robin went down to the laboratory. Patience was still lying on the stretcher but more comfortable now, since Ang¡¯Tue had got her a pillow and stuff from one of the beds. The man in question was in the small server room and working on the access station. ¡°Hey mate, how are you doing? Got some rest?¡± Robin asked the Eltaran. ¡°Hello Robin! Yes, I slept for a few hours before I switched with Mr. Reed. How are you?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t fall asleep but still rested a bit. Tried to figure out my new mutation but didn¡¯t get the knack of it for now.¡± ¡°That can take some time, as I told you before, your genes are a bit strange. Unfortunately I cannot help you much with that, maybe one of my people could but¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said. ¡°Yeah, no worries. We have more important things to do for now. I¡¯ll go outside in half an hour to prepare for the arrival of the Hubble. Are you doing okay here?¡± ¡°Yes, but your friend here should wake up in the next few hours though¡­¡± The old man said with an awkward face. ¡°...ah shit. We are in for the beating of our life. Tell her to wait until we are out of the Mystic Sea and everyone is safe¡­ if we are lucky her temper has cooled down by then.¡± Robin said with dread in his voice. ¡°It has been more than 250 years since someone gave me a beating. I could be her great-great-grandfather, certainly she would never¡­¡± ¡°Ohhh, she would!¡± Robin interrupted him, ¡°So you better prepare a stim for healing¡­ just in case!¡± After he ate some of their last rations, Robin made his way up to the surface and began his wait for the Hubble. Niu would come to get them, ignoring all warnings and storms, he was sure of that! Icy projectiles still flew through the air but as it was about noon by now, at least vision had cleared a bit. Robin could see the edges of the Island in all directions. While he hunkered down in one of the robot¡¯s holes, he prepared his final trump card: a flare-gun with one shot for emergencies. He got it from his reserves in the Melody II and hoped to get the Hubble¡¯s attention with this. Time slowly ticked down and after the first timer reached zero with no ship that could be seen, Robin got more and more nervous. There was so much that could have gone wrong: the drone may have crashed or missed Dreamer¡¯s Hope, his crew may not have picked up the signal or decided against entering the ocean with the raging storm and even if everything worked out, what if they didn¡¯t find the island? Timothy apparently had left some instructions on how to calculate the position of the island, but the data of this drifting island would only be accurate for so long. ¡°Damnit!¡± Robin cursed. Keran¡¯s time was running out, the Melody was broken and rations were getting low. They were really stuck here by now. He had bet everything on this one card¡­ The cold wind of the wild storm slowly crept through his suit. After the fight with the robots it wasn¡¯t completely sealed anymore, partly leaving him at the mercy of the elements. Just after ROMAS¡¯ timers changed once again, informing him of Keran having not more than one and a half hour left, Robin saw something rush by in the storm above him. It was hard to identify with all the rain and reduced visibility, but whatever it was, he could not let this chance pass. Quickly he fired the flare which shot high into the air and bathed everything in a bright light that was probably red. Robin held his breath, wishing for his friends to find them. Moments later the huge Hubble broke through the heavy rain and flew a low circle over the island. Robin could see how ship and pilot had to fight against the strong winds. The Hubble shook like a leaf in the storm and the four vertical thrusters screamed so loud, they even drowned out the howling of the wind and the crashing of the waves. Time and time again he saw the shields of the ship flash brightly. Another front of this battle, as the icy projectiles in that height were much more numerous and obviously tried to batter the intruder out of the sky. The fight continued for a few minutes even, before Happy managed to land the ship on the unexplored site of the little island. Robin looked warily around but couldn¡¯t spot anything amiss. Shortly afterwards the elevator dropped down from below the Hubble and Robin was surprised to see only Niu coming out to greet him. She was still not in range of near-field comm, so he could neither ask her¡­ nor shout a warning, when suddenly three combat bots crawled out of the ground behind her. ¡°Burn in plasma! Fuck!¡± Robin cursed, it seems like their assumptions were correct. One more trap was prepared for intruders. In the loud storm Niu didn¡¯t hear the robots and she misinterpreted his waving as a gesture of welcome, not as a sign of danger. With a grin, she waved back at him. When Robin saw the robots were taking aim, he theatrically threw himself to the ground, arms crossed over his head as a protection. Finally Niu seemed to get the message and also dropped down. An instant later, many energy projectiles were fired and Robin could see flashes near the Hubble everywhere. Seconds later, the shooting quieted down again and they both stood back up. Three still smoking robots lay on the ground in pieces and the turret at the Hubble¡¯s belly rotated once to give the island another inspection. Niu rushed over to Robin and as soon as she was in range for comm, he heard her laughing. ¡°Holy ship, what kind of welcoming did you prepare for us?¡± ¡°Good to see you, Happy. I feared the worst¡­ the storm is pretty bad.¡± Robin said with a relieved sigh. ¡°What, why? Don¡¯t ya know? The hero always comes late!¡± Niu chuckled, ¡°A little wind doesn¡¯t stop me from coming to rescue you! ¡­or the icy projectiles ¡­or the failure of the navigation systems ¡­or some freakin¡¯ robots ¡­or¡­¡± Niu continued, but Robin interrupted her with a big hug. ¡°Thanks, Happy!¡± Chapter 88 - Honored Guest After ¡®the hero¡¯s arrival¡¯, Robin quickly entered the Hubble to get an update from Landom. Alena and Happy both plundered the stocked supplies and prepared everything needed to normalize Keran¡¯s nutrition-levels and keep his mutation healing him. Together with the doctor they went ahead and made sure everyone in the laboratory was taken care of. ¡°So, let me summarize our situation, ok?¡± Robin asked after Landom¡¯s report, ¡°Sevatian and Keran both are heavily injured and unconscious right now, you have a broken leg and Patience¡­ a broken skeleton of sorts, we lost the Sentinel, the Melody II is out of order and on top of that, we are in the middle of a ice-bullet-shooting storm in the Mystic Sea without any means for navigation or communication?¡± ¡°We have seen worse!¡± Landom chuckled. ¡°What? When? Mate, considering the fact that we have just started this mission, we are quite beaten up.¡± Robin exclaimed in indignation. ¡°Calm down, when was the last time you got some sleep? No one is in a critical situation anymore and we not only retaliated against the ones that attempted kidnapping you and Niu, you even found the laboratory of the Eltaran, including one of their people! That is a really great success!¡± Robin took a deep breath and calmed his throbbing head. ¡°Maybe you are right, even if your ¡®retaliation-operation¡¯ can hardly be counted as a success. I¡¯ll try to get some sleep. Please wake me as soon as anything happens or the storm calms down. I want to be off this island as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Roger. What about the Melody II?¡± Landom asked. ¡°While the storm is raging? Nothing. Timothy and Happy should put their heads together, maybe they have an idea how we get the ship in the hangar later.¡± Robin said and shuffled to his cabin. Not even three minutes later, he was fast asleep and finally got some well needed rest. *** The weather calmed down a few hours later. Robin stood up and checked on each crewmember before he gave the order to return to Dreamer¡¯s Hope and went back to sleep. Keran was still unconscious, but the doctor assured them that he was doing alright. Sevastian had woken up but would have to stay in bed for a few more days at least. Robin didn¡¯t talk to Patience, since she was resting in her cabin already, but when he saw Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s three blue and swollen eyes, he got a pretty good idea about her mood. The Eltaran took it like a champ, but Robin saw cracks in the old man¡¯s unwavering spirit - getting beaten up like that was definitely not something he had experienced in a long time. Before they left, Niu managed to load the Melody into the hangar with a backup crane and Timothy shut the hidden door to the laboratory. Half an hour before the estimated arrival - navigation was still impossible so everything was just about ¡®fly in that direction for so long and hope for the best¡¯ - Robin entered the bridge. ¡°Captain on the bridge!¡± Happy shouted and grinned at him. ¡°You are impossible.¡± He laughed and greeted Alena. ¡°What did I miss?¡± He asked and sat down. ¡°Keran is about to wake up, Patience is still resting, as are Sevastian and the doc. Ang¡¯Tue got the last cabin and also retreated. ETA for Dreamer¡¯s Hope is about 25 minutes.¡± Happy reported. ¡°Any word from the UAS?¡± Robin asked, even if he knew that this was nearly impossible. ¡°Nothing, communications are still dead.¡± ¡°So we have no idea what to expect when we return? Damnit¡­¡± ¡°You are expecting trouble?¡± Alena asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Sort of, yeah. The UAS should know that we have an Eltaran with us and may even assume that we found the hidden laboratory. Also, your operation at the stitch¡¯s workshop will not go by unnoticed. If Landom¡¯s intuition is right, the Alaris family and maybe even Romanes are behind this. Who knows what they will try next?¡± ¡°So, why do we return to Dreamer¡¯s Hope then?¡± She asked. ¡°Because the Mystic Sea is really big and the coast is not a straight line. Flying there has the highest chance of getting us out of here without any further mishaps.¡± Niu explained. Robin pondered a bit about their situation and ultimately called Ang¡¯Tue and Landom to the conference room. He gave Landom a quick summary about his deal with the Eltaran and explained his worries. ¡°You really think the UAS would apprehend him just like that? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to try a friendly approach with Ang¡¯Tue to build a bridge to the Eltaran?¡± ¡°It would, yes. However, you know how the UAS works better than me. Once you tried to apprehend me too and Ramones has already shown his willingness to bend the rules.¡± ¡°If things are like that, what is your idea?¡± Ang¡¯Tue asked. ¡°We can only hope that we are able to officially contact the UAS before Ramones can do anything. Can you speak for your people? I would like to record a message for Mrs. Hutton, our most reliable contact at the UAS, and suggest a deal: One, we found the hidden lab and will send them everything they need to know to quickly find it. Two, I¡¯ll offer to sell the map I used to find this place. There shouldn¡¯t be much more undiscovered locations on it but that¡¯s not my problem. Three, I want to propose a meeting between the UAS and the Eltaran. The cat is out of the bag already, so I¡¯d like to set up a meeting between our people. What the UAS makes of it is up to them, though. Your people can just listen for a bit and then vanish back into hiding, I don¡¯t care.¡± Robin explained. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°That sounds all great but what do we get out of this?¡± Landom asked and Robin just shrugged. ¡°For Ang¡¯Tue they have to guarantee safe conduct and for us I want three things. They shall keep Ramones in check and shorten his leash, I want them to increase my ship-selection and last but not least a big bonus-pay for each of the crew.¡± ¡°They shall increase your ship-selection? That doesn¡¯t make any sense at all, with your former services and the Keeper-mission on the horizon, there shouldn¡¯t be much that they could increase anymore¡­¡± Landom wondered but realization quickly came, ¡°You want them to owe you!¡± ¡°Yeah, with all this, especially if I¡¯m able to negotiate a meeting with the Eltaran, I should be able to get enough leverage with the UAS to remain unbothered for quite some time.¡± Robin said and added in his mind ¡®If they learn just how valuable my ability to sense Keeper-tech really is, that will come in handy.¡¯ His plan was to position himself as a reliable ally that provides many benefits as long as they leave him on his own. When the time comes to really set out, he doesn¡¯t want the UAS to put him on a leash. This was a thin thread he was balancing on, these deals weren¡¯t anything tangible and only worth as much as the UAS values its word. However, with Ramones breathing down on his neck, he now had the chance to test how determined they really were. If they whistle back the commander of the Gaunus-base, it would be exactly the show of conduct he would need. ¡°I agree to your terms. I¡¯m able to arrange an online meeting with some of our leaders. No promises that they agree to anything further than listening for some time, though.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said. ¡°Great, let¡¯s record a video for Hutton then!¡± Robin hurried them. They quickly explained what had happened the last few days and proposed the deal they had discussed. Ang¡¯Tue, with his three eyes open and ears not covered, added a few sentences here and there to explain stuff about the hidden lab and his agreement to set up a meeting. When they were done, Happy announced their arrival at the coast. Quickly, Robin hurried back to the bridge and had Alena sent the video to Hutton as soon as communications came back online. ¡°We get an incoming transmission.¡± Niu announced moments later. ¡°Ugh¡­ I knew it. Open a channel¡± Robin said with a sigh. ¡°This is the UAS IPS Discovery, under orders of the UAS you are to land immediately at the following coordinates to meet up with us for a personal meeting.¡± The voice of a man that didn¡¯t even announce his name could be heard. ¡°This is the captain Robin Tulward speaking, UAS IPR Hubble, of course we will be happy to meet you there.¡± Robin said and immediately closed the comm channel, ¡°What do we know about them?¡± ¡°Let me check for a second¡­¡± Alena said and closed her eyes while Niu flew them towards the south of Dreamer¡¯s Hope. The meeting place was only about a kilometer away from the little town. Suddenly the doctor, who was still aboard, came to the bridge. ¡°Mr. Bex is waking up. You should be able to talk to him in a few minutes!¡± The Ommih happily reported before he read the mood and realized that his entrance definitely came at the wrong time. ¡°Thanks, doc! Please wait outside, we have a situation to handle first. You can return to your clinic in no time, okay?¡± Robin dismissed the man. ¡°Found it!¡± Alena finally exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s an interplanetary scout under direct command of the Gaunus branch.¡± ¡°So they are Ramones¡¯ men? Damn you, Keran¡­¡± Robin cursed, well aware that Keran must have sent a short report when they encountered Ang¡¯Tue, before they were even back on the Hubble. ¡°What do they want from us?¡± Niu asked. ¡°The Eltaran.¡± Alena answered, ¡°Will you hand him over?¡± ¡°This is not about what I want or don¡¯t want. As much as Ramones is an asshole, he has a high position and speaks for the UAS. We have to give them Ang¡¯Tue¡­ for now.¡± Robin growled with anger in his voice. Niu piloted the Hubble slowly to the marked position and initiated the landing. Just when the ship came to a halt, Alena disrupted the silence on the bridge. ¡°We have a response from Hutton. Your proposal is enticing and the conditions are ¡®more than reasonable as always¡¯...?¡± She said a bit confused at the wording. ¡°At least someone seems to get what I¡¯m trying to do.¡± Robin sighed, ¡°Inform her about Ramones men and that we probably will have to hand over the Eltaran. She shall hurry up with whatever she has in mind!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do, will it? If they take him now, they are gone in less than an hour. He will wiggle himself out of this, ¡®losing¡¯ his prisoner or whatever. Ang¡¯Tue will never officially reach Gaunus, right?¡± Niu asked with a sad face. Robin stood up and wandered around a bit, he had only minutes to decide on what to do. He could already see a squad of five armed men walking to their ship. ¡°Any ideas?¡± He muttered and to his surprise ROMAS did come up with a plan. It wasn¡¯t a great one, but worth a shot. ¡°We three will go and greet them.¡± Robin said and opened the door to let the doc in once again, ¡°Doc, I need your help for a moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I can be of service in anything but your medical situation and that seems to be fine¡­¡± The man warily answered. ¡°You need to give Keran Bex, Sevastian Vlasov and Landom Walzor a shot that knocks them out. Keran needs to be gone for at least 12 hours, for the others an hour is enough!¡± ¡°What? Why¡­¡± The Ommih began but when he saw the bad mood of all three people, he quickly nodded, ¡°Sure, no problem! But I really wanna go back after that!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Robin gave him an honest nod and hurried to the exit. As soon as Robin, Niu and Alena stepped out of the Hubble¡¯s elevator, they were greeted by the fully armed squad. ¡°Mr. Tulward, we got word that you have an Eltaran aboard your ship?¡± The man in the front asked. He was only a little bit taller than Niu, had a shaved head and neatly trimmed beard. ¡°Why would that be of any concern to you, Mr¡­?¡± Robin asked the man. ¡°Because we are here to invite this individual to our facility on Gaunus.¡± The man said with a sneer, not caring to give his name. ¡°Well, I cannot speak for the man, but I know he has some other appointments already. I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s ready to accept your invitation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have to insist on bringing him to Gaunus first. If he doesn¡¯t wanna stay there, of course he can leave anytime.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not here to apprehend the Eltaran? It¡¯s just a forceful invitation?¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°Forceful is such a strong word, isn¡¯t it? Naturally he isn¡¯t a prisoner, but an honored guest!¡± ¡°Hm, interesting. If you are sure you wanna do this, I¡¯ll call him.¡± ¡°This is not your job to worry about. Under the orders of the UAS you bring the Elataran here, now!¡± The bald man hissed, clearly pissed by Robin¡¯s attitude. ¡°Sure mate, just wait a moment.¡± Robin said and turned to Happy, ¡°You heard Mr¡­ whatever, you heard the baldy, please call Ang¡¯Tue here, will you?¡± Chapter 89 - Priority Of Protection ¡°On my way!¡± Niu agreed and hurried back to get Ang¡¯Tue. ¡°Are you fuckin'' kidding me, dude?¡± Baldy asked. ¡°Nope, you just failed to introduce you time and time again, so I had to improvise. Don¡¯t fret.¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°You have no idea who you are messing with!¡± The man snarled. ¡°Mate, keep calm. You sound like a cheap villain and not like an upstanding UAS official. What will the people think?¡± Baldy became even more angry when he realized that his colleagues had a hard time suppressing a chuckle. However, in the end he calmed himself down, since he was about to get what he was asking for. No need to bicker with some jumped-up wanna-be-adventurer. He didn¡¯t have to wait for long and Niu came back with Ang¡¯Tue. The Eltaran had his hood up to hide his ears but kept his third eye open as he inspected the five men. ¡°Greetings, I¡¯m Ang¡¯Tue, Elder of the Eltaran council and seeker of knowledge.¡± He introduced himself and gave a small bow. ¡°Awesome title, I¡¯m Rain Trevil and want to invite you to a meeting with my superior. Let¡¯s go.¡± Baldy said dismissively and motioned for his men to step forward. ¡°Thank you very much Mr. Trevil, I must decline however. I have important matters to attend to and don¡¯t have time to travel through the system.¡± Ang¡¯Tue courteously said with a friendly smile, ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry too much, together with Mr. Tulward here, we have already proposed a meeting between my superiors and the ones in charge of the UAS headquarters.¡± It took Trevil only a moment to realize what they planned and his eyes went wide. ¡°Cut the crap, you know very well how this will go. We have to leave, now! Will you follow us as an honored guest, as I suggested, or as a prisoner?¡± He snarled, time was running out. He knew that this operation would be canceled as soon as the main HQ would give new orders. Not even Ramones could go directly against that. ¡°Well if it is like that, please lead the way. I really want to experience the UAS¡¯ hospitality.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said with squinted eyes and walked forward. When he was tightly surrounded by the four other squad-members, he looked back at Robin once and gave a last bow. The group quickly walked towards the Discovery, the scout ship that brought them here. It was only half the size of the Hubble and formed like a triangle. ROMAS assumed it was colored gray and green, but wasn¡¯t really sure. This ship was only made for short scouting trips or fast response operations, quick but without much comfort for the crew. It came with a drone bay at its top and had few windows to speak of. Instead of a proper bridge, a small cockpit for two people could be seen at its front. Robin couldn¡¯t make out more details from where he was, but he had already learned enough and ROMAS had confirmed that they got everything they needed. ¡°We will take good care of your new friend, now worries. See you next time!¡± Trevil said with a grin and turned to follow his men. After he took the first few steps, Robin called him to a halt however. ¡°Ah I almost forgot, Mr. Trevil, we kind of are in an emergency situation right now.¡± He said with fake despair on his face. ¡°Too bad, I can¡¯t help you right now. We have our own mission to do and are in a hurry.¡± Baldy turned and said annoyed. ¡°You know, I saw you have a fully armed squad with you and since we are in the lucky situation to have met, I want to request your protection until our crisis is resolved.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± The man snarled, he was still annoyed but also a bit wary, Tulward seemed to be up to something. Robin took out an external communication device that was directly connected with the UAS. Everything that was said would be recorded and sent to the UAS later on. ¡°Since I¡¯m not ¡®dude¡¯ but the captain of the UAS IPR Hubble, I hereby officially request your protection based on GL ¡ì29a. My crew came under attack twice over the last few days, our UAS contact, Keran Bex, is heavily wounded and unconscious ever since. In addition, Landom Walzor, team leader of my security squad and one of his members, Sevastian Vlasov, are wounded too and also unconscious. In this momentary situation, we are nearly defenseless and do need external protection.¡± Robin said with a grin, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we already have medical personnel aboard and hope that the crew is back in a condition that allows further travel in 12 hours at most!¡± Rain Trevil looked stumped for some time, not knowing how to react at all. He had his orders from Ramones and knew that with any lost minute the risk of new directives coming from the main HQ was rising. He needed to get the Eltaran to Gaunus as soon as possible. However, the young captain was indeed right, he could request protection and theoretically Trevil and his crew were in no position to deny such a direct request. Quickly the bald man closed his eyes and Robin assumed he was skimming through the GL to look for a way out. Together with Happy and Alena he patiently waited for him to finish. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you are in such a tough situation, however, we are transporting a highly valued guest and have to prioritize that above your needs.¡± He finally concluded, happy to have found a paragraph that mentioned the priorities in such situations. ¡°Is it like that? I¡¯m certain this guest is an unknown Eltaran and not a prisoner. You should check my profile mate, I¡¯m pretty sure there should be a note about the grave consequences for the UAS, if they lose me as an asset. So cut the crap and make your men secure the surroundings or whatever. But you better not let us stay here alone so close to potential enemy activities.¡± Robin said with a stern voice and put the communication device away. Without any further discussion he turned and left with his friends. ¡°Ramones doesn¡¯t care about that, no one will shit on his desk because of this clearly made up situation!¡± Trevil shouted and also wanted to leave. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You are probably right, Baldy.¡± Robin said without turning, ¡°However, it wouldn¡¯t be Ramones who will get the disciplinary enquiry but you and your men. Are you sure he will be able to protect you from the anger of the main HQ? It¡¯s only for 12 hours, after that you are free to go.¡± *** ¡°Do you really think that will work? They will stay just because of some bullshit law?¡± Patience asked after everyone gathered in the conference room. It was the first time after she woke up that Robin met with her, but she understood the situation and didn¡¯t say anything about the ¡®easy gene repair¡¯ that nearly killed her. ¡°Don¡¯t badmouth these rules. The UAS prioritizes the well-being of its people above nearly everything else. That are values one should be proud of, not make fun of.¡± Timothy said and Robin had to agree. Large organizations like the UAS or other governments too often forget the people that made them what they are. Therefore, the UAS valuing such a seemingly basic law definitely was praiseworthy. ¡°He is right.¡± Robin said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they don¡¯t dare to leave now. The question is if 12 hours are enough?¡± ¡°I already had a call with Hutton. She said that the topic is being discussed right now and we have to wait until they come to a conclusion. Hutton knows about Ramones attempt to get the Eltaran but cannot do much as there are factions in the HQ that support him. Also, on the paper it doesn¡¯t look suspicious that Ramones tries to get the Eltaran to Gaunus. Many people think it would be better if he looked after Ang¡¯Tue rather than us being responsible for him. That the Eltaran doesn¡¯t want to follow them to Gaunus is¡­ gracefully overlooked. Right now the idea is to secure the Eltaran first and, depending on the decided course of action, apologize later.¡± Timothy explained, ¡°Hutton expects a decision from the UAS in 24 hours at most.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have that long. 12 hours was the most I could demand, any more would be unreasonable.¡± Robin shook his head, ¡°Happy, what do we know about their ship?¡± Over the following minutes, Niu explained with much enthusiasm everything she knew about the model and made everyone aware once again, just how much of a nerd she was with these things. ¡°Okay, that that was... intense. Let¡¯s go for a walk, what do you think?¡± Robin said when she finished and led the group outside. After they moved away from the Hubble for a few meters, he continued, ¡°To summarize, the only way to enter their ship without anyone noticing would be through the drone bay?¡± ¡°We want to enter the ship? Where does that come from?¡± Alena said surprised but with one of the rare smiles on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I really don¡¯t want to leave Ang¡¯Tue with those guys. So, why not lend him a hand to get out of their ship? With his mutation, all we have to do is turn off the lights in the ship and open the door of his cabin or whatever it is they put him in.¡± Robin said with a shrug, ¡°If he escapes because of a sudden blackout, what does it have to do with us? Seems to me like the guys were just incompetent. Didn¡¯t we just tell them that we already were attacked here, too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Niu immediately agreed and Patience and Alena also nodded. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll help, too. And I do understand why we are here, outside of the ship, to discuss that - how do you plan to avoid the shitstorm that will definitely come, if the UAS can prove our involvement?¡± Timothy said, also agreeing. ¡°Great!¡± Robin gave his friends a thumbs up. Ang¡¯Tue wasn¡¯t really one of them yet, and Niu and Alena didn¡¯t even meet him for more than a few minutes altogether, but still everyone was immediately on board, even though he was talking about going directly against the UAS to rescue the old man. ¡°Niu and Timothy, you two start deactivating any autonomous outgoing communication. Also, no more private comms for anyone for now. If someone wants to make a call, he has to come to the bridge and do it from there¡­ after getting my permission. After that, begin to disassemble all surveillance that we have no control over. Leave only the normal cameras that are separated from the network.¡± ¡°Not very subtle, if you ask me¡­¡± Alena said with a frown. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be. We were ambushed in the inn, someone had knowledge about our ship, crew and location. We are only drawing consequences.¡± Robin argued and Timothy gave him a nod. ¡°Could be explained that way, seems plausible.¡± He said, ¡°Also, this is more like a political game we play and even if everyone else knows, they cannot do much about it. Robin has at least enough leeway for games like this - as long as the UAS doesn''t lose its opportunity for the promised meeting.¡± ¡°Alena, I would like to send you to the town. Get me two stun guns, the strongest you can find. I¡¯ll prepare our scout drone, it¡¯s time for it to return to its proper role!¡± Robin said. ¡°Uh, you want to infiltrate the Discovery with ROMAS? That¡¯s a good idea. If anything goes wrong, none of us is personally involved. I¡¯ll head out immediately!¡± Alena agreed and hurried off. ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll check on our three patients and send the doctor home. The poor guy was practically abducted by us.¡± Robin said and ended their outdoor-meeting. For the short rest of the afternoon, Robin worked on transforming the scout drone back into a combat drone. He first disabled all surveillance in the little hangar, where he also found the totally ravaged Melody II. Not only had he ripped out many of her systems and broken her repulsor, but afterwards the storm continued to batter the little ship with its icy projectiles and after hours out there, it now looked worse for wear. ¡°I¡¯ll patch you up as soon as we have Ang¡¯Tue back and I found the necessary spare parts, okay?¡± He said in a loving voice and patted one of her remaining winglets that was riddled with holes. The Melody II was his personal creation and had served him well over the last months, there¡¯s no way he would leave her behind just like that. When Alena returned, night was falling already. Robin had removed the casing from the drone and Landom sat on one of the stored crates, observing him with interest. ¡°You really think it will be that easy?¡± He just asked when Alena entered the hangar, a big package under her arms. ¡°Yeah, I thought this through more than once.¡± Robin replied and turned to the red-haired woman, ¡°You got them?¡± ¡°Yes, after asking a few forceful questions, I quickly found the right guy. In a town like this, there always is a demand for weapons of any kind and as such there will be someone to provide a steady supply.¡± She said and took two identical guns out of the box. They looked like energy rifles but with many wires winding around the barrel. Robin took one and inspected it with his mutation to understand what he was dealing with. He needed to remove any unnecessary parts to fit them into the drone and not overweight it. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He sighed, it wasn¡¯t everyday that he had to work with weapons, ¡°I¡¯m more into spaceships than guns n¡¯ stuff. How does this shit even¡­¡± ¡°Try this one!¡± Landom said and handed him something that looked like the skeleton of the rifle he held in his hand. To his side, many different parts were placed neatly piece by piece. ¡°Not bad, Chief!¡± Alena said in surprise. ¡°Stun weapons are part of the basic equipment of any city¡¯s Security. I had to dismantle and reassemble mine so often, I could mimic the necessary hand movements while sleeping!¡± Landom proudly explained while making creepy grabbing-motions with his hands. ¡°Your poor wife¡­¡± Robin muttered and Alena gave an agreeing nod. ¡°Just shut up!¡± *** An hour before midnight, the moons stood high up in the sky and shed a gentle light onto the sandy beach. At the edge of the forest a big white spaceship was resting and a bit further in, hidden among the trees, a smaller, rectangular ship was barely visible. Its paint job allowing it to become one with its surroundings. A few nocturnal animals were all one could hear besides the calming rush of the ocean. This seemingly peaceful scene wasn¡¯t disrupted, even when a black drone sneaked out of the white ship and silently vanished into the woods. Chapter 90 - Stealth Operation ¡°Mason, is it done?¡± Rain Trevil asked one of his men in annoyance. He sat at his little desk in the strategic room of the Discovery. His mood was at the bottom already and now he even had to go to such lengths just to make sure that this mission will be successful. ¡®It¡¯s all because of this damn technocrafter¡­¡¯ He cursed in his mind for the umpteenth time this day and threw an angry glare at the profile that was visible on his datapad, ¡®Just what is it that the UAS sees in him to give such an evaluation?¡¯ ¡°Yes Sir, all communication is shut down. Remoore is in Dreamer¡¯s Hope and reports to the UAS that our systems were damaged by a tree shortly after the landing.¡± The only other person in the room reported stiffly. ¡°Well, now that they are unable to send us new orders, we''ve at least ensured the mission¡¯s completion, even if the paperwork will be hell afterward.¡± Trevil said but saw his man hesitating, ¡°What is it, Mason?¡± ¡°Sir, was this really necessary - killing all means of communication? The Commander already confirmed that our people will ensure that the UAS won¡¯t be able to decide on any directives for at least 24 hours.¡± The man said and looked at his watch, ¡°15 hours left. We will be gone in three, plenty of margin of safety.¡± A low clattering coming from the back of the ship made them both look over. ¡°Probably Miles, he wanted to check if the priso¡­ the Eltaran wants something to eat now.¡± Mason said with a shrug. ¡°Seems like he kicked it out of his hands again. He really didn¡¯t take it well that we prepared some ¡®safety measures¡¯.¡± Trevil chuckled, ¡°Back to your question. Have you read Tulward¡¯s profile?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± ¡°Ever seen someone marked as ¡® High Value Contact¡¯?¡± ¡°No, Sir.¡± ¡°If you ever see shit like that, remember to always have a backup plan! If the upper echelons suddenly decide to hurry up their asses and ignore the stuff our people are throwing at them, we will be fucked.¡± Trevil explained with a sigh. ¡°But Commander Ramones¡­¡± Mason tried to argue. ¡°Commander Ramones personally told us that we have enough time, right. But do you really believe he will care about that, if shit hits the fan?¡± Trevil gave a hollow laugh, ¡°No, if something goes wrong, he will lash out at the first person he can blame. Who do you think that will be?¡± Mason paled at the thought of sitting in the first row when the Commander got one of his famous outbursts. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about tha-¡± Suddenly, as if to give more weight to the topic and set the right mood, the lights went off and everything was swallowed by darkness. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Rain Trevil angrily exclaimed, before it hit him like a racing ship. ¡°To the brig, secure the prisoner!¡± He yelled and jumped to the door. *** A few minutes before¡­ Two people crept quietly through the forest. Their black armor made them merge with the darkness, even though their helmets were exchanged for simple black caps. ¡°I see nothing¡­¡± Robin muttered under his breath, missing the night-vision. ¡°The helmet would nullify my enhanced hearing and also, in combination with our suits, we would be pretty easy to recognize. Now shut up and keep looking where you put your feet. You trample like a Notobruk!¡± Alena hissed, walking a few steps ahead of him. Robin raised his arms in defense but didn¡¯t respond. After a good 15 minutes the woman stopped and hunkered down behind some bushes. She pointed ahead and began to whisper. ¡°There is a small clearing in front of us; their ship is parked over there. Where is ROMAS?¡± Robin pointed upwards and couldn¡¯t suppress a grin, when he saw Alena flinch after she realized that the drone was hovering not even 5 meters above her. ¡°That thing is made for stealth, shit!¡± She cursed and concentrated back on the clearing, ¡°I¡¯ll go in and try to check if I can get a read!¡± Without waiting for his confirmation she moved forwards and soon became one with the darkness. Robin took her former spot and tried to make out the ship. With the moon hidden behind a layer of clouds, he didn¡¯t see much, only a rough shape of a triangle, 25 meters ahead. Nervously he shifted his weight around while he waited for Alena to return. ¡®Calm down, Damnit!¡¯ He chided himself, ¡®We have a solid plan, nothing can go wrong¡­ not much, at least. She checks where the crew is and where they keep Ang¡¯Tue. Then ROMAS goes in and opens his door. Lights go out and poof the old man becomes invisible. That¡¯s all!¡¯ Time ticked down and after a few minutes Robin¡¯s already shaky beliefs slowly turned into worries. He even tried to check the clearing with his mutation, but unfortunately his range was too low to get any results. Only after what felt like an eternity did Alena suddenly appeared like a ghost by his side. Even in this darkness he could see that she was drained and on wobbly legs. ¡°What happened?¡± He quietly asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get a good reading. I had to use my skill¡­¡± She said between low huffs. ¡°Burn in plasma! How long and did you get anything out of it?¡± Robin asked. Alena¡¯s mutation, like most G-Anomalies, came with its own skills. Her Class C - Sharp Senses enhanced vision, smell, hearing and touch to the level of a Class E mutation and with her skill, Overload, she could kick them up to the level of a Class C mutation. For up to 5 minutes she would become a monster in her sensory perceptions, outclassing most off-the-shelf sensors you could find. With hearing and touch alone she was able to get a pretty good picture from the insides of any building, vehicle or small ship. On the downside, her senses would drop way below the level of a normal human after turning off the skill. Recovery would take five times as long as the skill was used. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Close to four minutes¡­¡± She said with a grimace, ¡°But I think I got what we need. Two people are in a big room in the center of the ship, one in the cockpit and two at the back in what I think are the cabins.¡± ¡°Fuck, we can¡¯t wait that long - this intel will be useless in 20 minutes. Do you know which one is Ang¡¯Tue?¡± ¡°No, but probably one of those in the cabins.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. Okay, let¡¯s get this started before the last one comes back from Dreamer¡¯s Hope.¡± Robin closed his eyes and watched the video-feed from the UAV. With the drone¡¯s night-vision he had a pretty good view from above while closing in on the Discovery. ROMAS knew exactly where it needed to go and quickly flew to a small hatch atop of the ship¡¯s hull. This will be a tight entry, as the hatch was only 2m wide, just slightly bigger than the drone. However, that was the same for the whole ship as the scout didn¡¯t have a roomy interior and the short hallways only measured up to 1,5m at some points. ROMAS would need to tilt the drone to fit through, luckily they didn¡¯t plan on wandering around on the ship for long. When the drone came close to the hatch, it immediately opened up. Robin was once more reminded that ROMAS wasn¡¯t just some random AI but an invention of the Drel themselves, even if it was downgraded right now. Controlling the drone gave it a much wider selection of actions than what it was able to do on his Neuro-Chip and fooling a ship into believing it was one of its own drones was obviously no problem at all. While Robin was still thinking about the amazing technology that allowed the creation his companion, the UAV entered the ship. The little bay was cramped because two other drones were already inside. He observed as ROMAS moved to the service-door and tapped on a pad to the side with the metallic arm. This was one of the most critical parts of his plan. They had no idea what was behind the door and someone might just be passing by. Alena¡¯s intel could only be trusted for so long. A small message at the top of the video notified him that the stun guns were powered up. He really hoped they wouldn¡¯t need them, though. The door slid open with a hiss and the drone found itself in an empty hallway. They got lucky! Slowly ROMAS piloted the UAV through the ship. He tried to stay away from the front and headed directly to the cabins. After a few minutes they found six closed doors. The drone switched to thermal-vision and even though it couldn¡¯t see what was going on in the rooms, it at least could differentiate between occupied and vacant cabins because of the slightly higher temperature inside. Quickly they ruled out the empty rooms and ROMAS randomly decided on one of the remaining ones. Without any hesitation it tapped the pad and the door slid open. It was a small, dark bunk and on the bed a person was sleeping. Before Robin could even fully grasp the situation, the door was shut again and the drone turned around. ¡°Okay, wrong room. Must be nice to have such fast processing capabilities!¡± He muttered. ¡°Say what?¡± Completely surprised by this, he couldn¡¯t react fast enough and instead of answering, the drone opened the other door. It was the same bunk, but instead of lying in the bed, the person inside was sitting on the ground in a meditative position. Robin quickly identified Ang¡¯Tue who opened his eyes when they entered, but ROMAS turned around and began to tinker with the pad inside, probably to make sure they would be able to get out again, if the door closed behind them. Robin saw the metal claw remove the casing of the pad and rummage through the cables. After cutting a few of them, the drone tapped on the dangling pad and the door closed. It turned around and came face-to-face, well face-to-camera, with the Eltaran. ¡°Open comm!¡± Robin quickly ordered. Unfortunately the BWT-connection was only working for ROMAS, so Robin couldn¡¯t directly stream his voice. But the AI could easily make the drone¡¯s sound-module say whatever it wanted and just relayed his words. ¡°Hey mate, it¡¯s me, Robin! How are you doing?¡± The old man tilted his head, examining the drone. ¡°That is unexpected!¡± He said and Robin could hear the relief in his voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we would leave you behind, did you?¡± ¡°This is not what we agreed on. You are taking risks¡­¡± ¡°How about we discuss this at a later time in a more suitable environment?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°Great, here is the plan. ROMAS, the drone, has unlocked your door. We will leave first and look for an access point to connect to the system and turn off the lights. Then you can just become one with the shadows and get the hell out of here!¡± ¡°That would be a solid plan¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said with an awkward smile on his face and raised his hands. Robin hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but it seemed like Trevil and his men had cuffed him before they dumped the Eltaran in the cabin. ¡°So much for being an ¡®honored guest¡¯. Will this be a problem?¡± ¡°Yes, these cuffs prevent the usage of most mutations.¡± Ang¡¯Tue explained. ¡°What, there is such a thing?¡± ¡°Wow, that is some nasty, fucked-up tech!¡± Robin exclaimed. Sure, it wasn¡¯t failsafe as there were many skills that worked instantaneously and didn¡¯t need the user to continuously concentrate on it. In addition he could totally see some people train to withstand the pain and keep their mutation active even under such conditions. But for the everyday Jack? Yeah, this would definitely do. ¡°Damnit, what now?¡± He mused. How would he get Ang¡¯Tue out of the ship without anyone noticing? The same way they went in? Maybe - why not? If he could get the Eltaran quietly to the drone-bay, there would be no reason for anyone to check his cabin. This would be even better than his original plan, which would alert everyone aboard that something was wrong. However, there were risks. The Eltaran would be completely defenseless on his way out. While he was still pondering about their best course of action, the door suddenly beeped and even before it had completely slid open, ROMAS had turned the drone around. One of the crewmembers stood outside, a tray with food in his hands. ¡°I came to-¡± He didn¡¯t get any further since a blue, crackling energy bullet hit him directly in the chest. Like a dead log he fell forward face-first, the tray slipped out of his hands and dropped to the floor with a loud clatter. ¡°Hurry to the drone-bay! Right, left, left, right.¡± ROMAS said without waiting for Robin to formulate a plan. Ang¡¯Tue hesitated only for a moment, checked if the dude had the key to his cuffs or a weapon and rushed out of the room when he didn¡¯t find anything useful. The drone also exited the room and closed the door, before following the Eltaran. Seems like even ROMAS still saw a chance that no one heard the noise. However only moments later the drone spun around when the other cabin¡¯s door slid open. Unfortunately he couldn¡¯t see what happened next, because someone forcefully shook his shoulders. ¡°What is it?¡± He hissed angrily when Alena tore him out of the video-feed at such a crucial point. She just held a finger to her lips and pointed at the clearing. The moon was freed from the clouds by now and after his eyes readjusted to the lighting he could barely make out a person that was slowly walking to the ship. "Fuck!" Robin cursed under his breath. From his position the man had a perfect view on the spot where Ang¡¯Tue would hopefully pop out of the hatch in just a few moments. And if he wasn¡¯t mistaken, then the man wore a proper helmet, meaning he had probably his night-vision activated. ¡°Damnit, damnit, damnit!¡± Robin mumbled and pulled the cap deeper into his face. He quickly grabbed a stone and threw it into the woods behind the man. When he turned around to the rustling noise, Robin began to tap into his mutation and sprinted forward. Chapter 91 - Drone Wars Robin tried to use the scrubs and bushes which grew around the clearing as cover while he rushed forward. Together with the darkness of the night he was close to invisible to any observer. Except for those that had night-vision. The man he charged probably was one of the later and when he entered his skill¡¯s range, a quick Echo-Pulse immediately confirmed that hunch. Robin scowled but didn¡¯t stop advancing. He needed to buy time for Ang¡¯Tue to escape from the ship and vanish into the forest. This man was the last hurdle. He had confidence in ROMAS to keep the ones inside the ship in check, so it was his job to make sure everything else was handled properly. When Robin closed in on the man, he could make out more details. He wasn¡¯t wearing an armored suit but a type of casual outdoor clothes, packed with an exaggerated number of pouches attached to his belt. An energy pistol was secured in a holster at his right leg and only the helmet on his head set him apart from the other people you could meet in Dreamer¡¯s Hope. Just before Robin reached him, the man suddenly spun around and looked directly at him. ¡®How¡­?¡¯ Robin thought in surprise but finished what he had begun. The dude had no time to prepare anything and would be knocked out quickly. With a long jump, he reached the scout and threw a fist at his stomach. With one fluid motion, his opponent took a step back to evade the blow but Robin had anticipated as much - days of getting beaten up by Patience and Sevastian finally paid off. However, what Robin didn¡¯t expect was the shimmering energy shield that popped out of nowhere. It only flickered ever so slightly when his fist crashed into it and Robin quickly had to retreat. The two men stood a few meters apart at the border of the clearing and evaluated each other. Robin made sure to have a tree between them, so the man didn¡¯t get a chance to closely inspect his face. ¡°Who are you? Are you aware that you just attacked a member of the UAS on duty?¡± The scout said, the helmet projecting his voice. ¡°...¡± Robin didn¡¯t answer as his mind was racing with different thoughts. That wasn¡¯t how he had expected this to play out. ¡®I have no idea where that shield came from or how he suddenly sensed me so quickly. What is his mutation?¡¯ Robin pondered while rubbing his still sore hand. ¡°Not gonna talk?¡± When the man pulled out his gun, Robin retreated further into the undergrowth and locked onto the man with his mutation to keep track of his position. Blue lines formed in his vision, creating a stark contrast to the dark forest. He saw the energy running through the helmet, the pouches at the man¡¯s belt also began to glow and after a few seconds, more blue lines formed in the air above them. ¡®What the hell is that?¡¯ Concentrating harder on that spot, he finally could make out the schematics of what looked like a small drone, not bigger than a fist. Quickly switching his focus back to the pouches, Robin finally understood what he was dealing with. ¡®Burn in plasma¡­ that must be a drone specialist.¡¯ These guys had only lower combat capabilities and often took support roles in their teams. They brought a multitude of little drones that they could use depending on the situation: visualizing the battlefield with surveillance-drones, attacking with little laser-shooting bastards or defending the team with shields - to name just a few. Robin was unsure of how many drones one could control at the same time, because you needed to split your attention evenly to keep them active. ¡®Two? Three?¡¯ He made an uneducated guess, ¡®Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s only two or else this assault will backfire quite hard.¡¯ Still sneaking from cover to cover, Robin went through his options. He brought his trusty pistol but killing the guy was off the table - they wanted to piss off Ramones and free the Eltaran, not commit bloody murder on a UAS official. How could he disable the shields and how could engage without getting shot himself - the scout pretty sure wouldn¡¯t hesitate to. He was being ambushed out of nowhere, so why would he hold back? ¡®Visuals first¡­¡¯ Robin decided after he realized that the man confidently followed his tracks. The bushes may prevent the scout from directly shooting him, but despite the darkness he also never once lost track of his position. *** ¡®What a shitty day!¡¯ Dougan Remoore cursed. First they had to hurry all the way here to this godforsaken no-man¡¯s-land only to get shackled just after they had caught the alien. Then, they disabled their ship¡¯s communication system and he had to go back to the town to report the tale of ¡®a big tree that damaged their systems when it crashed down¡¯. He was sure the UAS contact he spoke to didn¡¯t believe this story any more than the hillbilly from local Security who had lent him the communication station. ¡®And now this¡­¡¯ Who in their right mind would try to ambush a scout from the UAS? And what did they plan on achieving with this poor attempt? Obviously killing wasn¡¯t the idea since the attacker didn¡¯t pull out the ballistic pistol he carried - one of the advantages of being under the UAS protection: even the scum in this backwater place was afraid of retaliation if they took it too far. Slowly, Dougan followed the man through the undergrowth. ¡®Where did he even wanna flee to?¡¯ He wondered while he observed the assailant going in a wide circle on the video-feed from his surveillance drone. Were there more hostiles? Was this one just a distraction? ¡®Fuck Trevil and him being overcautious all the time. He was worried about a ragtag group of explorers who haven¡¯t even finished their first mission? It would have been better to check the local situation first, before deciding to blow-off our own communication system.¡¯ Dougan continued to vent when he realized he couldn¡¯t even contact his team for now. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Once again he tried to cut off the man he was trailing, but once again the man seemed to be able to see his movements and changed directions. ¡°Argh, fuck this shit! I don¡¯t have time for this crap!¡± He cursed and took one of the attack-drones from his belt. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you evade this one, asshole!¡± Dougan muttered while he ordered his mutation, a Class C - Multitasking Mind, to split his attention even further. Just as he was about to throw the new drone into the air, his vision suddenly flickered. Well, to be more precise, the night-vision overlay from his helmet began to flicker. Then, it suddenly went out and everything around him turned dark for a moment, only for the helmet to turn on again while sending brightly glaring images into his field of view. ¡°Fuck!¡± He loudly cursed after getting blinded and quickly ripped off his helmet. His eyes would need a moment to adjust to the darkness, so he quickly closed them and switched to the video-feed from his drone. Just in time as it seemed, since he saw the sneaky bastard rushing him. He once more activated the shielding drones directly from his belt but still winced when he observed himself from the drones perspective in the sky. He saw the blue shield power up half a breath before the dude hit him full force with a mace-like tree branch. The blue sphere flared but didn¡¯t break. With his eyes still closed, he used the momentum to take a few steps back and finally threw the drone in the air which he still had in his hand. His head began to complain when he pushed his mutation further and took out a second attack-drone. His opponent managed to land one more swing with his club, before he had to retreat into the undergrowth, the drones now being able to pressure him. Getting a moment to breathe, Dougan switched his surveillance-drone from night-vision to thermal vision and linked it with the two attack-drones. It was time to hit back¡­ and as soon as he was done here, he will officially file a complaint about Trevil. If this asshole right now had used his gun, he would have been long dead! *** ¡°Damnit!¡± Robin whimpered while rubbing his aching shoulder. The scout managed to land two hits with the little drones before he could fully retreat into the forest and although his armored suit took the brunt of it, he wasn¡¯t in his best shape anymore. ¡®Is that fucking shield made for spaceships or what? Blunt damage should have put it under much more strain than energy projectiles but that bastard didn¡¯t even flinch. Fuck!¡¯ He cursed, ignoring the obvious fact that even if personal shields were weaker against blunt damage, it would still be pretty pathetic if they broke after a simple punch and two hits with a club. For the next minute and a half they returned to circling each other again. Robin was still positively surprised that his mutation¡¯s new upgrade actually had quite the impact on the man¡¯s helmet. He couldn¡¯t break it or anything, but apparently messing up the energy balance still was enough to make it not only useless but a burden even. He hadn¡¯t specifically tried to ¡®speed up¡¯ or ¡®slow down¡¯ the flow of energy as he hasn¡¯t reached this level of confidence with his new skill yet, but throwing everything he had at the device, like an electronic shitstorm, still worked wonders. Soon, Robin felt more and more pressured while he ran through the forest erratically. Energy projectiles flew to his left and right every few seconds. Whatever he tried, the laser-shooting drone-thingies found him time and time again. ¡®His helmet is gone, he must be using the drone above now¡­¡¯ Robin thought as his mind raced. He glanced at the pinned timers. Alena was still out of order for at least 1:20min and even if she was back, he couldn¡¯t see her ripping that shield apart with bare hands. He thought about shooting the shield until it breaks, but the risk was too high. Looking at the second timer, he instead decided on taking out the surveillance-drone. The little bugger was completely invisible in the dark night and without his mutation highlighting it in blue, he wouldn¡¯t even know it was there. Carefully he tried to feel for it with his senses and concentrated on disrupting the energy within. He failed again and again, never getting to grasp it with his mutation. Moving through the dark forest, evading trees and bushes while keeping his mutation active at the same time felt like juggling with many different potteries at the same time. His attempt completely failed when one of the attack-drones hit him in the back. He deactivated his skill and rushed forward, shaking off his pursuers. Taking another look at the timers he winced - he needed that drone gone, now! Without further ado, he pulled out his gun, activated his sensing-skill and shot at the blue cluster of lines in the sky, ten meters above him. He needed five shots to finally get a hit and sent it tumbling to the ground. Even after the drone had crashed, the echo of the ballistic shots rolled like thunder through the silent night. A quick Echo-Pulse told him that the laser-shooting drones were off his trail - the scout had finally lost any means of tracking him. Gasping for breath, he squatted down behind a big tree and switched to his own video-feed. *** Dougan was fuming in rage by now. This whole fucking situation was just wrong. First his helmet decided to malfunction at the worst possible time, then he had a hard time chasing one fucking dude through the forest and at the end that asshole actually managed to shoot down his drone, depriving him of his last chance of having a proper sight in this damn forest. He quickly sent out his shield drones to protect him and called the attackers back. Whoever that was would have to come to him sooner or later. ¡®Whoever¡¯ - he had mused about that and while he first suspected the team of the Hubble, this whole farce was planned too badly even for people like them. Also, neither of them should have this kind of sensory ability. The technocrafter with his Minor Energy Senses could maybe track him in this forest with all the electronics he was carrying, but finding his small and fast drones? Fat chance! The Vlasov-woman was exactly the opposite, while she should be able to see the drones, she had no means of tracking him in the undergrowth without a clear line of sight - also she was a seasoned fighter, which his attacker definitely wasn''t. ¡®So it¡¯s probably someone from the town, trying to buy time for his partners. But for what? Our arrival wasn¡¯t announced, no one should have been waiting here for us. Hopefully the rest of the team is doing better¡­¡¯ While he was pondering about who his attacker was, he suddenly realized that it had become really quiet around him. Without running through the bushes, his drones wildly shooting or sounds of ballistic fire, everything calmed down. Then he heard it. A faint, nearly muted swooshing behind his back. When he spun around, his heart skipped a beat. He was staring directly at a drone that hovered not even 3 meters away from him, it was black, close to invisible in this darkness and, despite its enormous size, quiet like a predator. His drones were shit compared to this monster that had more wingspan than he was tall. Two menacing weapons were mounted on its hull and when he saw them beginning to fizzle with electric arcs, he knew it was game over for him. Four shots were fired in such rapid succession that Dougan didn¡¯t even notice which one shattered his shield before the rest sent his consciousness into a black void. Chapter 92 - The Demon Within ¡°When did I get so sloppy? Which decision led to all this mess? Where did I take the wrong turn?¡± Ang¡¯Tue muttered. He was sitting on the floor of his cabin, trying to meditate as he had been taught since he got his first mutation as a little boy. However today he had a hard time emptying his mind and letting go of all distracting thoughts. ¡°I had 286 years to learn, 286 years to grow, 286 years to become wiser¡­ Now a young man, only slightly older than my granddaughter, with barely any life experience and just at the beginning of his journey with nothing but a head full of dreams in his bag, had to tell me that I make ¡®rookie-mistakes¡¯.¡± He sighed and shook his head. A sad chuckle escaped his lips, ¡°He was proven right, though - wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Focus! I need to meditate!¡± The Eltaran chided himself but his thoughts spiraled out of control again and again. Each time he thought about the pressure his people will have to face because of him or the lost opportunity to deliver the data he had acquired after a nearly endless search, he drifted further away from the meditative state he was seeking. ¡°I was so close¡­ After losing my patience and confronting the explorers, I actually had the chance to make up for exposing my people. For what? To end up here, locked up like a prisoner with no chance to escape?¡± Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s mood began to waver, his tightly suppressed and hidden temper scratching at the mental walls that kept it confined. ¡®I need to focus, I need to calm my mind!¡¯ He reminded himself when he noticed that his fingers already began to twitch. He forced his thoughts to picture a peaceful lake, Gaya¡¯Beo playing in the grass, birds singing¡­ It didn¡¯t work. His body started to shake, as if trying to break free from invisible shackles. ¡°Rain Trevil, you are taking away everything that is important to me!¡± Ang¡¯Tue said with a low voice that sounded more like a growl than a humanoid voice. In his mind the calm lake turned red and his playing granddaughter fell down, her eyes void of any light. The scene vanished and was replaced with the faces of dying Eltaran - his family, his friends, his folk. One after another withered away while they cursed him for betraying his own kind. He fought against the rising rage that was smoldering in him like magma under the earth - only waiting for a chance to erupt and bring death and destruction. ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ Ang¡¯Tue sensed it - after so many years of training and meditation to keep his emotions in check, he immediately sensed the moment his grip was loosening. Dark smoke rose from his shaking body, hiding his figure in an ominous-looking cloud of black mist. ~They are worthless! A voice whispered in his mind. A voice he had suppressed for so long. A voice he hoped to never hear again. ~We need to be free¡­ ~We can save our people! Ang¡¯Tue wanted to fight against it. This wasn¡¯t right, that wasn¡¯t him. He cannot¡­ ~It is all their fault¡­ ~Our people are dying! ¡­right. However, this is not the way¡­ There must be another option! ~Alone you are weak¡­ ~Let¡­ us¡­ OUT! The voice shouted and then Ang¡¯Tue was jolted awake with a shock. The black smoke returned to his body while pain coursed through his head. Pain from the fight with his inner demon and pain from the electric shock he got from the suppression-shackles. With deep breaths the old man calmed his racing heart and throbbing head. ¡°Too close!¡± He panted and raised his hands to inspect the cuffs, ¡°You just saved many lives!¡± ~No! It keeps us from saving our people! He once more heard the voice in his head, now nothing more than a whisper in the back of his mind. It will take time to fully suppress this dark side again. Half an hour later, just as he finally managed to calm his mind enough to meditate, he heard the door beeping. When he saw a black drone enter his room, so big that it only managed to pass the door diagonally, confusion was the most prominent feeling he had. What the heck? *** Ang¡¯Tue didn¡¯t linger around any longer and sprinted ahead. When he heard another door opening, he just threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, the black drone immediately shot the guy who stepped out of the cabin. ~Too lenient! They deserve to die¡­ ¡°Shut up!¡± He scowled and took the next turn. Panic rose within him as he felt the demon stir again. He needed to stabilize his mental fortress, quickly! The old man hurried through the hallways of the small ship and just when he reached the place that should be the drone bay, the lights went off and everything was plunged into darkness. With haste he felt for the pad to open the door, but nothing happened when he pressed it. ¡°Robin must have cut the power¡­¡± Not sure how to proceed from here on, he decided to wait for a moment and hoped the UAV would turn up soon. With his hands cuffed and no means to see in this darkness he pretty much was a sitting duck. Unfortunately it wasn¡¯t the drone that found him first, but one of the Discovery''s crew. The light cone of a flashlight came around a corner from the other side and blinded his eyes. ¡°Well, well, well¡­ If that isn¡¯t our honored guest!¡± A mocking voice echoed through the corridor. ¡°Trevil!¡± Ang¡¯Tue hissed. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ~Let us free¡­ ~We can kill him! ¡°Old man, I have no idea how you managed to get out of your cell¡­ room or how you managed to hijack our systems, but believe me: I¡¯ll make you talk!¡± Trevil hissed. ¡°Is this how you treat your guests? Locking them up in a cell with hands shackled? I¡¯m really interested to see how the UAS will try to justify this.¡± ¡°Cut the crap, alien. Do you really think you have any rights here? You are my fuckin¡¯ prisoner and the only thing you need to do is shut up and wait for the white-coats to take you apart piece by piece. Don¡¯t you know how much we can learn from your body?¡± Trevil laughed while Ang¡¯Tue tried to keep his emotions in check. ¡®Shut up, asshole. I already have a hard time controlling myself right now!¡¯ He cursed in his mind while he fought the voice in his head. ~He deserves it¡­ ~Let us help! Unfortunately, Trevil didn¡¯t shut up and kept taunting him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say something about a greater mission you have? Well, isn¡¯t that perfect? The secrets in your body will help all of mankind to rise one step further. A noble sacrifice for the greater good!¡± Again Ang¡¯Tue saw images of his dying people, dead Eltaran - lost because of his failings. ~No! Lost because of mankind¡¯s greed! ~There is still time left¡­ Right! He still had a chance to do the right thing. The UAV had gotten him out of his cell, he just needed to leave this place and hide for some time. Then he could contact his people and send them the data. ~Yes! We only have to leave¡­ Slowly his consciousness became clouded. Thoughts running slower, as if they were drifting through deep water. At the end of the now dimly lit corridor, right behind the UAS official that was still rambling about the rise of mankind, the drone turned up. Ang¡¯Tue saw a blue flash and then watched as the man fell to the floor. He didn¡¯t react however, being occupied with the voice that whispered sweetly in his mind. ~Together we can save our people! ~We deserve better than this¡­ Yes, he only needed to let loose for a moment, then he should be able to get out of here. Just a short moment, that was all he needed¡­ He didn¡¯t notice when the drone unlocked the door or told him to wait until the hatch opened and it had secured the area. The Eltaran just stood there with a blank face. ~Yes, yes! We only need a moment¡­ ~We can go back to sleep after getting you out of here! If it was just a moment, it might be okay, right? What damage could possibly be done? Black smoke rose from his body again, blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. If he now activated his second mutation he would perfectly imitate the Class A - Shadow...- A jolt shocked Ang¡¯Tue awake once more. He groaned when he felt his throbbing head. ¡°Damnit, I need to stabilize myself. This is way too dangerous, if these shackles wouldn¡¯t fry my brain every time I let my mind slip-" He muttered before he paused after looking at his cuffs. His hands were still shackled, however somehow he now stood above the unconscious UAS official. ¡®When did I get here?¡¯ He wondered and took a second look at the dead man. ¡°Wait¡­ dead? Oh no!¡± Ang¡¯Tue exclaimed after he saw the unnaturally twisted neck of the man. Who did that? How long has his blackout been? "..." ¡®Who did that? Really?¡¯ He mocked himself and shook his head. ¡°You have to leave, now!¡± The drone¡¯s mechanical voice called out to him, void of any emotions - Robin wasn¡¯t the one speaking anymore. ¡°We may have a problem here¡­¡± He said and pointed at the dead body to his feet. The UAV came closer and shoved him away. ¡°This operation was supposed to be non-lethal. His death wasn¡¯t necessary and will complicate the aftermath.¡± ¡°I know, it was an accident! Everyone else on the ship is knocked out, right?¡± ¡°Yes, no hostiles remaining.¡± The drone confirmed. ¡°Okay, leave and check on Robin. I¡¯ll follow you in a moment.¡± Without a word or any hesitation the UAV turned and left. Silence fell over the dark corridor, only disrupted by Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s loudly beating heart and the still not suppressed voice in his head. ~He deserved it! ~He wanted to use us¡­ ¡°Damnit! Shut the hell up!¡± The Eltaran cursed and looked at the dead officer once again. The man was lying on the floor, illuminated by the little flashlight to his side. His neck twisted and the head turned so wrong that all together it looked like an image from a horror movie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue muttered, sadness, shame and guilt seeping in his voice. He took a step back and after another deep breath, he steeled his mind. ¡°What to do?¡± He pondered. ¡°Huh¡­ maybe? Oh.. that¡¯ll hurt!¡± With his cuffed hands he corrected the position of Trevil¡¯s head and then put his hands around the twisted neck. Black smoke came out of his arms, seeping into the skin and drilling into the mouth and nose of the man. Instantly the shackles sent shocks into his body but this time he was prepared and continued on, not stopping the skill. Soon the sounds of bones breaking or shifting could be heard, alongside the occasional whimpering of the Eltaran that nearly got electrocuted time and time again. Every few seconds he had to cancel his skill and take a break, then restart to continue his work. After half a minute of pain and shifting bones, Trevil¡¯s body convulsed once and spewed out a torrent of bile. Dizzy and stunned from all the electric shocks, Ang¡¯Tue stumbled back and looked at his work. ¡°That should do it¡­ hopefully!¡± He said and hurried to the drone bay. When he finally climbed out of the ship, the Eltaran quickly ran into Robin. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The young technocrafter asked and immediately reached for the shackles. ¡°Yes, more or less. Thank you for getting me out of there¡­¡± He muttered while the man was fumbling with the cuffs. ¡°You won¡¯t get them off. They are locked with an electronic mechanism. Only with the key can you cut the connection and open it.¡± He gave some insights, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the city and look for someone who can free me of these things and¡­¡± While he was still trying to explain that you can¡¯t just take them off like that, the Suppression-Shackle clicked once and split apart, freeing his hands. ¡°See, all done!¡± Robin chuckled with relief in his voice. ¡°Uhm.. thanks?¡± Ang¡¯Tue said, perplexed. ¡®Well, it seems like everyone has his own secrets!¡¯ He reminded himself. ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave for now. Give me until next evening, after the sun sets I¡¯ll come to find you and we can talk about the next steps.¡± ¡°You could come now!¡± Robin argued. ¡°No, sorry. I have to¡­ I need to rest alone for some time.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said, not wanting to explain anything about his condition right now. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be here for another week or so, just stop by when you are done.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± He gave the young man a deep bow and activated his mutation to become one with the darkness. ~He got what he deserved! ~Now we are free to go¡­ ¡°That is not what I am, not who I want to be!¡± The old Eltaran scowled while he ran deeper into the forest to find a place where he could finally work on getting his mind in order. ~We will see! ~Sooner or later you will need help again! Chapter 93 - Two Sides Of A Coin Robin was completely drained when he arrived back on the Hubble together with a sickly looking Alena. ¡°You still look like a mess!¡± He said, ¡°Having such severe side effects after activating your skill for only four minutes, that¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth the boost.¡± She said with a shrug, ¡°Also, I¡¯m already back in shape, just a bit exhausted. I¡¯ll leave first and hit the bed.¡± ¡°Fine, thanks for your work today. I appreciate the risk you were willing to take for Ang¡¯Tue - going directly against the UAS and stuff¡­¡± ¡°He reminds me of my old man. Always wanting the best for everyone.¡± Alena said and one of the rare smiles crept onto her face. ¡°You mean these grandpa-vibes? I know exactly what you mean!¡± He chuckled and made his way to the hangar. He would only have that long before Trevil and his men wake up and storm over here to make a scene. It would be best if the drone was stripped of its weapons by then. ¡°Captain!¡± Alena called over her shoulder, ¡°That was a good fight today!¡±. ¡°Yeah, it was, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Robin exclaimed but then let go of a sigh, ¡°Even though, it proved once more that I¡¯m no frontline fighter. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to win on my own.¡± ¡°If you had gone for the kill, the fight would have ended earlier and without the need for support.¡± Alena laughed and left. ¡°Probably¡­ but is that what I am striving for? Being able to kill people before they kill me?¡± Robin muttered while walking to the hanger. It may be a necessity if you want to survive out in the universe, but there was also a chance that he was approaching all this too naive, which in turn led them to face one critical situation after another. So maybe it wasn¡¯t about killing to survive but about being a better captain or adventurer to avoid such situations in the first place. He thought about that until he had dismantled the stun-guns from the drone, reassembled them to normal stun-rifles and fell into his bed. Even when his eyes got heavy and dreams were reaching out for him, he couldn¡¯t find an answer to this question. *** Early next morning, just as he had expected, Landom woke him up because the team from the Discovery was knocking at their door. ¡°I only exchanged a few words with them, but they do look really angry!¡± The man explained while Robin got dressed. ¡°Of course they are pissed, they lost their prized alien. I bet Trevil is fuming!¡± He laughed. ¡°Trevil isn¡¯t with them¡­¡± ¡°What? Why wouldn¡¯t he come?¡± Robin wondered while following Landom to the elevator, ¡°Maybe he went to Dreamer¡¯s Hope to contact the UAS? Alena said something about their ship looking like someone broke their comm system¡¯s external relay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, they were mostly shouting every which way. Didn¡¯t get much out of them.¡± When the elevator dropped Robin and Landom on the forest ground outside, Mereus was just beginning to crawl on the horizon. The four men he had seen the day before all began to yell at the same time when they saw him. ¡°Good morning together!¡± Robin said, suppressing a yawn, ¡°I thought you would be on your way back to Gaunus already. Thank you for protecting me and my crew till now. We are mostly back in shape by now.¡± He stopped and looked at Landom, ¡°We are, right? How is Keran doing?¡± ¡°Keran woke up a few hours ago. He ate what the doc had prescribed and quickly fell asleep. He is fine.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Robin said with relief and turned back to the four scouts, ¡°So, how can we help you?¡± The men had already fallen silent and one took a step forward. ¡°We are waiting for the UAS to send another team!¡± He said with gnashing teeth, ¡°Was this your doing?¡± Robin saw how angry they were and how much they had to fight to not explode on the spot. Something felt off. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. How is Ang¡¯Tue doing and where is Trevil?¡± He asked warily. ¡°He is dead, didn¡¯t survive the attack!¡± One of the others yelled angrily. ¡°What? You killed the Eltaran? Are you crazy? That is too much even for Ramones. What the fuck¡­?¡± Robin exclaimed in shock. How did they find the old man and why would they kill him? Fuck, that was-... ¡°Rain Trevil is dead, the Eltaran is gone. Fled during the attack.¡± ¡°Trevil? Dead? When? How?¡± Robin¡¯s head began to spin and next to him he could feel Landom also tensing up. ¡°We were attacked tonight. A combat drone infiltrated our ship, knocked everyone out with a stun weapon and freed the prisoner. You have a combat drone with you, right?¡± The first dude replied, accusation in his voice. Robin couldn¡¯t make heads and tails out of this, Trevil dead? How? ¡°Yeah we have a combat drone - well it¡¯s more like a scout as it has no weapons. What¡¯s with Trevil?¡± ¡°Choked! Suffocated on his own damn bile! You damn fuckers, I know you ki-¡± The other man shouted once more but was held back by one of his friends. Robin now identified him as the drone-specialist he fought that night. However, the shocking news of Trevil¡¯s death kept most of his attention. How could that happen? ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m sorry to hear.¡± Robin said in a low voice. ¡°Can we see your drone?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, please come in.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. *** ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s the one!¡± The drone-guy yelled when he saw the UAV and one of the others also nodded in agreement. ¡°How could you attack your own people? For some fucking alien you killed one of us? That will have consequences! I¡¯ll make sure you all will get fucked by the UAS court!¡± He continued. Robin shook his head, trying not to think about Trevil for the moment. He needed to clear their vests first. ¡°Mate, I already told you - I¡¯m sorry for your loss. While we told you that this is a rowdy neighborhood here, I didn¡¯t expect¡­ that. However, we have nothing to do with the attack or whatever. This drone,¡± He said and pointed at the black combat UAV, ¡°That¡¯s a BWT drone. I dunno if any of you knows a bit about that tech, but that is not something you can use to infiltrate an enemy¡¯s base or ship. You don¡¯t have more than 10 commands you can safely use and the project was shut down by the UAS exactly because of that. That is nothing more than a really expensive scout. No chance to let it do operations without someone standing next to it.¡± That made the Discovery¡¯s crew quickly shut up. They came from Gaunus and even if they didn¡¯t know all the projects that were worked on, this one they heard about. Remoore once even made tests with the BWT module while it was still in a demo-UAV. Not having anything tangible at hand, they soon left back to their ship and it didn¡¯t take long before Robin also got a message from the UAS. They were ordered to stay on Seavis until another team checked the situation and cleared them. He scheduled a meeting with the whole crew for an hour later and went to the conference room alone. After he closed the door, Robin slumped on the first chair he found. ¡°Fuck¡­ FUCK!¡± He shouted, burying his face in his hands. ¡°Damnit! How could that happen? ROMAS, did you notice something? Is it really possible that Trevil died due to choking on his own bile?¡± ¡°Ha, see!¡± Robin exclaimed, ¡°Wait, what? How do you know?¡± ¡°No way¡­ How¡­ Why?¡± ¡°He was unstable? What the hell did they do to him?¡± Robin muttered after calming down a bit, ¡°An accident he said¡­¡± Leaning back, he took a few deep breaths. 43% chance he was lying, 57% chance that it really was an accident, no great probabilities - especially if one considered that ROMAS¡¯s calculations were based on a few simple books, all about human body language, and more in the field of pseudoscience than proper scientific concepts. ¡°I need to talk with him¡­¡± ¡°Put her on the screen.¡± Robin said and straightened his back. ¡°Mr. Tulward, good to see you!¡± The woman in the yellow coat waved at him when she appeared on the video wall. ¡°Mrs. Hutton! How are you doing?¡± ¡°Well, there always was too much work to do, but with you discovering new alien relic sites left and right it only got worse!¡± ¡°Sorry to hear. Any news from the UAS about the Eltaran?¡± ¡°Is it even relevant now? I heard he was freed¡­ we lost people tonight. There are many that want to use this as an excuse to push their own agendas.¡± ¡°I heard about that, just met Trevil¡¯s team.¡± Robin said, ¡°Are there any theories already?¡± ¡°To be honest, the most prominent ones are all about your crew. Did you have your fingers in this, Tulward?¡± She asked with tension in her voice. She feared the answer Robin realized. ¡°Me and my crew have nothing to do with Trevil¡¯s death, I can promise that. Also, we already explained to the scouts that you can hardly use a BWT drone for such an operation.¡± ¡°Prof. Aurelius was already questioned about that and confirmed your claims. However, this is alien-relationships and -politics and way above my paygrade. I have to forward our call to someone from the main HQ.¡± Hutton explained while she nervously fiddled with her hands. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a talk at a later time.¡± Robin nodded as he understood that she was reaching her limit and had to make sure to not overstep the boundaries and burn her fingers. She had already done enough for him. Five minutes later the middle-aged woman on the screen was replaced by a stern looking man with broad shoulders, a cleanly shaved beard and short, black hair. He wore a military uniform and was just done introducing himself as Thomas M. Eston. ¡°So, you say you didn¡¯t kill Ramones¡¯ dog and freed the Eltaran?¡± He said with a friendly smile but Robin could feel the beast hidden under the human skin. ¡®That man is dangerous!¡¯ He instantly realized. It was as if his body just knew that this was an undeniable truth, despite only seeing the UAS official on a video-feed. ¡®Meeting him in person must be quite the experience!¡¯ ¡°I can guarantee that neither I nor someone from my crew has killed Rain Trevil.¡± Robin said with a firm voice. ¡°Good to hear. An asshole he may have been, but he was one of us nonetheless. You¡¯ll have to stay put for a few days until the general investigation clears you, but can leave afterwards.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about your involvement in freeing the Eltaran.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he needed to be freed, Sir. As far as I knew Ang¡¯Tue was invited as an honored guest.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Eston grunted and made a dismissive hand gesture, ¡°I have a proposal, Tulward - under the assumption that you really aren¡¯t directly responsible for the death of a UAS member. I¡¯ll eat any bullshit story you feed me about how this Ang¡¯Tue got away. The one that only you knew where he was and the one you arranged to stay on Seavis for 12 hours because of your need for protection¡­ In return you make sure to secure us a meeting with the council of the Eltaran.¡± Robin listened attentively and immediately understood that he would not be able to talk his way out of this. ¡°Sir, how should I be able to negotiate such a meeting without knowing where the Eltaran fled to?¡± He asked in an attempt to play down his connection to Ang¡¯Tue. Alas, he failed spectacularly. ¡°I don¡¯t care, ask the tooth fairy, Elvis or the Terminator, whatever you like. Just make sure to get them to the table.¡± ¡°...the Terminator?¡± Robin repeated stupefied. ¡°It¡¯s an old, historic movie¡­ forget it! Just get us the meeting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Robin agreed, ¡°No promises with the council though. The proposal was a meeting with some of the leaders, not the whole council.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was before one of ours was killed.¡± Eston growled but then his face relaxed a bit, ¡°Just see to it that you get a good deal for us.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Robin said and gave an earnest nod. ¡°Ah, right. Mr. Eston, please make sure that no one is making fuss about the failed surveillance within the Hubble. My crew likes its privacy.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± With that the image winked out and the connection closed. ¡°Puhh¡­¡± Robin let out a long breath and slumped back in his seat. That was short but taxing. So the UAS would let him do as he liked and even close one eye in the direction of Ang¡¯Tue. Not only about his magical getaway but Eston would even cover his back if he decided to let the Eltaran stay on his ship. ¡°Of course, they would love to have someone to build a deeper connection with them¡­¡± He pondered, ¡°But everything else aside, it seems like the UAS is really giving me leeway in most of my actions. At least some factions¡­ If they now manage to put Ramones on a short leash, I¡¯m positive that this can work out.¡± He massaged his head and sorted his thoughts. ¡°Why would you kill a defenseless, unconscious man that had already lost the fight? Who are you really? The nice next-door-grandpa or a vicious demon?¡± Chapter 94 - Ancient Tech When everyone was gathered in the conference room an hour later, Robin had managed to calm his swirling thoughts and prepared a rough plan on how to move forward. ¡°Okay, we do have some important topics to discuss and decisions to make, but first of all ¨C Landom, how is Keran?¡± ¡°Still asleep. He isn¡¯t expected to wake up before evening.¡± ¡°Alright, at least he is on his way to a complete recovery. His mutation really is fascinating. Also, this gives us some time to talk about what we should tell him¡­ and what shouldn¡¯t be shared.¡± Robin said. After that he began to explain what exactly happened last night and how their little operation went. ¡°That sounds good!¡± Patience said with a frown, ¡°So, why are you making such a face?¡± ¡°While we managed to free Ang¡¯Tue, getting in and out of the ship without leaving a trail that leads back to us, there are some, uhm, aftermaths we have to deal with.¡± He explained, ¡°It seems like¡­¡± Robin hesitated and took a deep breath, ¡°Well, it seems like Trevil died in the middle of the chaos.¡± ¡°Died? Like in ¡®dead¡¯?¡± Timothy asked with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, Timothy, that¡¯s how it normally ends when someone dies, with death. But the question is: How? The stun-guns shouldn¡¯t be able to kill a grown human, unless you shoot someone half a dozen times in a row¡­¡± Alina said, her face a cold mask Robin couldn¡¯t read. ¡°That is not what we agreed upon!¡± Sevastian added. ¡°It is not, I know.¡± Robin agreed, ¡°I had a talk with the Discovery¡¯s crew earlier as well as a call with someone from the UAS main HQ, someone above Hutton - way above. Right now, everything points towards an accident, Trevil threw up while unconscious and suffocated on his own bile. An investigation-team is on its way, together with a group of researchers that will loot the laboratory.¡± ¡°But?¡± Happy asked, also looking as displeased as the rest of the crew, ¡°It wasn¡¯t an accident?¡± Once more Robin took a deep breath before answering. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± He said and shook his head, ¡°I have good reason to believe that Ang¡¯Tue killed him after the man got stunned.¡± A murmur went through the group. Killing someone like that is some really fucked up shit and Robin could only agree with their assessment. However, he had to tell them. This wasn¡¯t something he could withhold from them. He¡¯ll have a talk with the Eltaran and give him a chance to explain but in the end, they have to make up their own minds. If there ever will be a chance for Ang¡¯Tue to travel with them, they must know what they are dealing with. Before his friends could start a loud discussion, he elaborated a bit more. ¡°There is a pretty good chance that he killed him by accident and after that somehow changed the scene to obscure what really happened. However, I¡¯ll have to talk to him before I decide on what to believe. The UAS will probably gloss this over. If Ang¡¯Tue has put enough effort in to make it look like an accident and gets the Eltaran¡¯s elders at the table, the upper echelons will likely drop this case.¡± ¡°Do they suspect that it was us who freed him?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°Suspect? Really mate, sometimes I do wonder where exactly that bright brain of yours is stumbling around¡­¡± Robin gave a shallow laugh, ¡°Of course they know it was us, even if there is no proof to be found. They will let it slide however, if we make sure the meeting will happen.¡± ¡°Okay, and how should we be able to find Ang¡¯Tue? He has probably run away as far as he could.¡± Patience pointed out. ¡°No, he won¡¯t run.¡± Robin shook his head, ¡°We still have the chip with the data he was looking for. He will come to us and then we will see if he can explain what really happened.¡± For the rest of the meeting, Robin went into detail about his call with Eston and they discussed what they would tell Keran ¨C which was mostly nothing. He was too close to the UAS and in a way even is responsible for the Discovery¡¯s early arrival. After the meeting concluded, everyone left with a head full of swirling thoughts and a bitter taste in the mouth. The favorable image they had of Ang¡¯Tue, the kind old grandpa that tried to save his people, got quite the crack and they could only hope he would be able to shed some light onto this mess. *** Later that day, Robin went to the Hubble¡¯s lab to give Timothy a visit. His friend had his head already stuck deep in another of his projects and was surrounded by screens that showed endless lines of unknown signs and characters. ¡°That looks just like gibberish to me. What are you working on, is that the Eltaran data?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡°Huh?¡± Timothy looked up and seemed to be a bit lost at first. He needed a moment to collect himself. ¡°Ah, Robin! What? Uhm, no, that¡¯s about something else. Look at this!¡± He said and pointed at a section on one of the screens that looked as random as the rest to Robin, ¡°Tell me, does this look familiar to you?¡± Robin gave the gibberish a second glance and shook his head, ¡°Mate, I have no idea what I¡¯m even looking at, forget about me recognizing anything of that. What happened to the Eltaran data? I thought you wanted to study that.¡± ¡°I want to have a few days for researching the laboratory, as you promised me, but the data is in better hands at the UAS branches that are already familiar with Eltaran technology. I need more time with the basics before trying my hands on their research reports. This however,¡± He pointed at his monitor, ¡°This is something no one is familiar with! There is an unwritten challenge going on: who is the first to solve this riddle.¡± ¡°No one knows this stuff and you ask me for advice? Wow, you must be really desperate!¡± Robin laughed. ¡°This is a tiny little piece of data the UAS managed to salvage from one of the attempts to catch the hacker. You know, the one we talked about a few weeks ago.¡± Timothy explained. ¡°The dude that leads everyone on a merry chase, dumping stupid amounts of unreadable data on backwater-servers? What do you have to do with this?¡± ¡°I think I found something like a pattern. Everyone assumes it to be a human¡­ or someone from an alien race. But I think what we are dealing with is a machine. I was lucky to find some clues and followed along, in the end I managed to bolster this theory quite thoroughly. I have yet to get solid proof, but I¡¯m working on it.¡± ¡°A machine? You mean, we are getting hacked by an AI?¡± Robin exclaimed and cold sweat began to roll down his neck. Could this be Guard who was trying to hide while waiting for Robin to find a proper vessel? However, Guard was an AI created by the Drel and the most sophisticated artificial entity he had ever heard of. It should be invisible to the UAS if it wanted to hide¡­ Maybe he was overthinking this. ¡°You wanted to know if I recogniz any of that code. Do you think it was made by the Drel? Something I may have seen in their facility on Ruca II?¡± Robin asked, still unsure what to think of this. ¡°What? No, Drel-AI-tech, while still way too complicated for us to reproduce, is well researched. We would recognize their craftsmanship immediately. No, Robin, I think this¡­¡± Timothy made a dramatic pause and gestured at the screen once more, ¡°This smells like ancient tech, like Starborn-stuff!¡± *** That evening Robin was sitting on the bench in the fitness room together with Happy. They both had one of the local drinks and watched as Patience and Sevastian were beating each other into a pulp once more. ¡°Can you believe this? A lead on something that was left by the Starborn!¡± Robin just exclaimed after explaining what he had learned from Timothy earlier. While he was a bit disappointed that he didn¡¯t find a trail of Guard, he also was relieved. It would put him under much pressure if he had to find a vessel before the UAS caught the rogue AI. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you set out in the first place? To explore the endless mysteries of the universe and find out more about the disappearance of the Starborn?¡± Niu asked while nipping on her cocktail, ¡°Huh, doesn¡¯t taste as good as last time. The new innkeeper still needs to work on his skills.¡± She grumbled in dissatisfaction. ¡°Maybe what gave it the special taste was the drug he mixed in.¡± Robin said and laughed when he saw her eyes going wide in realization. ¡°Damnit!¡± ¡°You are right, though. I really set out because of this ¨C just think about all the things we¡¯ve already experienced. Now we are about to head to Terulos, a dead planet in the middle of a dying star system!¡± ¡°Do you have a specific goal in mind? Something you want to have achieved before hitting the basket?¡± Niu asked. ¡°Not really, no. The journey itself is all I need for now. The deals I got with the UAS are enough to fund our travels for quite some time. When that is used up, well, I hope I¡¯ve seen enough planets, systems and galaxies for two lifetimes by then and can settle on some nice little green planet.¡± Niu remained quiet for a time, watching Patience scoring some nasty hits on Sevastian¡¯s hips. Ever since they began to fight without using their mutations, the battle was more balanced. However, Patience still had the upper hand most of the time. ¡°That sounds great actually. I¡¯m a step behind that. After having just cut ties with my family, I¡¯m a bit lost. Also, it seems like they didn¡¯t give up yet and I¡¯m more like a fugitive than a traveler for now. What you told me, back in the bar on Gaunus, I want to try that.¡± Niu finally said in a low voice, ¡°Experience different things and hope to find something that feels¡­ right? Thanks for the wake-up call by the way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, but don¡¯t take my words as a proper guideline on how to find your way in life ¨C most of the time I have no idea what I¡¯m doing and just go with the flow to be honest.¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I noticed¡­¡± Niu said but was interrupted by the beeping of her datapad. After tapping some buttons, she turned it so Robin could see it, too. ¡°Some shady looking person in a gray hooded cloak is waiting outside and requests entry¡­¡± ¡°Let him in, I¡¯ll have a talk with him in the conference room.¡± Robin said with a sigh. The upcoming talk was necessary, but he dreaded it nonetheless. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± Happy asked and even Patience and Sevastian stopped the training and came over. ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you. Just in case he tries something funny!¡± Sevastian laughed and flexed his sweaty muscles. ¡°Yeah, no thanks.¡± Robin flatly denied him, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Landom will be there, too. Also, I don¡¯t think we misread him that much. There must be an explanation for¡­ such an excess.¡± ¡°I do hope so.¡± Patience chimed in, ¡°I kinda like the old man. Would suck if it turns out that he¡¯s some psycho or shit.¡± ¡°Same. I¡¯ll give you an update later.¡± Robin said and hurried to the elevator where Landom and Alena were already waiting for him. ¡°Don¡¯t just shoot him, I want to have a proper talk with him first!¡± Robin reminded them as they exited the Hubble. Chapter 95 - Everything Comes At A Price ¡°Ah, that hurts¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said with a sad sigh and motioned at the weapons Alena and Landom carried as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. ¡°What did you expect?¡± Robin shrugged, ¡°Come on, it¡¯s better if we have this talk inside.¡± ¡°How did the UAS react? Did you get in trouble?¡± Ang¡¯Tue asked after they sat down in the conference room. ¡°They don¡¯t like it when someone murders one of their own.¡± Robin said, ¡°But you¡¯ve done even more damage to me and my crew by breaking our trust.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve killed someone, I cannot and will not deny that.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said with a nod and Robin noticed Alena tensing up at his side. ¡°You are talking about trust, and I know I damaged our relationship, but tell me, Robin Tulward, how is the situation between you, me and the UAS?¡± Robin pondered for a moment and decided to stick to vague answers and not give too much away. ¡°They don¡¯t believe the story of an accident. Me and my crew are mostly in the clear, as long as we are not found directly responsible for Trevil¡¯s death ¨C which we aren¡¯t and I would not hold back anything to prove that if necessary.¡± ¡°So, you haven¡¯t told them what happened there?¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and Robin was sure he saw surprise flash in his eyes for a second. ¡°Gratitude!¡± The old man fidgeted with his hand a bit before he continued. ¡°Normally I would not be able to explain much of what happened, as it touches on some of the fundamental problems of the Eltaran. However, you not only helped me get the data that is essential for my people, but also kept most of what you¡¯ve learned about me from the UAS, even after I gave you reason for distrust.¡± ¡°I really hope you soon come to the point that justifies the killing of a defeated and defenseless enemy.¡± Alena couldn¡¯t hold herself back any longer and hissed, one hand still resting at her energy pistol. ¡°Justify? Young miss, I think we do agree on this: you cannot justify that.¡± Ang¡¯Tue gave a hollow laugh and Robin noticed Alena let go of some of the accumulated tension. There he was again, the old grandpa from next door. ¡°The Eltaran have mutations which are different from that of the other races. Robin, you remember your friend¡¯s metaphor, the one with each G-Anomaly being a chapter of your genes? The Eltaran have these chapters too, but over the centuries we¡¯ve managed to change them a bit. However, each change of one¡¯s genes comes at a price. You already know of one: We¡¯ve prolonged our life but lost fertility. Comparable to that, we¡¯ve changed the depth of our ¡®mutation-chapters¡¯, giving them more pages and more information, so to say¡­¡± ¡°¡­and you had to pay a price¡­.¡± Robin muttered. ¡°Yes, we had to pay a price. Our mutations are stronger but in turn we lost part of our¡­ mental health.¡± ¡°You guys got supermutations and in turn went nuts? Wow, that¡¯s just perfect!¡± Alena exclaimed in indignation. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Ang¡¯Tue chuckled with a friendly smile, ¡°It¡¯s a type of schizophrenic disorder. We have a voice in our head that whispers sweetly about our darkest urges. The stronger your mutation is modified, the stronger the effect.¡± ¡°So¡­ you did go nuts!¡± Landom said, deadpan. ¡°Ugh¡­ No, normally we do have this under perfect control. We are trained to withstand it from childhood on and most of us never have problems their whole life until¡­¡± He said and got quieter as he spoke, becoming inaudible to the end. ¡°Until¡­?¡± Robin asked when he heard Alena taking a sharp breath. ¡°Until they reach the end of their lifespan.¡± She repeated for him, understanding even Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s whispering. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong and all, but as far as I heard, your mutation is the real deal and you are so old, you probably know the Starborn personally.¡± She said and after a short, rare hesitation she added, ¡°You are a ticking bomb, aren¡¯t you?¡± Silence fell over the room. While Alena¡¯s words were hurtful, everyone understood that there was some truth to it. ¡°It was my first blackout since forever. I was under too much stress and didn¡¯t find into my meditation. I became unstable just as they locked me in that room. When Trevil didn¡¯t stop mocking me, making fun of my dying people, I blacked out. When I came back, I¡­ it was already too late. I was only gone for a short moment but¡­¡± ¡°The Suppression-Shackles!¡± Robin realized. ¡°Yes, when we lose ourselves to the demon, it always comes with the activation of our mutations. So as soon as I blacked out, the cuffs immediately and quite painfully cleared my head.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and Robin nodded at Alena who quickly hurried out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m... sorry. I understand that, at least to my knowledge, the Eltaran have done all these gene manipulations themselves, but that was done over the course of many generations. The Eltaran from today, you and your family, your friends, have really pulled the short straw in this.¡± Robin sighed for the umpteenth time today, ¡°I like you Ang¡¯Tue. You are the perfect representation of everything I¡¯m looking for on my adventures ¨C a member of an alien race, legends and myths all around you, a mission I would love to help you with and a great companion for traveling¡­ but you are overshooting the scale of excitement, I cannot put my whole crew at risk for your sake.¡± ¡°You are responsible for your people, I understand. What now?¡± ¡°Now we wait for Alena to return with the Suppression-Shackles.¡± Robin said, ¡°You put them on and can wait in your cabin until I¡¯ve talked with the others. I don¡¯t know how they wanna handle this mess and they will have a say in it. However, I promise you two things: As agreed in our deal, I will make sure the data gets to your people one way or the other and secondly, we will not directly hand you over to the UAS. You get to know our preferred course of action tomorrow morning. Use this night to rest and think about how you want this to continue.¡± Robin said and stood up. ¡°And begin to meditate! Lot¡¯s of meditating for you!¡± Landom said eagerly. It took a moment before Robin and Ang¡¯Tue both began to laugh. Finally, the tension was dropping a bit. When Alena came back, they put the shackles on and brought him to his room. Robin reactivated the BTW drone and stationed it in front of the door to keep watch. He didn¡¯t want to lock up the old man, but he also couldn¡¯t refrain from monitoring him. ¡°Notify the others please.¡± Robin said to Landom, ¡°We¡¯ll have another meeting in half an hour¡­ and Landom, please make sure that Keran sleeps at least until the meeting is over.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.¡°You can¡¯t keep the man sleeping or knocked out permanently, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Just a few more hours, then I¡¯ll deal with him, okay?¡± ¡°As you order, captain!¡± Landom said with a grin. ¡°Ah, come on.¡± ¡°You did handle this well. It¡¯s no easy decision and there is hardly a right or wrong. You¡¯re doing great.¡± The security officer said earnestly. ¡°Thanks, much appreciated!¡± *** The meeting with the rest of the crew, all except Keran, was done quickly. Robin explained what they had learned and Landom and Alena both added their opinions and observations every now and then. Robin refrained from elaborating how he liked to deal with this situation and listened to the discussions of the others first. Alena and Sevastian quickly put their heads together, Niu began whispering to Patience and Timothy only looked up once before turning his attention back to one of his datapads. ¡°What do you think? How would you like to proceed?¡± Robin asked Landom, who was standing silently next to him. ¡°I think we both know that already, don¡¯t we? We are on the same page on this, I think.¡± Walzor said with a small grin on his face. ¡°You are probably right. What is with the others?¡± ¡°They will come to the same conclusion.¡± Landom said. Robin just nodded and remained silent for a moment. ¡°The Eltaran were on the run even back when the Starborn were still around, but today¡¯s generation suffers even more.¡± He finally said in a low voice. ¡°I can¡¯t begin to imagine how it must feel to know that you are part of the last generations of your kind, doomed to helplessly watch as your children and grandchildren are dying because of mistakes that were made thousands of years ago¡­¡± Landom muttered and Robin saw a deep sadness in his eyes. ¡°If Ang¡¯Tue is right, there may still be hope. However, even if we believe everything he said by the word and they really are victims themselves, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he is an unstable and dangerous variable.¡± He said and Landom grunted in agreement, just as the others also finished their silent discussions. To Robin¡¯s surprise it was Patience who began to give voice to her thoughts first. She, like Robin and Landom, was inclined to believe Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s story and gave him some credit for sharing so many secrets with them. She voted for letting him join the Hubble as a temporary member as long as he kept the Suppression-Shackles on. The others all agreed to this and after some back and forth, it was decided that Robin would rework the shackles to something with the same functionality but without all the shackling. They didn¡¯t want him to feel like a prisoner. Also Ang¡¯Tue had to agree on being monitored by the BWT-drone all the time. When they get to the next big city to contact the Eltaran, Robin will try to question one of them without Ang¡¯Tue nearby, to verify the story about the side effects of their mutations. If they confirm Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s version, they will let the old man fully join the team, if he wants that - if it turns out to be some made up bullshit he tried to sell them¡­ Well, they would handle it when it comes to that. As for Keran? Everyone unanimously agreed on not sharing any more than what the UAS knew already anyways. That¡¯s why Robin was now on the way to visit the researcher. ¡°You look better!¡± He said after entering the man¡¯s cabin. Keran was sitting on the edge of his bed and was still a bit drowsy. He probably just woke up after Landom gave him another dose of the medicine they used to extend his sleep. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit tired, even after being knocked out and sleeping for so long.¡± He said and had to suppress a yawn, ¡°It must have been quite serious, normally I¡¯m back up pretty fast.¡± ¡°The robot rammed his sword through your stomach and we were on an island without enough nutrients to support your mutation¡¯s workings. So, yes, it really was serious. We nearly lost you, even after the fight was won. It was a close call.¡± Robin explained. ¡°So we won. What happened after I was gone? Is everyone else okay?¡± Robin gave a lengthy summary of the rest of the fight, the laboratory they found and the visit of the Discovery. Also he mentioned that the ship was attacked last night and the Eltaran had fled in the chaos. ¡°You are angry.¡± Keran noted after Robin was done. ¡°You sold us out to Ramones. Of course I¡¯m angry.¡± ¡°I reported to the UAS. That is my job.¡± ¡°The price for this was high, someone died. The UAS is on its way to do an investigation and take over the laboratory. The damage you did is quite severe.¡± ¡°Who killed the man? Did you really have to attack another UAS crew and what¡¯s with the Eltaran, where is he now?¡± Keran asked, visibly displeased. ¡°I just have given you a full report, the same the UAS also got. We have nothing to do with the escape of Ang¡¯Tue and no one of this crew killed anyone.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to believe this story, do you?¡± Keran laughed, even so the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Keran, you can discuss what you want to believe or should believe with the UAS. I¡¯ll open a channel for you in the conference room in half an hour.¡± Robin said sternly. ¡°Huh, you¡¯ve grown in your role as captain quite a bit while I was out, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have to protect my crew, all of them. You endangered us when you ran back to Ramones. What did you think would happen?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand the relevance of the capturing of a living Eltaran. I had no choice, mankind¡¯s interests will always be my priority!¡± ¡°¡®The capturing¡¯? Wow¡­ Talk to Eston and reorder your priorities, then we can continue this talk.¡± Robin said and turned to leave. He needed to get out of Keran¡¯s cabin before he completely lost his cool. ¡°Eston? Wait, Thomas Eston? Fuck, Tulward, what the hell did you do?¡± Keran yelped in surprise but Robin didn¡¯t answer and just left the room. Patience waited outside and looked concerned. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°As bad as expected.¡± Robin answered, ¡°Make sure he goes nowhere other than the conference room. I don¡¯t want him find Ang¡¯Tue before Eston explained to him how the UAS has positioned itself in this mess.¡± ¡°You think that will work?¡± Patience asked with a frown. ¡°Yeah, it seems like Eston is quite the bigshot. Keran will listen to him, he practically lives for the UAS and is blind to anything else.¡± ¡°Ugh, the rest of the trip will be awkward as hell.¡± She sighed. ¡°We will see, I think Keran will manage somehow. But yeah, much of the trust is gone.¡± ¡°First Ang¡¯Tue, now Keran. Feels more like I¡¯ve joined a self-help group than a crew of a spaceship.¡± Patience complained. Robin laughed and patted her shoulders. ¡°We are just at the beginning of our journey. With everything that has already happened, it is a wonder that this ragtag crew hasn¡¯t fallen apart since long.¡± He said, ¡°We are on a mission for the UAS with a mix of many new people. Wait until we¡¯ve finished this mission and are on our own, then it will be more like what you probably had in mind. We do need this phase however, it is good training - none of us had any idea what to do before.¡± Chapter 96 - Once-In-A-Lifetime Chance ¡°So, Robin Tulward it is. We have heard of you and while I¡¯m displeased you used Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s name to get this meeting, I understand that gratitude is appropriate. You not only ensured the freedom of one of ours, you are the one that made it possible to obtain the data we just received.¡± ¡°You are well informed, especially since I thought I made sure that Ang¡¯Tue had no chance to report before we could meet.¡± Robin answered the nameless Eltaran who had joined this comm in expectation to meet with Ang¡¯Tue. ¡°We do have our sources.¡± ¡°I think I should have figured as much.¡± ¡°So, why are we having this talk, Mr. Tulward?¡± ¡°If you are as well informed as you make it seem, you know that someone died. Killed in cold blood during the attack on the Discovery. I heard Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s version of the story and just need you to confirm a few of his explanations.¡± Robin said. ¡°Oh? What has he told you?¡± The Eltaran asked intrigued. ¡°Yeah, that won¡¯t work, will it?¡± Robin chuckled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain to me what the side effects of your mutations are and how severe they can get.¡± There was a long silence on the line before he heard the alien grunt in annoyance. ¡°That is not something we discuss with outsiders.¡± ¡°Yeah, but much damage is already done - your existence was made public once again and there was an attack on a UAS ship. I¡¯m trying my hardest to salvage the situation as much as possible. So, why don¡¯t you start to share some little information with me and in turn, I can make sure Ang¡¯Tue has a safe place to stay until everything has cooled down a bit.¡± There was another long silence before the Eltaran came to a decision. ¡°You rendered a great service to our people and that we even have this talk must mean Ang¡¯Tue trust you. I¡¯ll comply with your demand and while I understand that I cannot request absolute secrecy, the Eltaran would greatly appreciate it if this knowledge is handled discreetly.¡± What followed was a shortened version of what Ang¡¯Tue had also described and Robin felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. While ¡®I went crazy for a moment¡¯ did in no way excuse the killing, there was at least a foundation of trust rebuild that they could work upon. ¡°Thank you, Elder of the Eltaran. I hope we meet again in the future, preferable under better circumstances.¡± Robin said after he got all the information he needed. ¡°We will see, Mr. Tulward. We will agree to meet with the people from the UAS, so maybe there might be another opportunity at a later time. Please stay true to your word and take care of Ang¡¯Tue.¡± ¡°I have yet to hear what his plans for the future are, but if our goals align, I¡¯ll try my hardest to shield him from the upcoming storm.¡± Robin said before closed the comm and walked out of the backroom from the little cafe in Acosea to meet with Landom. After they had stayed for one more week in Dreamer¡¯s Hope to cooperate with the UAS for the investigation of Trevil¡¯s death and the uncovering of the laboratory, they left for Seavis¡¯ capital to restock, send Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s data and meet with the Eltaran. Right now the others had some free time to spare and could relax a bit before they would continue to CBXX-5, the asteroid where Keran¡¯s team was waiting, in two days. ¡°How did it go?¡± Landom asked, visibly nervous. Robin once more realized how much the others, too, wished for Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s story to be true. They really wanted this to work out somehow. ¡°All good, they confirmed his story. Let¡¯s go back to the ship, I wanna check on our guest so we can finally start a new chapter with him.¡± Robin said and led Landom out of the little shop. When they returned to the Hubble, Ang¡¯Tue was sitting in the kitchen together with Happy. They were drinking some kind of cocktail that Happy found somewhere in the city yesterday. ¡°I really fear for your health, Niu. You know that regular drinking can lead to addiction?¡± Robin laughed when he saw the stupid but satisfied smile on her slightly blushed face. ¡°Yeah, I brought some stims if it comes to that!¡± She cheered, happy as always. ¡°Burn in plasma! That was a joke. You brought a frinkin¡¯ stim for that case? How much are you planning to drink? You are our pilot!¡± ¡°Today is my free day!¡± Happy complained. ¡°Yeah, I already regret having given you all a few days off.¡± Robin shook his head, even so the smile never left his face. He really liked her happy side and had great respect for her, always keeping a good mood even with all the shit that life had thrown at her. ¡°So, did you meet the representative from the council?¡± Ang¡¯Tue asked, changing the topic to what weighed on his mind. ¡°Yes, we had a great talk and he confirmed what you told us. I¡¯m glad about that, but will not apologize that I deemed this meeting necessary in the first place.¡± ¡°I do understand that. No problem. So what now?¡± The old man asked. ¡°Now you have to decide on how you want to proceed. I already told you that the crew will welcome you aboard the Hubble as our newest member, if that is what you want. You can also leave and return to your family, just tell me where we should drop you off.¡± ¡°I would very well want to return to my people, but you also know that that isn¡¯t an option for now. I already endangered the secrecy of the Eltaran once, I¡¯ll not act in a hurry again.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and stood up to give Robin a deep bow, ¡°I would like to kindly request permission to join your crew, Captain Tulward.¡± Robin was slightly surprised by the formality the Eltaran put up, ¡®He is the same as the others, he really wants this to work.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t explain why, but he also felt that Ang¡¯Tue would fit perfectly into this small team. ¡°Well then, welcome aboard, Ang¡¯Tue of the Eltaran.¡± He said with a smile and heard Niu cheering once again. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Great! Now we have enough time so you can explain how this game of yours works.¡± She exclaimed eagerly. ¡°You mean Delin¡¯Tu? The one that requires a lot of patience and a calm mind?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go! We have to go shopping for the needed parts. Uh, and more of these - they are really good!¡± Happy said, bobbing her head up and down in excitement, and pointed at the empty glass in front of her. ¡°You can leave soon, but I need the rookie in the hangar for a moment first.¡± Robin said with a laugh and left with Landom. ¡°So?¡± Landom asked while they waited for the elevator to take them up to the middle deck. ¡°It feels right. I can¡¯t explain it, it just feels like this is how things should be.¡± Robin answered hesitantly. ¡°While I¡¯m not a born security officer, I dare to claim that I¡¯m quite capable as an investigator.¡± The man said, ¡°Not every choice can be made only by hard facts. Sometimes you have to follow your instincts. The crux is knowing when to listen to what.¡± ¡°And how do I know that?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Well, that is for you to find out - but listening to your crew, to your friends, when you are indecisive is always a good starting point.¡± ¡°Thanks Landom, I¡¯m glad to have you here!¡± Robin said and gave the man a slight bow. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯ll go and inform Keran, so he¡¯s not the last to get some news again.¡± Walzor laughed and turned to leave. *** ¡°Are you really sure that this is necessary?¡± Robin asked for the umpteenth time while he changed the bracelets on Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s arms. They were the improved version of the Suppression-Shackles and while they were still not for shackling and only used as a security measure in case of Ang¡¯Tue losing it once again, they were at least double as thick as the first version. Absentminded, the Eltaran touched the cold metal of the two silver bracelets on his arms. ¡°You can activate and deactivate them too, right?¡± He asked, ignoring Robin¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, I have the same remote as you. When you need to use your mutation, you can deactivate them and reactivate them afterwards and I can do the same. It is not possible to directly activate the electrifying feature though. I don¡¯t wanna have that kind of control over anyone. As long as you don¡¯t use your mutation, even if the bracelets are active, nothing will happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Ang¡¯Tue, I¡¯m afraid that those things will kill you if you ever activate them¡­ They are nearly four times as strong as before!¡± ¡°I have to be sure that they will knock me out if I lose control. Believe me, if my mutation goes rogue in earnest, you too will gladly accept the risk of killing me in exchange for the safety of your crew.¡± The Eltaran said with a grimace. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®our crew¡¯, you are one of us now!¡± Robin corrected him, ¡°Is it that fearsome?¡± ¡°Pray that you¡¯ll never have to find out¡­¡± *** After a much longer intermission on Seavis than expected, it was time for the Hubble to pick up Keran¡¯s people and head for Terulos in the Goya System. While the ship raced through the endless void towards CBXX-5, Robin sat in his cabin and finally had some time to process everything that happened in the last days. ¡°Finally it is complete. It took me close to a year to fill all the blank spots¡­¡± He muttered while staring at the little legend he started all this time ago. ¦¤ - Mountain ? - Wuranger Site ? - Vanguard Facility ? - Eltaran ? - Drel Outpost ? - Keeper Info-Station ? - Bih¡¯ar Ruins ¡°I¡¯ve visited so many alien relic sites already, beginning with little trips with the Melody II and now traveling around in a damn spaceship from the UAS on the way into another star system.¡± Flashbacks from all the things that happened so far flickered in front of his eyes. He saw the smugglers he met with Patience on his first trip, remembered the adrenaline that rushed through his body while he raced on Ruca II, laughed when he thought back at Guard, the funny AI he met, and had to hold back his tears when his mind wandered to Jim. ¡°I always thought that the map would guide me through the stars, but just when my journey begins for real, it has outlived its usefulness already.¡± He mumbled, still inspecting the legend, ¡°Well, it was the key that got things rolling. Without it, I would have never been able to change my life as much as I did. Fuck, I¡¯m the captain of a freaking spaceship now!¡± Thinking back to the Melody, his mood dampened a bit. His ship could be repaired with time, he got everything he needed in Seavis and had more than a few long days ahead of him, but not everything was fixed so easily. ¡°People¡¯s problems¡­¡± He sighed. While everyone acted normal, it was obvious that there still were some trust-issues around Ang¡¯Tue. Especially for the siblings, since they stayed back at Dreamer¡¯s Hope and didn¡¯t have much time before to get to know the old man. Niu and Landom were doing a bit better; Niu because she just was like that and Landom - well he said he will listen to his guts in this case. Still, it will take a lot of time and work for Ang¡¯Tue to truly become ¡®one of them¡¯. Robin however didn¡¯t doubt he would manage in the end. With Keran things were completely different though. Right now everything was still holding somewhat, but it was a relationship that would fall apart with time. On the one hand Keran had sold them out to Ramones and even if his intentions weren¡¯t as bad as things turned out, the others couldn¡¯t just swallow it. On the other hand, Keran could easily guess that they were the ones who attacked the Discovery and freed Ang¡¯Tue, but no one was explaining anything about it and just stuck to the version they told the UAS. His talk with Eston did help to reorder his priorities and he somewhat understood why the UAS allowed Ang¡¯Tue to travel with them, but he couldn¡¯t forget that someone was killed and everyone just glossed over it as if it really was an accident. While there was quite a bit of tension between Keran and the rest of the crew, everyone knew that this cooperation only had to last until the monolith was reached. They were all old enough to pull themselves together for this, since at the end of the day the mission was still their foremost and common goal. All this reminiscing put Robin¡¯s mind at peace and while he watched the darkness fly by through the little window of his room, his thoughts wandered back to his father. After his mother died, Robin and his father tried to fight against any odds to live a joyful life. His old man always supported him, even when he decided to join the UAS to have a shot at a position on an interplanetary ship. Robin was young, not even beginning to earn his own money and his father¡¯s job in one of the bigger companies was just enough to keep them floating. Still, he always supported Robin¡¯s dream and told him ¡®We will manage somehow. The universe is endless and there are ways and opportunities for everyone. We just have to look for them!¡¯. In the end, his old man died of a nasty, fast-working sickness. Before he could even change his plans and adapt, Robin was suddenly alone. ¡°See? I always told you the job at the workshop is just temporary. Now I¡¯m here, earlier than I¡¯ve ever dared to dream, flying through the universe and exploring alien sites and dying planets.¡± Robin said out loud and with a stupid grin he added, ¡°I even met pirates once! Damn, you must be pissed that you¡¯ve missed that. That¡¯s probably a once-in-a-lifetime event for most, but I just started my journey¡­ who knows what will happen next?¡± As if to answer that question, a shudder went through the ship and Robin felt the energy level of the ship drop rapidly. Shortly afterwards, Happy opened a comm channel. ¡°Niu, what has happened? We are dropping out of superluminal travel but the asteroid should still be a few hours away, right?¡± He asked while he put on his shoes to hurry to the bridge. ¡°Uhm¡­ captain?¡± He heard her hesitant but definitely happy voice, ¡°I think we have hit an anti-matter field.¡± ¡°...are you fucking kidding me?¡± ¡°No! Rob, I think we are getting raided by pirates! Woohoo!¡± Chapter 97 - Wrong Assumptions ¡°Burn in plasma¡­ burn, burn, burn!¡± Robin cursed between ragged breaths while he jumped around on one leg to quickly put on his armored suit. Different from his first encounter he didn¡¯t feel elated to meet space pirates at all. Last time he kind of zoned out and turned off his brain, but after processing everything that had happened that day, he realized how much could have gone wrong. So many lucky coincidences had come together, protecting them from the worst case and Landom still nearly got killed. So now that he was the one in charge and responsible for the lives of his crew, Robin really was on the edge. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°Attention! This is an emergency warning. Seems like someone tries to force us out of superluminal travel. Immediately put on your suits and gear up. Landom, come to the bridge. Everyone else meets in the common room. For now, Sevastian is in charge until Landom takes over.¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed ¡°Happy, how long until we have returned to normal speeds and learn what we are dealing with?¡± He asked on direct comm while he hurried through the hallway to the bridge. ¡°Less than 90 seconds!¡± She said, excitement seeping into her voice. When Robin rushed into the room half a minute later, Alena was already manning the weapon station, her face a mask of stone as always. Niu was sitting on her usual seat, waiting for the ship to slow down enough to take control. Her whole body exuded an aura of excitement mixed together with anticipation. She slightly leaned forward, the yoke in a tight grip of her hands and her feet tapping nervously. ¡°What do we know?¡± Robin asked just as Landom stormed in. ¡°Something cut off our QVT. There are not many things that are able to achieve that, so if we aren¡¯t about to rush into a supernova or a black hole, it¡¯s most likely an anti-matter field. Communications also didn¡¯t come back online while dropping out of superluminal travel, so probably we¡¯re getting jammed.¡± Happy explained professionally but her eyes gleamed with excitement. ¡°Ugh, fuck.¡± Robin groaned, what got him a chuckle from Landom. ¡°That is so awesome! Holy shit, we¡¯re getting raided by space pirates!¡± The man imitated Robin¡¯s outbreak on their way to Gaunus. ¡°Yeah you got me, thanks for the reminder!¡± Robin snarled in exasperation, ¡°Happy, what are our options?¡± ¡°Running!¡± She stated in a matter of fact, ¡°The Hubble is well shielded but not made for fighting. We should try to outrun whoever pops up in a second.¡± ¡°Are we fast enough for that?¡± He asked in confusion. If it was that easy¡­ ¡°Wow!¡± Niu and Alena both yelped in surprise when the Hubble finally slowed down enough to regain vision. They raced straight towards a cluster of small asteroids, a little distance away. Many small- and medium-sized rocks drifted through space and blocked their way forward. Further in the back, Robin could spot a huge asteroid that towered over all the others. Distances are hard to estimate in the endless void, but he still got the feeling of a small moon resting there in the void. A jolt went through the Hubble when it finally returned to normal travel speeds and Niu immediately yanked at the yoke while pressing dozens of different buttons at the same time to gain control of the ship that lurched about. ¡°Scans?¡± Niu shouted through gritted teeth. Gravity hit the ship when the internal damping reached its limits and Landom quickly grabbed the backrest of Robin¡¯s seat to secure his footing. ¡°Blocked, they want us blind! Automatic targeting also failed.¡± Alena responded and half a breath later she added, ¡°Still got some reads!¡± Robin¡¯s and Happy¡¯s stations both switched view and showed a radar image that slowly gained more details. ¡°Attacker¡¯s Speed, 1.6k m/s, Attacker¡¯s Distance 159 km.¡± Robin checked their own speed and read it to be around 1.9k m/s, slowly dropping. ¡°So, we can outrun them?¡± Landom said from behind. ¡°Only if you want us to go through that field there. Else, we have to make a turn - which would seal the deal.¡± Happy said. ¡°Identity?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Still unknown. But the ship is at least thrice the size of the Hubble.¡± ¡°That is a big ship!¡± Robin gasped, ¡°They must have miscalculated where we¡¯ll drop out or else they would have been closer. How much distance do we need to keep to be safe?¡± ¡°At these speeds? Around 25 to 40 km, depending on their targeting system. But our shields can eat quite a few energy projectiles.¡± Alena explained while Niu forced the Hubble closer and closer to the asteroid field. As if to mock her, a loud alarm began to blare and warnings were shouted. ¡°INCOMING MISSILE! The ship is under attack. INCOMING MISSILE! The ship ¡­¡± ¡°Fuck! I think this time it¡¯s not a drone you¡¯ve sent, right?¡± Happy shouted, finally losing all of her excitement for the incoming meeting, ¡°ALENA!¡±. ¡°On it!¡± The woman at the weapon station calmly responded. On his radar Robin could see a small dot rapidly closing in on them from behind only to vanish seconds before the impact. ¡°That was a torpedo. Faster than missiles but less agile.¡± Alena said. ¡°As fast as we are going, they don¡¯t need to be agile.¡± Robin said, ¡°How confident are you in taking them down if more are coming?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Not at all, if there are more than one at a time.¡± ¡°There are!¡± Happy shouted when she noticed three new dots racing towards them. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Alena went stiff for a second and blinked a few times, then she concentrated back on her station and the streamed video feed she was getting from the Hubble¡¯s turrets. Quickly one of the dots vanished - one torpedo down. The second was destroyed when it was only 12 km away from them and Robin¡¯s innards began to convulse when he saw the last rocket enter their security bubble of 5 km. An instant later the Hubble was shaken once again. Landom fell to the floor and Happy nearly lost grip of the yoke. ¡°No hit, shields down to 97%¡± She yelled. ¡°Good shot Alena!¡± Robin praised. ¡°4 minutes of good shots left!¡± She answered. ¡°Fuck. Okay, keep your mutation active for now. Happy, can you get us through the asteroid field?¡± Robin asked since he was completely out of ideas and tried to get in control of the situation. ¡°Maybe?¡± She said hesitantly, ¡°I did something similar in my final exam but our weapons are too small to be of help and the rocks are much closer together¡­¡± ¡°Even if she gets us in there, what then? Do you wanna go out on the other side in hope to have left the anti-matter field by then?¡± Landom asked and Robin needed a moment to think about that - his ¡®plan¡¯ lacked some core elements, he agreed on that. ¡°Well, I may have an idea. A bit risky, but at this point¡­¡± Niu said and managed a little shrug. Quickly she explained what he had in mind and just as Robin and Landom both wanted to deny this stupid plan of hers, Alena interrupted them. ¡°More hostiles are incoming. Looks like three small fighters. Scan also finally produced some results - they are Cetro!¡± ¡°Burn in plasma, again? Just what is wrong with these fanatics?¡± Robin cursed and looked at Landom who nodded after a short hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll go and prepare the others.¡± The man said and quickly left the bridge. ¡°Okay Niu, time for you to do some magic!¡± The Hubble shot through the void, still heading straight for the asteroid field. From behind three small ships tried to catch up and further in the back a huge, cube-like behemoth of a ship was following along, firing fast torpedoes every now and then. Alena, with her mutation fully activated, kept them mostly at bay. She even managed to time the destruction of one torpedo so well that it knocked one of the fighters off course. However, while her enhanced senses gave her quite the jump in skill, they weren¡¯t made for situations like this. Moments before the Hubble fully entered the field, one torpedo exploded less than a kilometer away and nearly flipped the entire ship around. Shields dropped to 67% in an instant. After everyone crawled back on their seats, it became quiet on the bridge. Robin and Alena both kept their mouths shut to not disturb Happy, who was doing her best to maneuver the big Hubble through the asteroids. And while they may have had an advantage over the huge ship in the back, the small fighters used their higher speed and better agility to quickly catch up between the rocks. ¡°We are down to 711 m/s, any faster and the rocks will win.¡± Niu said. ¡°The fighters will get in range any moment now.¡± Alena added. ¡°How much time have you left, Alena?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Less than a minute.¡± ¡°How long do you need, Happy?¡± ¡°More than a minute¡­¡± ¡°Try to get at least one of them!¡± He finally said and sent a message to Landom. The Hubble gracefully flew through the asteroids as Niu was completely in her element right now. Her Enhanced Reflexes were made for situations like this and the only limiting factor was the ship¡¯s agility. Like a fish swimming through water, the Hubble raced through the cluster, evading asteroids left and right while at the same time rotating and re-aligning its position after each turn, resulting in one flowing movement. The fighter¡¯s pilots also did quite well and when they finally caught up, they even circled around the Hubble while firing their energy weapons and evaded the Hubble¡¯s turrets. The shields melted away quickly and time was running out. At one point Robin saw one of the little fighters rush by sideways, wildly shooting directly at the bridge¡¯s window. Reflexively he raised his hands to shield his face from the blinding impacts that flashed on the energy grid protecting the ship. While an impressive stunt, it was also a predictable movement, which gave Alena the chance to score enough hits to take out the small ship. While the fighter blew up in flames, Alena slumped down in her seat. She had reached the limit of her mutation and was in dire need of rest. ¡°We¡¯re there in a minute.¡± Niu said just as Sevastian and Patience came in. Patience quickly picked up Alena and left, while Sevastian took over her job to control the weapons. ¡°Prepare - one minute left!¡± Robin shouted over the ship¡¯s comm to warn the others. ¡°48% shields left.¡± He updated Niu. ¡°We need 30% left, seems like it¡¯ll be enough¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°30 seconds!¡± ¡°41%¡± ¡°10 seconds!¡± ¡°37%¡± ¡­ While Robin and Niu made their last preparations, the Hubble entered the outer rim of the asteroid cluster. The remaining fighter still in hot pursuit and the big ship long left behind. In front of them the rocks became less frequent and only the huge moon-like asteroid a little distance away remained. ¡°Ready?¡± Niu asked, her voice strained. Robin saw how exhausted she was, not just from piloting the ship but also mentally from overusing her mutation. ¡°Ready!¡± He shouted and a second later the Hubble¡¯s shield exploded outwards. A huge wave of energy shot forwards, engulfing the remaining fighter and all the asteroids nearby in sizzling electricity. Robin¡¯s whole body reacted to this enormous energy spike and began to twitch. Then, everything turned dark when the Hubble¡¯s systems died. For a few moments Robin didn¡¯t notice any changes, but just as the the fiery glow of the fighter that exploded after hitting one of the floating rocks illuminated the bridge once more, he felt the lack of gravity trying to pull him out of his seat. Slowly his eyes got used to the darkness and with the little light from Mereus that reached here, he could make out the moon-like rock coming closer and closer. Seconds went by and became minutes. No one spoke and all three of them only observed as the Hubble slowly drifted by the huge asteroid. ¡°That¡¯s it, right?¡± Sevastian finally broke the silence, wildly gesticulating with his arms as he always did, ¡°We¡¯ll use the shadow of that rock to hide until the systems have cooled down and then fuck off as fast as possible, right?¡± ¡°We need about 5 to 10 minutes. We can only hope that the mothership stops to check what happened. If we are lucky they may even believe we exploded in the cluster and turn away.¡± Niu explained. ¡°If they don¡¯t buy this, they will look behind this ¡®moon¡¯ first. We have to be gone by then!¡± Robin added and took a deep breath. ¡°The hardest part is over. You did a great job, Niu. Awesome flying!¡± He said and grinned at his friend. Niu however didn¡¯t answer or even look at him, her gaze was fixated at something outside of the window. When Robin turned to see what she was looking at, all color drained from his face. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I assumed that¡­ that the ship attacking us was the mothership of this community¡­¡± Niu stuttered while she inspected the gigantic Cetro-ship that had hidden behind the asteroid and now hovered directly in front of them. Chapter 98 - The Universe Is Going Nuts Far away from the Mereus Cluster and even the Pranum Expanse, in the central system of the galaxy Xento Polaris, rested a silver gleaming planet. Eden, despite its small size, was one of the most important places of the civilized universe - here the UAS had built its power center, the main HQ of the allied races like Ommih, Mohait and Humans. The little planet got its silver color not from some special atmospheric effect or anything, but from all the metal buildings that filled every little plot of land, completely encasing the planet¡¯s surface in one big artificial layer. In sector 003 of this mega-city stood a particular complex. Like most other buildings, it was kind of rectangular with few windows and many ornaments. The architect had skillfully used different metals to craft a beautiful front that told stories about epic battles and mighty warriors. This was the head office of mankind. Here important decisions were made every day and critical meetings were held all the time. One of them had just begun. ¡°We are happy to have this friendly get-together with you today. Of course, we do understand your concerns for secrecy.¡± A thin woman with short blond hair said. Like Thomas M. Eston, who sat next to her, Franny Bolster was wearing a military suit and kept a friendly but well-controlled countenance. ¡°The council of the Eltaran agreed to this meeting as compensation for good deeds from one of yours.¡± One of the heavily obscured figures that was projected by the video comm replied, ¡°However, now that we have come together we should at least evaluate if there is a common ground for future cooperation. This is why you requested this meeting, right?¡± Franny had to concentrate to not show any surprise by this straight forward approach from the Eltaran. This wasn¡¯t starting as she had expected, so she looked to her colleagues to take over. Eston was in charge today and sternly nodded to the elders, motioning for them to continue. ¡°So, do tell, what do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Huh, directly to the point, I see.¡± Eston said, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t waste your time by coloring our reasons in pink. We want to expand our research on genes and mutations. Scientific data as well as blood, tissue and DNA samples - everything that provides insights and allows secure testing is welcome. We can provide a list of specific problems we are working on, so you can decide what fits best.¡± The huge man looked left and right to check if Bolster or Hammond had anything to add, but both shook their heads. ¡°Very well.¡± The Eltaran said, his voice without a hint of surprise. Each and every race was looking for a piece of the Eltaran because of their affinity with gene manipulation. Why would humans be any different? ¡°As you are probably aware, these are things we normally don¡¯t share with outsiders. Additionally, you already got the research papers from our facility on Seavis in the Mereus Cluster. If you want this to be a fair trade, it would be your turn now. What can you offer in exchange for the information you have taken?¡± Eston heard Franny let out an angry hiss and calmly raised his hand to shut her up before she even began to complain. The Eltaran were well aware that this was just a simple political move, it was more important to focus on the message¡¯s core. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will come to acceptable terms. You said ¡®normally¡¯ you don¡¯t share with outsiders, I understand it that you are open for negotiations and thank you for the offered trust. What is it that you are looking for?¡± He asked the blurred figure. This time another elder took over and responded. ¡°Times do change, we are in need of some resources for our own studies right now and as you have not only managed to set up this meeting, but also have given us an enormous leap of faith, we decided to give this cooperation a chance and see where it may lead us.¡± The Eltaran said, his voice croaking like that of an old man. However, Eston didn¡¯t notice that as his mind raced with different thoughts. He had a hard time keeping a straight face while he tried to figure out what the man was talking about. What leap of faith? ¡®Enormous¡¯ even¡­ Had Tulward skipped parts of what had happened in the Mystic Sea? Mankind¡¯s last interactions with Eltaran were decades ago and without much importance¡­ ¡°On that notice, we thank you for the gesture of trust.¡± The elder continued, ¡°However, I do hope you are aware that no one, not even the Eltaran, can keep secrets from the Keeper for long. While it is more likely that they will learn about it through your people, we cannot guarantee that your secret is safe with us either. This topic concerns the collectors of knowledge personally and may or may not even be seen as a risk to their unique position in the universe. Don¡¯t believe the Keeper will remain in the dark about this for too long!¡± Secrets that concern the Keeper directly? What the¡­? Eston¡¯s mind went wild with one absurd idea after another, trying to figure out what the Eltaran was talking about. Only when Hammond, the slightly round man to his site, made a polite cough, did Eston put his focus back on the screen. ¡°Thanks for the warning, elder of the Eltaran. We are well aware of the situation, but decided to get you aboard with this anyways. I¡¯m happy to hear that you appreciate the gesture.¡± He said, still without knowing what this was all about, ¡°Please, if you would go more into detail about the things you are currently looking for¡­¡± *** If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Holy shit, finally!¡± Eston said and slumped back in his seat after the meeting ended and the comm channel was closed. ¡°That was surprisingly taxing. But we gained big today!¡± Hammond said with a happy grin on his face, ¡°A trading cooperation with the Eltaran - that is not something easily achieved.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± Franny nodded, ¡°If we are lucky, we will finally be able to make some new breakthroughs in our gene program. But I think we need to address something else first! What the hell did your new friend do? Pulling the Eltaran in some fucked up secret that threatens the Keeper? I knew he would fuck up at some point. I always told you it would be better to lock him up!¡± ¡°Huh, and here I thought we all agreed to let him run on his own as long as he produces such splendid results.¡± Eston scoffed. Franny Bolster was only pissed because it wasn¡¯t Ramones, one of her men, who got them a deal with the Eltaran. ¡°Any ideas what that was all about?¡± He asked. ¡°I have a crazy idea that, if it turns out to be true, will put us on a harsh timer¡­¡± Hammond mused while fumbling with his long beard, ¡°I don¡¯t think Tulward spilled any secrets or stuff, what would he even be able to reveal? No, I think he is the secret.¡± ¡°What? What does that mean?¡± Franny groaned. ¡°Well, he is on his way to Terulos to examine a monolith that works with Keeper technology. Quite the rare variation of the Energy Sense G-Anomaly, being able to feel and maybe even interact with ?ther.¡± ¡°We never heard of someone with abilities like that before.¡± Eston agreed, ¡°That¡¯s why we sent him there in the first place¡­ What are you getting at? The Keeper would hardly care for one more competitor in their field of supremacy.¡± ¡°Eston is right. From early on, all other races suggested that they have their own ways of interacting with ?ther. Why would anyone care if humans joined this club?¡± Franny said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t care if there are many competitors already. But what if all our theories are based on false assumptions? What if we are the only ones who have gained access to ?ther? What do you think, would the Keeper care about the emergence of the first competitor?¡± *** ¡°More than 1.400 years of peace, but just when it is my turn to be in charge, the whole fucking universe is going nuts¡­¡± Thomas Eston cursed and took the bottle with the good booze out of his desk. ¡°First the Zulbano began to stretch out their claws at our systems and just after we caught wind of their scheming, they suddenly retreated to who-knows-where and lay low again. They are like a knife in the dark - you really wanna know where it comes from, so you can at least prepare a bit. But this? We noticed them late, they must have invested quite heavily already, why did they give up on all that?¡± Eston closed his eyes and took a sip from his drink, letting his mind calm down and dropping some of the tension. ¡°Then there are the Drel. We just found another of their weapon labs and dived deeper into their tech only for these lunatics to start blowing up their bases and moons. It¡¯s so hard to get good information about the Drel systems. No one really knows what is happening and the theories and rumors are all over the place. Technical problems and accidents with fucking moon-destroying weapons? Maybe once¡­ twice would be unbelievable already, but four times in a matter of months? Never¡­¡± He shook his head and took another sip, ¡°The alternative? They are under attack. But who would or even could do so much damage to them? Are they about to fall into another internal war? Unlikely¡­ They should have learned from the last time. Also, there were no previous signs of internal conflicts.¡± He tapped on his datapad and checked for any reports with news about the Zulbano or the Drel. Only when his glass was emptied did he put the tablet back down and filled himself another drink. ¡°Ah, right... We also have to chase some asshole that is fucking with the UAS network. What is he even trying to achieve? Making us look like little kids before a master? Done that. Breaking into high-value systems? He didn¡¯t do that, even though all our experts had to admit that he probably could do that at any time. So what is he looking for?¡± Eston stood up and walked to the big window behind his desk. He looked over the endless city. PTVs and CTVs were flying around in orderly fashion and the light of huge billboards reflected on the metallic buildings everywhere. It was quite the sight¡­ ¡°The center of power and yet, we still have so many problems that we are unable to deal with¡­¡± He muttered, ¡°Ugh¡­ Let¡¯s hope they at least managed to contact Tulward. We need to make him aware of his unique role and immediately get him somewhere safe.¡± Once more he skimmed through the profile of the young technocrafter, as if there would suddenly appear a new entry that would explain all this. ¡°Oh boy, he will not like it to be called back and put under close observation.¡± *** ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± The old man shouted in excitement, ¡°We finally managed a first breakthrough in this marvelous piece of technology. How did the Drel even come up with a way of handling energy like this? Amazing¡­ Amazing!¡± ¡°You got it? Will this allow us the powering of the Drel weapon?¡± Akemi Watanabe asked the old researcher who jumped around a big machine like a kid that found a candy. ¡°What? No, not yet. But we are finally on the right track to develop a suitable method.¡± Prof. Aurelius explained without letting his mood get ruined by the woman¡¯s unimpressed face. What did she know? This was a completely new way of processing energy, the possibilities of compactly storing energy were endless. Sure, right now while they were still at the beginning of this research, Aurelius was certain that they would never be able to get any actual use out of this tech for the next hundred years or so. But mankind was catching up step by step¡­ ¡°Have you had another round of interviews with Mr. Hutton, the pilot who witnessed the activation of the weapon last time? There must be more than these few sentences we found in the official report.¡± ¡°No, your request was denied. It was deemed unnecessary. We will be able to analyze how the weapon works with the sensors installed in the weapons testing site.¡± She explained. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the risks. The amount of energy we¡¯ll have to pump into this thing goes beyond all scales! This isn¡¯t some laser gun or anything, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Aurelius argued. ¡°Commander Ramones has personally decided that it would be unwise to include more personal than necessary in this project. But you don¡¯t have to worry, our testing site is one the best the UAS has to offer.¡± Watanabe cut him off once again. ¡°You took the weapon from Robin, right? What did the boy tell you after handing it over?¡± ¡°...¡± The woman kept quiet for a moment and after some hesitation she just shook her head. ¡°Nothing, he only said he wants it back when we are done.¡± Chapter 99 - Blowing Off Steam Back on the Hubble that was drifting slowly through the void of space after provoking a major power outage, Robin, Niu and Sevastian stared at the enormous ship in front of them. Like most ships of the Cetro it had a cube-like form, however this model surely had a long history under its belt. Robin could make out four big blocks aligned behind each other, connected by thick pipes going from one to another. All cubes probably once were standalone ships as each one had its own thrusters. Now they were merged together to create one huge mothership. ¡°We are fucked, right?¡± Sevastian wailed and threw his arms in the air to underline his level of annoyance. ¡°Well, it really didn¡¯t work out as we had planned.¡± Robin agreed. ¡°It worked out exactly as planned! It¡¯s just that these techno fanatics have entered the fight with unfair means. Who the hell brings two such ships to catch a small research vessel?¡± ¡°I think the mothership shouldn¡¯t be part of this raid. We just stumbled over its hiding spot at the sidelines.¡± ¡°So, what now, captain?¡± Sevastian sighed. ¡°Now? Now we are moving on to plan B!¡± Robin replied with a grin. ¡°Plan B? We had more than one plan? What is it about?¡± The hothead asked. ¡°Niu, how long until we can open a channel and contact them?¡± ¡°Uhm, five minutes? Six¡­ maybe?¡± ¡°And internal comm?¡± ¡°Same¡­ probably.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to Landom and Keran. Sevastian, get ready!¡± ¡°Ready? For what?¡± ¡°Oh, you will be taking on the role as the captain in the upcoming negotiations.¡± Robin said and made his way to the door. ¡°Are you crazy? Why would I do that? I have no idea what these assholes even want from us. Why would I waste my time with them? Let¡¯s just think of a way to get on their ship and I¡¯ll gladly play the role of someone who kicks ass!¡± ¡°Not that I wanna interrupt your rant, but you are floating off¡­¡± Niu said deadpan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The gravity. It¡¯s missing right now, so you are drifting away from your seat.¡± Sevastian looked around and noticed he was already floating half a meter above his chair. ¡°Ah! Fuck this! This whole trip totally sucks!¡± He complained and began to flail his arms, trying to move around. ¡°You really want this idiot to play the role of captain?¡± Niu asked incredulously but Robin had already left the bridge to find his security officer. *** ¡°I¡¯m still not convinced¡­¡± Keran, who stood in the back of the bridge next to Robin, muttered. ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± Shrugging, Robin turned to Niu. ¡°Happy, communications?¡± ¡°Any moment now.¡± ¡°Sevastian,¡± He addressed the man who already managed to climb into the captain¡¯s seat, ¡°I know you can do it. You are pissed and annoyed right now, aren¡¯t you? If that isn¡¯t enough, just think about how Patience is beating you up like a bloody rookie every time you step into the ring.¡± ¡°What? Fuck, it¡¯s not like that! I just don¡¯t wanna be too rough with her¡­¡± He exclaimed in indignation. ¡°That¡¯s what we are looking for!¡± Robin cheered, ¡°Now, let off all the steam on whoever is on the other side of the comm, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting beaten like a rookie!¡± Sevastian still complained when finally some systems turned back online and Niu immediately contacted the big ship that had followed the drifting Hubble without showing any kind of aggression so far. ¡°Ah finally my friends, this proud ship is the-¡± An amused person said after the channel was opened. However, Sevastian rudely interrupted the introduction. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I don¡¯t care who the fuck you are. Get me your head priest on the line, now!¡± He barked in annoyance. ¡°...¡± There was a short silence on the other side when the communications officer was totally caught off guard. ¡°Uhm, are you aware that-¡± He began anew. ¡°No, but are you aware just how much you fucked up my day today? Why the hell would you even attack your partners? Now go and get me the head priest of this flying tin can!¡± ¡°I¡­ One moment please.¡± The confused man said and Sevastian used this time to turn and look at Robin and Keran with a questioning gaze. ¡°You are doing great!¡± Robin said and gave him a thumbs up, ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll later cover your back and delete all the videos of fights where you lost to Patience because of the goodness in your heart. Patience will be so touched when she learns about that.¡± ¡°What? No! I mean¡­-¡± ¡°So you wanted to talk to me personally, ¡®partner¡¯?¡± A new voice entered the comm channel. ¡°You are the head priest of these idiots?¡± Sevastian turned back and blew off some steam, ¡°I¡¯m Robin Tulward, captain of the UAS IPR Hubble. Why the hell did you think grabbing our tail to pull us out off superluminal travel would be a great idea? Damn, at least identify yourself instead of giving off the vibe of some cheap pirate who wants to raid us.¡± ¡°I think there might be a misconception of the situation you¡¯re in.¡± The head priest said, his voice turning cold. ¡°Yeah, I thought someone was assaulting us. That¡¯s why we retaliated. The dead fighter pilots are on the idiot who began shooting torpedoes at us!¡± Sevastian barked, still angry as a Burlag who got poked with a stick in his sleep. He then took a loud, deep breath to calm himself. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Okay, bad start. Let¡¯s put that behind us for now. What news do you have that is so important that you risk direct communications just before we arrive at the UAS asteroid?¡± He asked. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The head priest asked, now really thrown off by Sevastian¡¯s random rant, ¡°Are you messing with me? You think this strategy will work?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Hubble¡¯s temporary captain was taken aback, ¡°You aren¡¯t here to bring news about TechnoBlood?¡± There was a long silence and Robin immediately knew that his bluff could work out as long as they didn¡¯t mess up on the last meters. ¡°What do you know about these traitors?¡± The head priest angrily hissed. ¡°Well, right now not much more than what Jannet from the Red Sun told us when we accepted the contract.¡± ¡°The Red Sun? From ElectricGlory?¡± ¡°Yeah, head priest Ageoid didn¡¯t tell you? We are to find the defecting community under the lead of Hash Spaden. We came here because we salvaged some leads from the UAS reports about Cetro in these outer rims of the Mereus Cluster.¡± Sevastian said while looking at the little note Robin and Landom had quickly put together so he doesn¡¯t mess up the names. ¡°Well, Cetro we found, I guess¡­¡± He loudly mused. Once more there was a long silence. ¡°I¡¯ll have to confirm your story with priest Ageoid.¡± The man finally said. ¡°Uhm, so this was all one big misunderstanding on your side? You didn¡¯t stop us because of new information?¡± ¡°A misunderstanding, very well. We¡¯ll need a few hours to get in contact with our brothers and sisters from ElectricGlory. If they confirm your story, you are free to go.¡± ¡°Mate, I¡¯m not going to sit around here and waste my day. We are expected at CBXX-5 later today and will be already late for that. We have an UAS official from the main HQ aboard and I would love to get him off at the asteroid before we have any more suspicious dealings.¡± ¡°...¡± The head priest kept quiet for a moment. He didn¡¯t have much to lose but a lot to gain. If he was getting tricked and the Hubble wasn¡¯t working for the Cetro, they would have one failed raid to note down, but if they told the truth, it was their chance to put more pressure on the traitors. He got a report not long ago with some hints about their location, but couldn¡¯t go there himself. Cetro weren¡¯t exactly welcomed on UAS planets. After weighting the pros and cons a bit, the head priest finally conceded. ¡°Fine, you can leave. I also have the update you are looking for.¡± He said, ¡°We heard rumors of TechnoBlood hiding in the forests of Seavis.¡± ¡°What? Damnit, just when we arrived all the way back here¡­¡± Sevastian mumbled. ¡°Tulward¡­¡± The priest called and Sevastian needed a moment to remember that he was meant. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If you have sold me a huge bag of bullshit, I¡¯ll definitely visit you again one day¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. Anyways, it was nice to meet you - seeya next time!¡± Niu¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw him cut the line just like that. ¡°You.. wow you did well, Hulky!¡± ¡°Thanks, now get us out of here. I really don¡¯t want to be nearby when this circuit-fucker had his talk with that Ageoid-dude.¡± *** ¡°In the end, it went better than expected. We even got an update on TechnoBlood¡¯s location.¡± Robin said with a happy grin. He sat at the table in the conference room together with Keran and where discussing how things turned out. ¡°You are way too reckless!¡± Keran scolded, ¡°Even allowing Niu to take such a risky route to retreat is madness, but trying to shit-talk yourself out of this situation with the head priest of such a big Cetro community is straight up crazy.¡± ¡°But it still worked! We had all the needed names to fool them and Sevastian was the right one for the job.¡± Robin pointed out. ¡°Yes, it did work. However, you have to learn from such encounters. You won¡¯t always get as lucky as today. What do you think would have happened if they hadn¡¯t bought the story after Sevastian already vented his frustration and offended their priest?¡± Keran asked but didn¡¯t wait for an answer, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t sit here and talk, we would be frozen corpses drifting through the void! While the Cetro try to minimize the actual damage they do, they have their limits. Considering they opened their assault with a barrage of torpedoes, I don¡¯t think they would have hesitated at all to blow us up.¡± ¡°There weren¡¯t many alternatives I could choose from.¡± Robin argued, ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t want them to capture us.¡± ¡°And that was the right evaluation of the situation. I don¡¯t think we would have gotten out of this unscathed if we had set foot in their ship - we have a damn Eltaran aboard! However, there are always different ways to approach a problem. You could have tried diplomacy before trying to run, we could also have worked on strategies how to temporarily disable their ship if we get close enough - like you did at the end with overloading the shield generator, effectively creating a small scale EMP bomb.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t have much time and decisions had to be made quickly!¡± Robin said, getting a bit angry now. It wasn¡¯t as if he had time to sit down and do a workshop with the crew about how to get out of the impending trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not saying you made the wrong decisions. Quite the opposite, you showed qualities of a great captain when you made decisive moves in stressful situations. Many others would have frozen on the spot, fearing to take the wrong step. However, I want you to reflect on the encounter. You took too many risks because you lacked better options. Learn from it and think about what you could have done better so next time you come into an extreme situation you find more options to choose from, better options.¡± Keran explained and Robin had to agree at least partly. He still wasn¡¯t convinced that they had many options, but he saw value in learning from the experience. ¡°You will be on your own in the next section of this mission.¡± Keran said when their meeting was coming to an end, ¡°You still have much to learn, but to be honest, I see great potential in you. The loyalty towards your crew, the way you respect and value each of them with their own talents and shortcomings and your uncompromising course when protecting crew and ship - all that makes you a good captain. Get more experience, learn to find less risky paths and reflect on important decisions afterwards and you will become a great captain.¡± ¡°Wow, thank you for your honest evaluation.¡± Robin said, ¡°I know you and I still have some things unspoken, but I appreciate the support you are giving me.¡± In response, Keran gave a hollow laugh. ¡°Most of the time I was knocked out, so I didn¡¯t actually perform my role as intended.¡± ¡°You still have provided needed feedback and, like just now, are setting my head straight. But do tell, what do you mean ¡®I¡¯ll be on my own¡¯?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be honest. I don¡¯t fit in here any longer. We had different¡­ ideas on how to solve the situation with the Eltaran. Too much trust is gone, you all are suspicious of my next move and my motives for doing things, while I quite dislike being the only one on the ship who knows nothing about what really happened that night on the Discovery.¡± ¡°...¡± Robin wanted to argue but deep down he knew it already. Keran had no place on this ship any longer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll just switch to the ship of my team and we¡¯ll be right behind you. We¡¯ll meet after arriving on Terulos and finish this mission, okay?¡± The researcher said and a longing look crept on his face, ¡°It isn¡¯t too bad to see them again a bit earlier than expected. It has been more than 3 years since we¡¯ve all met together.¡± ¡°Communication will be a major challenge, though. We shut all the systems down that would allow tracking by the Cetro, which includes the comms. After we leave the Mereus Cluster we¡¯ll be stuck in superluminal travel, which also disables communications and after arriving in the Goya System¡­ Niu said we should prepare for major system failures, scanning issues and many other nasty things.¡± ¡°I know. But even if we weren¡¯t on the same page in how to solve different things, I¡¯m sure you will have no problems reaching Terulos in the given time. We will manage, right?¡± Robin looked at the man and after some time he stretched out his hand. ¡°I know you just want the best for mankind and the UAS. Even though we sometimes have different priorities, rest assured that I would never act against those interests.¡± Keran shook his hand with a grin, ¡°I know. That¡¯s why it isn¡¯t that kind of a big deal to switch ships early. You¡¯ll do your part. Good luck on your travels.¡± ¡°Good luck, mate. Send greetings to your team. We¡¯ll meet in a few weeks.¡± *** Without much more delay the Hubble reached CBXX-5, a huge asteroid that looked similar to the ¡®moon¡¯ where the Cetro mothership was hiding. They only stopped at the little outpost to let Keran join his team, which would follow shortly afterwards, and restock some supplies before the Hubble, now with one cabin empty, left again. They were in a bit of a hurry as they wanted to get away from the Cetro who had probably realized by now that they got scammed. With their communication systems offline, they left without even sending a last message to the UAS - or receiving one at that. The Hubble quickly entered superluminal travel and was finally on its way to the Goya System. As such, Robin¡¯s first inter-system journey started. Chapter 100 - Red Giant While the Hubble flew towards the Goya System with speeds faster than light and days turned into weeks, the crew tried to keep themselves busy to pass the time. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re killing me¡­¡± Sevastian panted after they went through another round of exercising. Exhausted he fell back when Patience let go of him. ¡°It¡¯s just that your stamina management sucks and you¡¯ve too little endurance.¡± She said with a grin and sat down beside him. They both remained silent for some time, just catching their breaths and enjoying the moment. ¡°What?¡± Patience finally asked when she saw the look on Sevastian¡¯s face. ¡°You¡­¡± He hesitated, ¡°You''ve gained weight again, don''t you? Have you talked with Timothy about it?¡± ¡°Wow, you know how to sweet talk girls!¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯m honestly worried about you. Tell me, how much?¡± The redhead persisted without any of his usual mischievous mood. ¡°...uh¡­¡± Patience sighed, ¡°Another 8 kilo over the last two weeks. But-¡± ¡°8kg? That¡¯s a total of 17kg since they ¡®repaired¡¯ your genes!¡± He exclaimed in shock. Instead of letting her temper flare up, Patience gave him a gentle smile. How could she not know by now how much he cared about her? ¡°It¡¯s okay. Over the last few days they grew slower and slower. I think my bones are about to reach their maximal density.¡± ¡°Additional 17kg, you are now at a total of about three times the weight of normal bones.¡± Sevastian mumbled. ¡°Well, at least I now can say ¡®I just have heavy bones¡¯ without lying!¡± She laughed, but stopped when she saw he still wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Timothy, just to make sure everything is alright, okay?¡± Patience promised and finally got a happy nod from him. After resting and enjoying the cozy atmosphere for a bit, Sevastian once more spoke up. ¡°You know, I could train you to better apply all this raw power on missions. While you are an awesome fighter, that is often not what is needed when you are in the field and the bad guys all have weapons.¡± ¡°I know, I caught a glimpse of that when you trained with Landom and your sister.¡± ¡°The heavy shield is just one application. In your case, you could probably go for a full-body armor.¡± He explained eagerly, ¡°Not talking about the electrically powered ones here. Those are too fucking expensive because of all the shielding needed to be save from energy disruption and you never see them outside of special units. What I mean are the Heavy Knights. Thick plating combined with energy shields that makes you a real tank on the battlefield. Few can put them on since you not only need massive strength to move them, you also have to be able to not break down under their weight. You¡¯re made for this!¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Patience nodded. Absentmindedly, she began stroking his hair. ¡°You know that that isn¡¯t my path though, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m not made for this. Of course I¡¯m enjoying this adventure and having fun with you all, but at the end of the day, I don¡¯t wanna live my whole life like that.¡± When he saw her mind begin to wander, Sevastian just kept quiet and waited for her to continue. ¡°I want to become a coach. Help kids from the streets and poor districts to fight for a better life. Just like that old geezer who trained me, I wanna offer others a chance to break out of the endless circle they were born into.¡± She explained, ¡°People are dying around me. I¡¯m just a worker in a technocrafter¡¯s workshop. That¡¯s not how things should go.¡± Sevastian noticed that her hands began to clench and even though she nearly pulled out his hair, he just kept quiet and let her express her worries. ¡°In just one year I fought for my life against smugglers and crazy robots, was assaulted by pirates, observed how a reactor blew up the better part of a huge city¡¯s district and was stuck in a storm that tried to kill us all by throwing frickin¡¯ blades of ice around¡­ and I lost a friend of mine.¡± Patience took a few deep breaths and loosened her grip on Sevastian¡¯s hair before she looked at him. ¡°What about you? You have lived like that when you were a mercenary, right?¡± ¡°Well, due to my parents Alena and I began to live from one job to the next. In the beginning we did mostly courier stuff, later the jobs became more diverse. While I have to say that your last year - and the work under Robin as a captain as a whole - is definitely not representative for the everyday missions you do as a mercenary, there is¡­ well, let¡¯s just say most places in the universe aren¡¯t meant for vacation.¡± ¡°So, how did you end up here? A hired hand of the UAS.¡± Patience asked and Sevastian began to laugh. ¡°No shit? I worked my ass off to convince Alena to join the UAS. The mercenary work is really tough, like you explained, and not something you can do for years without end. I wanted to find a better alternative: safer missions and a stable employer¡­¡± ¡°...and that is how you ended up here on this ship? Wow, tell me about life-choices!¡± Patience chuckled. ¡°At least Alena is having fun.¡± He said defiantly. ¡°Yeah? Can¡¯t really tell, she always has this cold look. I think I only saw her smile once or twice so far.¡± ¡°See? Once or twice in just a few weeks is a lot already.¡± He grinned, ¡°She can¡¯t really show it, but I know her well enough to see that she is enjoying this trip immensely.¡± ¡°So, don''t you have to split up in the future, if what you are looking for is not the same in the long run?¡± ¡°Who knows? We never really talked about it before as we¡¯re so used to working together. Maybe there will come a day when we will go different ways though. It¡¯s not like we are bound together by anything.¡± Patience nodded and understood that it was time to drop these heavy topics. While dangerous, at least for now they all had a great time on the Hubble. So she decided to switch to more important things. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°How is it? Have you rested enough to go for another round?¡± She asked with a grin. ¡°What kind of question is that? Of course I can keep going!¡± Sevastian exclaimed in indignation and sat up on the bed. *** While Patience and Sevastian shifted their exercising from the gym to the bedroom, Robin used this time to repair the Melody II. Days over days did he stay in the little hangar and worked on switching parts, patching up the hull and calibrating all the systems. Often he got visits from his friends who stayed for some time, shared stories about their life before this journey and talked about plans for the future. With the end of the mission coming closer and closer, this was what was on everyone¡¯s mind. The only person Robin never really saw since they left the Mereus Cluster was Timothy. He apparently had thrown himself into one of his projects and now Robin was on his way to check out what his friend was up to. When he entered the laboratory, Robin was surprised to find Timothy chilling on a chair, reading a book. ¡°I think I never saw you this relaxed before. What are you reading?¡± In response the researcher just grumbled and held up his book. ¡°¡®Mutations and G-Anomalies - An Introduction¡¯¡± He read out loud and looked up in confusion, ¡°What? Why would you need that? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve left that level behind years ago.¡± ¡°Yeah, a little mishap on my side.¡± Timothy said, ¡°But Rob, did you know that some G-Anomalies can have upgrades that improve the overall quality and sometimes even add new skills?¡± ¡°No shit! Uhm¡­ Mate? Are you okay?¡± Robin carefully asked when his friend acted more than a little weird, ¡°You have a Class D - Eidetic Memory and this is basic knowledge. How come you don¡¯t know this stuff?¡± Timothy put down the book and sighed, ¡°My mutation works like a data storage. Everything I read or learn will be saved and then can be accessed at any time without any gaps in my memory. However, like every data storage there is a limit to its capacity. Once I reach its maximum, I have to free up space. There are a few things I tagged as essential - personal experiences, everything about the people in my life or basic stuff I need for a normal life - and others are optional. Depending on the field I¡¯m researching I sometimes remove or add things to selected topics.¡± ¡°Okay, so you are working on¡­?¡± Robin probed after getting an idea of what did happen. ¡°Stuff about Drel and the Wuranger but mostly I¡¯m still trying to catch the AI that is hacking us. I¡¯m getting closer each time we find it and have already got some evidence to bolster my theory. I decided to take things in my own hand and capture it by predicting its next target and booby-trapping the system. However, to do that I needed more knowledge about Starborn-tech and the UAS systems¡­¡± ¡°And you thought ¡®Who the fuck needs to know that humans have mutations nowadays?¡¯ and deleted basically everything you learned even back at school? Tough move, mate, tough move!¡± Robin groaned. ¡°It was an accident, okay? I was kind of busy and wanted to hurry up with the AI hacker and then I may have selected a bit too much in the process of making space¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­ How come you first deleted everything and now learn everything again? Just because you removed too much and don''t enjoy being an idiot or do you have a new project in mind?¡± ¡°A bit of both, the gap in my general knowledge is too big and I also want to help Ang¡¯Tue with a little project of his. The laboratory of the Hubble is really well equipped and we want to make use of the gene analyzer over there to check out a few things. It will be the first joint research project of Eltaran and Humans!¡± Timothy explained enthusiastically. ¡°You are having an official cooperation with the Eltaran in the field of genes and mutations? Wow!¡± Robin was massively impressed. That was no easy feat and would definit- ¡°Well, not officially¡­ but hey, who knows what will happen in the future!¡± ¡°Oh okay, well whatever. Good luck and be more careful next time. Seems to me as if it could be quite dangerous to delete the wrong stuff.¡± Robin said and turned to leave when Timothy pressed his nose back into the book. ¡°Ah, right!¡± He stopped at the door when he remembered something, ¡°The gene analyzer you mentioned, can you use it to scan and identify my mutation?¡± ¡°Sure, but why would that be necessary? My book just explained that a mutation shouldn¡¯t change over time, so what do you¡­ Oh! You messed with your G-Anomaly in the Eltaran¡¯s lab, right? Yeah, give me a few more days to get up to speed and then we can give it a try.¡± ¡°Thanks mate, good luck with all the studying and stuff¡­¡± *** ¡°Captain, we are about to drop out of superluminal travel in about 20 minutes!¡± Happy informed Robin via internal comm a few days later. They finally were about to arrive in the Goya System. Even if he had read reports and everything, Robin still was a bit unsure what to expect. Goya, the central star of the likewise named solar system, was dying. As it was not a humongous sized star that could create a neutron star or even a black hole after death, Goya instead evolved into something called a Red Giant. These are stars that, at the end of their lifespan, never can develop further than the helium-burning stage. The mass of its core shrinks rapidly which in turn reduces the gravitational pull. The outer layer of the star therefore expands while burning off with a red glow. At some point it will just waft away into a hot nebular in space, leaving the dead core behind as a White Dwarf. Right now Goya was still a few thousand years away from turning into a White Dwarf, on the universal timescale that meant it was just before the stage of turning from a Red Giant into a hot nebulous cloud. The electromagnetic radiation from Goya was also messing up the planets in its system and created anomalies in natural formations all over the place. Further, its frequent solar flares were a danger to any ship in the system and could only be predicted if one got lucky and didn''t have the scanner blocked. Excitement grew in Robin when he thought about the flight through this system. It wasn¡¯t overly dangerous but pretty sure something else to see. Alas, Terulos, the planet they were heading to, was another story altogether. They will have to be extra careful to not mess up on the last meters after arriving there. ¡°We are well prepared!¡± He told himself, ¡°We had lots of training and a good test run on Seavis. Everyone had time to get to know each other and learn about the risks. This will be a walk in the park, no need to worry too much!¡± If Robin¡¯s optimism was the right attitude or dangerous naivety still had to be concluded. However, what he got right was that everyone aboard the Hubble had grown over the last weeks and months. Some had gained valuable experiences to learn from, others have made more substantial leaps in power. Patience was among those, but also Ang¡¯Tue as far as Robin heard, even if he didn¡¯t understand what exactly had changed for the Eltaran. And Robin himself? Yeah, his bloody experiment in the laboratory had seemingly paid off - while he still had no complete grasp about his new ability to partly control the flow of energy, the scanning of his G-Anomaly did show promising results.
[*** INFO ***]
1 G-Anomaly detected
2 Match found
3 Identification: -3?0%
4 Class B, ¦®n¡Ér?y S|n?s?s
[*** INFO ***]
¡°Another raise in class. Class B mutations are nothing to scoff at and more often than not the real deal.¡± Robin muttered and sent out an Echo-Pulse. For more than 20 meters every bit of energy was brightly highlighted in his vision, giving him a much better and more detailed view of his surroundings than before. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see what I¡¯m able to do when I finally manage to interact with the energy in a controlled manner¡­¡± He said and made the lights above him flicker a bit before he left his cabin. ¡°But first, let¡¯s check out what this system has to offer!¡± Chapter 101 - Paradise Amidst Death Robin shifted awkwardly in his seat on the bridge and threw an apologetic look to Happy. ¡°Are you the captain of this ragtag group of idiots or not? I¡¯m feeling watched!¡± She complained with crossed arms. ¡°I mean, you invited them here¡­¡± Robin pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the pilot to inform everyone when major anomalies are expected. That wasn¡¯t an invitation. I have to concentrate, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, and we all agree that a dying system definitely is a major anomaly. Come on, just let them stay so they can see this first hand.¡± He tried to convince her and behind him, Patience, Sevastian, Landom, Ang¡¯Tue and even Timothy all nodded like chickens picking corn. After they heard that the Hubble was about to enter the Goya System, they all rushed to the bridge which was way too small for so many people. However, Robin totally understood their curiosity and didn¡¯t want to kick them out. From the other rooms, the view wouldn¡¯t be as impressive as from here at the front of the ship. ¡°Fiiiiine¡­¡± Happy conceded and shifted her focus back to her controls. ¡°Awesome! What can we expect? I read about the Red Giant and all, but how likely is it that we will just explode after arriving there because of some freaking solar storm or shit?¡± Sevastian raised his hand and asked. ¡°Nothing like that will happen. It¡¯s mostly solar flares and storms, hypercharged electromagnetic clouds and a few drifting radiation clusters. We would have to be very unlucky to meet any of those on our quick flight to Terulos.¡± Timothy explained. ¡°Electromagnetic clouds? Radiation Clusters? What the hell?¡± ¡°Yeah, no worries. Those are all really rare.¡± ¡°The more you try to convince me that nothing bad will happen, the more scared I get¡­¡± Sevastian muttered until Ang¡¯Tue patted his shoulder. ¡°I think your biggest concern should be getting thrown off the ship.¡± The Eltaran hushed him and directed his attention towards Happy who looked like she was about to explode. ¡°He is right. For a security consultant your sense for danger is surprisingly dull.¡± Landom commented. ¡°Ah, Happy¡­ Niu! You are doing great, keep going - I¡¯ll just stand here and¡­ shut up?¡± *** While she gave the ship¡¯s systems one last check, Niu smiled inwardly at the antics of her friends. She really enjoyed their company here on the ship and was even a bit surprised about herself. Over the last few weeks she noticed that her always happy mood had mostly become a mask she put on to play her role as Happy. Sure, she always had to feign her trademark cheerfulness every now and then but at some point the ratio of real and fake happiness must have shifted in the wrong direction. When did that happen? Only now, after meeting these people and letting go of the permanent concerns about her family, did real happiness return. Finally she didn¡¯t need a mask anymore. Following these thoughts, her mind once more wandered back to the speech Robin had given her back in the bar on Gaunus. ¡®Thanks, Scrappy¡­ thank you so much!¡¯ With a grin, she finished the checkup and turned to the captain to give an update. ¡°90 seconds!¡± Moments later she initiated the braking sequence that would get them out of superluminal travel. Seconds ticked down while the void outside the window remained mostly dark, as it was normal at this speed. However, already 30 seconds before the complete shutdown of the QVT, something did change. Slowly the void shifted color from a deep black to a dark red. Way too early, while they were still faster than light, some of Goya¡¯s light bled through the darkness. ¡°Just how bright is that star?¡± Happy muttered to herself and got the answer shortly afterwards. When the QVT ultimately turned off, the whole bridge was flooded with a bright red light. The Hubble automatically began to darken the front window to reduce the intensity and protect the crew¡¯s eyes. After their sight finally adjusted a bit, everybody made surprised gasps. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± Niu heard Patience muttering and had to agree with her. Never before had she seen something like this. The Goya System was a bit smaller than the Mereus Cluster and since they jumped from one border to the other one, they now had entered the outer rims. Compared to what she saw when they left the cluster before, Goya was at least five times as big as Mereus - maybe even more. The star¡¯s huge ¡®surface¡¯ was just one big red burning sea that flickered beautifully with different shades of red, mixed with a bit of yellow and black here and there. Like waves in an ocean, flames churned on the star and sent huge flares into the surrounding void. ¡°What an amazing sight¡­¡± Someone said in awe. ¡°Beautiful!¡± Niu agreed, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that before.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°The pictures and videos in the reports don¡¯t even come close to the real thing¡­¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Robin made a stilted cough, however Niu was too captivated by this spectacle of nature in front of them. ¡°Really a Red Giant!¡± She said. ¡°Happy!¡± Robin called her again. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°We have system failures and the QVT is not cooling down! Do your sightseeing after we make sure the ship doesn¡¯t melt under our asses, okay?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah, sorry.¡± Quickly she tore her eyes away and increased the window¡¯s tint to nearly black. ¡°The show is over, everyone get off this bridge!¡± Niu shouted and while the others left under loud protest, she nervously checked all the systems that were blinking with red lights already. In no time at all she understood that there was quite the strain on the ship, but nothing they couldn¡¯t handle. While she initiated the cooling for the QVT and redistributed the ship¡¯s power, Happy wondered how Robin had managed to collect himself so fast. Why wasn¡¯t he also enamored by this incredible sight and the play of col- ¡®Damn, right. He can¡¯t see colors! While probably still an amazing view, to see everything just in grayscale must have taken much of its charm.¡¯ She realized. When the QVT was stabilized and she had freed enough power to cool other systems, Niu was still thinking about Robin and his disability to see colors. Then it finally sank in: Not only here and now did this spectacle lose most of its grandeur, but everything he saw was gray - always! His life literally was missing color. ¡®How is he not losing his mind and falling into depression?¡¯ She pondered, when another question snuck into her head, ¡®How can he make my life so colorful, without being able to feel the joy himself?¡¯ *** Five days later Robin found himself sitting in his seat on the bridge again. Since arriving in the Goya System, he had spent most of his time here. While ultimately nothing bad happened, despite Timothy jinxing it, Robin was still a bit on the edge. After the initial euphoria about the new system with the Red Giant died down, everyone returned to their usual schedules. Only Niu and Robin stayed more alert and never left the bridge unattended. It had been quite the sight though. Sure, when he first laid eyes on the dying star it already was an impressive and unique spectacle. However, only after he gave ROMAS control of the UAV later that day and got a video-feed with proper colors did he understand why his friends totally blanked out for some time before they got a hold of themselves. ¡°Nature never fails to impress¡­¡± He mumbled and looked at Alena, ¡°How are we doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m slowly getting results. Nothing precise yet, but we¡¯re getting there.¡± ¡°Will you be able to locate the correct position of the landing zone Keran has given us?¡± ¡°Working on it¡­¡± An hour ago, Happy had stopped the Hubble a few hundred kilometers away from another impressive celestial body. The planet in front of them was covered in thick clouds with lightning flashing every now and then. It was an amazing sight but also gave Robin unpleasant flashbacks to the eternal storm of the Mystic Sea. Luckily, Terulos¡¯ storms, while frequent, weren¡¯t present all the time and didn¡¯t interfere with scanners and navigation as much as the one back on Seavis. However, the increased difficulty due to the bad weather led to this forced break. ¡°Okay, I have something!¡± Alena finally exclaimed, ¡°I need a bit more time, but at least I got the general region we are looking for. Happy, you can start flying around the planet while I continue to pinpoint the landing zone. I will send you the approximate location.¡± ¡°Many thanks! Let¡¯s go then, my hands are itching already!¡± Happy cheered, having high expectations for this entry into the atmosphere. ¡°You just had your fun in the Mystic Sea, now please make this one a gentle flight, will ya?¡± Robin drowned her good mood in a bucket of cold water. ¡°Aye, aye, Captain!¡± She pouted and steered the Hubble around the planet. When they arrived at the other side, they once more sighed in awe. Now, they had Terulos with its rolling clouds in the front and the enormous Red Giant with its fiery surface towering in the back. ¡°Are you filming this?¡± Alena whispered as if speaking loudly would wake up a monster within the dying star. ¡°Yup¡­¡± Happy nodded but quickly shook her head to free her mind. She didn¡¯t want to make the same mistake twice and risk being distracted at such a crucial point of piloting. Slowly the ship dove down to the planet and soon dipped its nose into the clouds. For some time they couldn¡¯t see anything besides thick dark gray nebular all around them. Strong winds attacked the Hubble from every side, pushing it left and right. A few minutes later they finally broke through the storm and the clouds opened up, revealing a seemingly endless forest below them. ¡°Wow!¡± Robin exclaimed, ¡°So many trees! Like a blanket made of leaves and it looks completely different from the forest surrounding Dreamer¡¯s Hope.¡± ¡°You have a different climate here on Terulos. This is more like a rainforest with bigger trees, more foliage, higher humidity¡­¡± Happy explained and Alena couldn¡¯t refrain from adding her own concerns. ¡°There also will be more dangerous predators in the jungle. The thick foliage is perfect for silent hunters that hide before they pounce on their prey.¡± ¡°Uhm, okay. The reports also mentioned aggressive species living here. Landom was briefed and should have made plans accordingly.¡± ¡°You see that deeper part over there?¡± Niu pulled his attention back to the forest below them, ¡°In that valley should be the Keeper artifact, our landing zone is located on a small plateau at the other side. It is reported to be the only safe spot around here where one can leave a ship for a few days without worries.¡± Robin only nodded and tried to take in all the new things he saw. They passed by huge trees, more than a hundred meters tall, a big lake with islands here and there and Robin even spotted a raging river winding through the valley. He found nothing that looked artificial though, just endless wilderness that hid away its secrets in a forest which often was described as green hell. ¡°We have half a day¡¯s walk through the forest ahead of us. Keran said before that this will be the most dangerous part of our mission.¡± Robin explained while the Hubble closed in on the only mountain in the vicinity of this valley, ¡°We will wait for them to meet up at the plateau in about 12 hours, then we will head in all together.¡± When the ship got closer to the mountain, Alena suddenly turned around, ¡°The only safe place to land?¡± She asked, ¡°Do you mean that spot over there? The one with the huge hole in the ground?¡± ¡°What?¡± Niu gasped when she also spotted the landing zone moments later. Where once there had been a plateau, there was a big collapse in the ground now. Obviously parts of the mountain have sunken in, rupturing the earth above. ¡°No way I¡¯ll park the Hubble over there!¡± Happy said, leaving no room for discussions, and Robin got a really bad premonition. Chapter 102 - We Might Have A Problem Here Robin¡¯s mood hit rock bottom. Once again he was in a location with so much ambient and static energy in the atmosphere that his passive sense was going haywire. He felt like lying in a nest full of little bugs that ran all over his body. On top of that, now the mission was finally about to begin and on their first meters they started stumbling already. This plateau was meant to be a safe location, the safe location to be exact. How the hell did they come here only to find everything in shambles? ¡®What if the Hubble had landed here before the earth gave in?¡¯ Wild thoughts distracted him from thinking straight. ¡°Oh shit, are you sure this is the right pace?¡± Landom interrupted Robin¡¯s spiraling mind after he entered the bridge. ¡°Of course I¡¯m certain. What do you think I am doing here?¡± Happy complained. ¡°The report clearly marked it as a secure place, damnit.¡± ¡°What now, Robin?¡± Niu asked as she held the Hubble stable in hover. ¡°We need a new landing spot and contact Keran to update him on our position.¡± ¡°The research team¡¯s earliest arrival will be in 11 hours. In this region we can open a channel for communications only if they are close by. Shall I head away from the valley for now?¡± Robin pondered the best course of action until Landom shook his head and stepped closer to the window. ¡°Can you first send the drone to inspect the cave-in?¡± He asked. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°Nothing in particular, maybe it¡¯s just the inspector in me that wants to know more.¡± Not seeing any arguments against it, Robin left for the hangar and activated the BWT drone. While he sat down with closed eyes to jack into the video-feed, ROMAS was on its way to the surface. It left the Hubble through the elevating platform and quickly descended into the hole. Robin watched as the drone descended into the darkness below. All around them was rock everywhere. Soon, ROMAS had to switch to night vision to give Robin some sight. While he wasn¡¯t an expert in this kind of stuff, he assumed it was a natural cave that must have collapsed some time ago. He couldn¡¯t make out anything interesting down here and didn¡¯t even know what he was looking for in the first place. After descending for about minute ROMAS stopped the drone. Robin inspected their surroundings once more. Above them he saw the bright hole where the light from Goya was entering, below him was a dark abyss, too deep even for the residual light amplification of the drone¡¯s camera. ¡°Could you reach the bottom if Happy lowers the Hubble¡¯s altitude?¡± ¡°Okay. Switch to thermal vision, please¡± Immediately the video-feed changed from grayscale to a mix of blue in different shades. ¡°So recently? Wow, we were really lucky in misfortune. Thanks for your service. You can come home, okay?¡± Robin canceled the stream and went back to the bridge to share what little he had found out. ¡°All in all, we actually got lucky that we didn¡¯t use this spot for landing, right?¡± Alena said and Robin once more failed to read her mood due to her always cold, piercing glare. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree.¡± He nodded but Landom once more shook his head and fidgeted with his hands. ¡°What is it?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just strange that the report didn¡¯t mention the cave below the plateau. They made scans of this place and should have noticed it.¡± ¡°Maybe they also had trouble with their scanners?¡± Niu suggested. ¡°Unlikely, I¡¯m easily able to get readings up to 10 meters into the earth. If you missed a cave under these conditions that would be a major blunder.¡± Alena explained while she checked her scanners again. ¡°Where did we get the report from? The UAS?¡± Robin asked. ¡°No, we got it directly from Keran¡¯s people. It was part of the information package for this mission.¡± Landom said. ¡°Huh, I¡¯ll have a talk with him about this, okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt this talk, but I need to know where I should park the Hubble. Flying and hovering on planets with a proper atmosphere and a solid gravity is quite fuel-intensive. We can¡¯t just hang out here and wait for them¡­¡± Niu finally switched the topic. ¡°Right.¡± Robin agreed, ¡°Alena, find us a new place as close by as possible.¡± It took her only a few minutes of scanning and analyzing until she found another landing zone for the Hubble. ¡°It¡¯s about 8 km to the north. Not perfect but there is some kind of clearing in the forest over there.¡± ¡°That will be a hell of a walk. Landom, adapt your plans for a longer hike to the artifact¡¯s location.¡± Robin groaned. If the rest of the reports were to be believed, going through this forest won¡¯t be a walk in the park. Flora and fauna both were classified as medium to high threats. ¡°Waiting around any longer won¡¯t do us any good. Happy, let¡¯s go.¡± Hopefully they will be able to come up with a better plan after they meet with Keran and his team. *** Ten minutes later, Niu skillfully landed the Hubble on a small clearing in the midst of the thick rainforest. With no more than 50 meters of tree-free area, she needed to be extra precise when she brought the big ship down to the ground. The four vertical thrusters blasted their flames downwards, burning away the undergrowth below them. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we didn¡¯t start a forest fire just now¡­¡± Robin mumbled and observed their surroundings. Enormous trees, more than a hundred meters tall, reached into the sky. On their trunks sprouted moss and fern, from the treetops vines came down, winding around smaller trees below, like snakes around their prey. The underbrush was a mix of wide growing bushes with huge leaves and young trees that were fighting for the little light that found a way through the tops above. Everywhere dead tree trunks lay around, littering the ground along with dropped fruits and small puddles of water. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. After the successful landing, the crew met in the conference room. Robin had just finished reporting why there was a change of plan. ¡°Nothing is ever easy with you, isn¡¯t it? You can¡¯t just do it the normal way, right?¡± Patience complained, ¡°Now we are just sitting on our asses and will wait or what?¡± ¡°That would be my suggestion, yes. They should arrive here in 10 or 11 hours and when they find the hole where the plateau has been before, they should start searching nearby.¡± ¡°Will they even be able to find us here?¡± Timothy asked and Robin passed the question on to Happy with a wave of his hand. ¡°Well, normally not, no.¡± She said with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯ll broadcast a welcome message with maximum strength to get their attention, but they still have to come close or be lucky and find us with a scan. I¡¯ll make sure our radio-footprint glows like a Christmas tree to everyone in range.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the backup strategy?¡± Landom asked. ¡°We¡¯ll wait until tomorrow morning, which is in about 20 hours on this planet. If we couldn¡¯t get in touch with the other team by then, we¡¯ll head out to the monolith on our own.¡± ¡°While I¡¯m not against this idea, I want to once more mention the fact that this will be really dangerous. Don¡¯t underestimate the nature on this planet. You always dreamed of seeing wild animals, right? You will meet lots of them here. Believe me, they will come looking for you in hope of a quick snack!¡± Sevastian remembered with an unusually serious face. ¡°I understand.¡± Robin said, ¡°However, we literally traveled through the galaxy to get here. I¡¯m not going back without at least attempting to reach the artifact. If the situation is too much for us to handle, we will immediately pull back, okay?¡± He looked from Sevastian to Alena and Landom. At the end of the day, those three were in charge of security concerns. ¡°Fine for me. Much of the danger comes from poisonous insects and snakes. Our suits will be able to protect us from those. The bigger predators will be fought off with good old guns. The report mentioned that many animals here have a natural resistance to energy based attacks but not like a mutation. Instead it¡¯s more like an evolution due to generations living under these constantly recurring storms. If you shoot twice, energy guns still do their job as intended - make it three times if you wanna be sure.¡± ¡°Great, then it¡¯s decided. Now, off you go!¡± Robin ended the meeting and shooed them away, ¡°Prepare for the hike, eat your fill and rest until new orders arrive.¡± After the others had left, Robin found himself alone with Landom who had remained in his seat. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± He asked the man. ¡°You remember our talk about making decisions and being a good investigator?¡± ¡°Sure, you told me that one has to follow his instincts from time to time.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Landom said, ¡°And right now, my instincts are screaming at me that something is off. I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but my guts are churning nonetheless.¡± ¡°You have a bad feeling about the impending excursion?¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s more about the mission itself. I want to go back to the plateau and take a look around.¡± ¡°You just explained to me that it isn¡¯t safe out there 10 minutes ago and now you wanna go on a sightseeing trip?¡± Robin laughed but Landom didn¡¯t budge, ¡°Ah come on, really now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the Melody II and fly there. It¡¯s a short trip with the ship and the plateau is located on a mountain and not in the middle of the forest. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Just in case I¡¯ll take Alena and Patience as support, okay?¡± Robin thought about it, but found no objections. ¡°You just wanna play around with the Melody, don¡¯t you?¡± He scowled and conceded. *** Half an hour after Robin had given his okay, the Melody II shot over the treetops like a flash. It was her first trip after the disaster in the Mystic Sea and it nearly seemed like she tried to show off her best side. The wind never pushed her off course and each turn was done with grace and stability as if the ship was trailing on a hidden guiding line. ¡°Nice ship!¡± Landom cheered as he piloted the racing ship towards the mountain in the distance. ¡°Great that you like it! Now stop the slaloming and hurry up, this is fucking uncomfortable.¡± Patience shouted from behind, her temper already flaring up right after the start, ¡°No offense, Alena!¡± ¡°None taken.¡± While Landom had his fun flying the Melody in the front, Patience and Alena were cramped together on the seat for the copilot in the back. The ship was only made for two people, so they had to improvise a bit. ¡°We will be there in a minute, no need to lose your cool!¡± Landom laughed, not letting Patience dampen his mood. When they reached the plateau a short flight later, he slowed down the ship and circled a moment to look for a place to go down. ¡°I¡¯ll have to land further up the mountain or down at the bottom where the jungle begins¡­¡± ¡°Up we go!¡± ¡°I thought as much.¡± Carefully Landom pushed down the Melody, managing a smoother landing than he had expected after such a long time since his last flight. ¡°Alena, you take the front and lead us down. Patience, you take the spot in the rear.¡± Landom ordered and hurried them down the mountain. He didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer than necessary. The mountain¡¯s slope was bare of any trees and only had little shrubs here and there. With Alena¡¯s enhanced eyesight there was nothing they had to worry about. Quickly the team followed a small creek that brought water down into the jungle and after only 20 minutes they finally reached the hole in the plateau. They stayed clear of the edge and instead began to prepare a rope for Landom. Patience put down the two huge loops she was carrying while Landom embedded a hook deep into the rocky ground and Alena monitored their surroundings. When everything was done and the officer had the rope safely connected with his suit, he arranged a weapon on his back and crept forward foot by foot. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be down quickly. But coming back up here will take some time. Even with this little thing, 230 meters is quite the distance.¡± He said and pointed at his ARA, the Automatic Rope Ascender, ¡°I won¡¯t be in range for near field communications, but I¡¯ll open an external channel as soon as I find something or am on my way back up, any questions?¡± ¡°Nope, good luck.¡± Patience said and looked at the other woman who just shook her head. Without further ado, Landom continued to the edge of the hole. He feared that more of the earth would break under his feet and pull him down abruptly, but nothing like that happened. Slightly leaning forward, he took a hesitant look into the depths but couldn¡¯t make out any details. After taking another calming breath, Landom threw one last glance at the two women who would secure the area until his return and then let himself drop into the unknown. The ARA instantly slowed his fall, making it a gentle descent. Even so, Landom still needed a moment to calm his racing heart before he finally turned on the flashlight and inspected his surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this shit! What did I even think when I agreed to accompany Robin on this mission? I should have known better after our trip to Gaunus. That man is a magnet for trouble¡­¡± Slowly descending deeper into the seemingly endless pit, Landom continued his rambling while trying to find anything suspicious. However, he quickly had to agree with Robin¡¯s analysis of the hole. Everything he saw suggested that this was a natural cave and he found no evidence that anyone had tampered with it. ¡°But why do I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head?¡± He wondered when the bottom finally came into view. He stopped the ARA and adapted his position to get a better view. With his flashlight he searched the whole ground below him. Everywhere was rubble from the caved-in ceiling. Huge rocks, lots of earth and occasionally a green branch of a buried bush here and there. After he made sure it was safe to walk down there, he reactivated the ARA and dropped to the ground. ¡°What am I doing here? Damn¡­¡± He grumbled but continued his search. He even dug out a few of the branches but did find nothing that would explain the bad feeling he had. ¡°They¡¯ll tease me about this forever, won¡¯t they? Ugh¡­¡± Suddenly he saw something glint in the cone of his flashlight. At first he thought it was just another rock, but when he stepped closer to inspect the place, his face lost all color. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Quickly he hurried back to the rope and grabbed the communicator. ¡°Alena, do you read me?¡± ¡°...¡± Only static noise came as a response. Landom¡¯s pulse rose even further as he tried to contact the woman a second and a third time without any response. ¡°What is going on there? Fuck!¡± He threw another glance to the thing between the rocks and began to reattach the rope to his suit. Just as he activated the ARA to get out of the cave, the communicator finally established a connection. ¡°Landom?¡± He heard Patience¡¯s voice, dripping with annoyance. ¡°What took you so long? The situation is quite serious, we might have a problem here¡­¡± He shouted while the ARA began to pull him up. ¡°Funny that you mention that, we might have a problem here too-¡± She said before she suddenly began to yell, ¡°Fuck! Shoot! Alena, don¡¯t stop shooting!¡± After that, the connection was cut again. Chapter 103 - First Contact Robin was skimming through the reports from the information package they got after accepting the mission. Ever since Landom had left to check out the plateau again, he too had a bad feeling. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it and didn¡¯t know what he was looking for though. He had watched the video from ROMAS short trip into the hole once more but came up with nothing new and the reports all seemed normal as far as he could discern. However, the nagging feeling didn¡¯t stop and only when Sevastian came to the conference room he used as office for now did Robin manage to switch his focus. ¡°Hey mate, what brings you here? Any word from Landom?¡± ¡°Hi captain! No, we lost contact with them as soon as they were a kilometer away from us. No news is expected for the next hour at least.¡± Sevastian said and his hands and arms tried to underline the distance the others had gone or something like that. Robin wasn¡¯t exactly an expert in reading flailing arms. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Your sister can take care of herself just fine and you should know best how well Patience can pack a punch lately¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, right, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. The midget sent me. Seems like we got a message from the UAS.¡± ¡°The midget has a name-¡± Robin began but was interrupted. ¡°And so do I! Surprisingly it¡¯s neither Hulky, Brute nor Redhead¡­¡± The man grumbled. Robin suppressed a chuckle at his antics and made his way to the bridge. ¡°You are still angry that you¡¯ve lost the fight, aren¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Not at all! I could easily beat her in the ring any time.¡± Sevastian scowled but when he saw Robin¡¯s skeptical look he threw his hands in the air and rushed out of the conference room. ¡°You know what? Fuck you! And now, hurry up your ass!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think we could receive a message while on Terulos. Didn¡¯t you say that communications are mostly interrupted?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Yeah, that concerns direct connections and everything with lots of data. There is a massive package-loss in any transmission. What we got is just a short text message that I had to piece together from the little bits our system caught over the last hour or so.¡± Happy explained and showed him some logs and protocols on her terminal. ¡°Okay, thanks for your hard work.¡± He said and looked at her in expectation, ¡°So, what¡¯s the message?¡± ¡°Ah right!¡± She laughed, ¡°It¡¯s from the Eston-dude and I think we are missing context. But hey, what do I know?¡± On the screen the message appeared and Robin had to read it three times before he awkwardly scratched his head. ¡°Because of major security concerns your mission was canceled. The Hubble and its crew, as well as Keran Bex¡¯s team, are to dock at the next UAS outpost and shall wait for an escort and new orders to arrive. Do not leave the Mereus Cluster. - T.M.E.¡± ¡°Well, oops. Looks like these directives should have reached us before we left the System.¡± He mused. ¡°Yes, but since we had shut down our comm system as part of the measures we took to escape from the Cetro, it never reached us. When we logged back into the network after arriving in the Goya System, the message was automatically forwarded to its intended recipient.¡± Niu explained and tilted her head, ¡°Maybe Landom is correct and there is really something fishy going on here with the caved-in plateau and everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Right now, we still know too little about the situation. Let¡¯s wait for Landom and the others to return first.¡± ¡°At least Keran didn¡¯t just turn around and left us to our own devices!¡± Sevastian chimed in after checking some of the notifications of the scanners. ¡°I¡¯m sure he has gotten the same message and as much as he loves to stick to the rules, I can very well see him not following us to Terulos.¡± Robin said and shook his head. If Keran wasn¡¯t going to come here, they could head to the monolith as soon as Landom returned and save some time. ¡°Uhm, no. I think he is already here.¡± Sevastian said looking confused at his screen. ¡°Wha-¡± Robin began but Happy beat it to him and rushed over to the weapon station where the scanning log was opened. ¡°Show me that. There is no way Keran¡­¡± Happy said but her voice trailed off mid sentence, ¡°Fuck! That¡¯s impossible!¡± She yelped. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Robin asked and opened the log on his own screen. ¡°We got a ping.¡± Niu said while she hectically tapped different buttons to filter the long log. ¡°And that is bad?¡± Robin asked, as confused as Sevastian. ¡°Normally no. We were hoping to get a ping from Keran if they were looking for us. However, They shouldn¡¯t have arrived on Terulos yet. It¡¯s too soon¡­¡± ¡°Maybe they were faster than expected?¡± Sevastian suggested. ¡°There is only so much margin in their ETA. We know their exact starting point, their ship model and their target location. They should arrive here 12 hours after us. If they decided to head out immediately after we left and didn¡¯t throw a short glimpse at the Red Giant after entering the Goya System, they may be able to do it in 9 hours, 8 if you do believe in wonders. However, it only has been about three hours since we arrived outside of Terulos.¡± Niu hastily explained and when she looked up and saw that both men still weren¡¯t convinced, she began to pull her hair in distress, ¡°It¡¯s not possible, you hear me? There are technical limitations and stuff called physics, you know?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°So, if that ping isn¡¯t Keran¡¯s ship that found us. What are we dealing with?¡± Robin asked when he realized that Happy wasn¡¯t fucking around. ¡°Well, definitely a ship that pinged in response to our broadcasting¡­¡± ¡°You mean¡­?¡± ¡°Yup, we are not alone on this planet!¡± *** Even with her enhanced hearing, Alena didn¡¯t notice the feline-like predator approaching before it completely stepped out in the open. The shrubs luckily didn¡¯t reach all the way up to their location atop the remains of the plateau. The beast was about two meters long and had a sleek, muscular build. Together with the long tail and four powerful looking paws it definitely was a feline species. The head however resembled more that of a Burlag. Two oversized ears atop of the grim-looking face of a boar that had run into a wall a few times too often. Four long, pointy fangs peaked out of its maw and the eyes showed not fear, not curiosity, but hunger and bloodlust. Without hesitation Alena took aim with her energy gun. She was not going to let this thing come any closer. The leathery hide looked sturdy and she knew from the reports that many animals had a higher resistance to energy based attacks so she immediately shot three times in rapid succession. Her quick and decisive move left the beast no time to react and the projectiles all found their target. Alena managed to score two hits on the body and one on the head, sending the creature tumbling down the slope a few meters before it came to a halt, lying lifelessly on the ground. ¡°Burn in plasma, I didn¡¯t see that one coming!¡± Patience gasped and hurried to her side, ¡°That must be one of the Flat-Nosed Stalkers, they are on the top of the food chain in this region.¡± ¡°...that name is bullshit!¡± ¡°Yeah, but it wasn¡¯t me who selected it, okay? So, is it dead?¡± Patience asked and leaned forward hesitantly. Alena could only scoff. ¡°Of course it is dead, you think it would stand up after getting shot in the head?¡± As if to prove her wrong out of spite, the beast actually raised its head again and tried to stand up. ¡°Really?¡± She complained and fired two more times. For a moment Alena thought it still wasn¡¯t enough when the Stalker opened its wide maw for a silent scream before it finally closed its eyes for the last time. ¡°Tough beast, can really take a beating¡­¡± She said, trying to gloss over her former snarky remark. ¡°Shit!¡± Patience cursed, ¡°Give me the communicator, we need Landom to come back immediately!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s really dead now.¡± Alena said but Patience didn¡¯t calm down and rummaged through her pockets. ¡°These beasts communicate in really high frequencies. If we are unlucky then its silent roar just now was silent only to us and his friends are already on the way!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alena asked and began to observe their surroundings more focused. One of these things wasn¡¯t a problem, but what if there came more all at once? ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the reports?¡± ¡°I did, but only the basics of everything. I have other things to do than studying the communication methods of some ugly beasts.¡± Alena tried to defend herself. ¡°Yeah? Like what? Glaring at people and brooding alone over the hardships of the universe?¡± Patience asked, not giving in or letting her an easy way out. Not knowing how to react to such a direct confrontation, Alena just stared at her with a blank face. ¡®Luckily¡¯ she ultimately was saved from this awkward situation when the undergrowth a bit down the hill began to shuffle. Just as Patience had predicted, two more Stalkers came out of the forest and slowly crept up the mountain. They didn¡¯t even try to hide and when Alena fired a shot, the beast actually managed to dodge its head to the side, letting the projectile harmlessly brush by its gray hide. Alena quickly reloaded her weapon and thought about their best approach. If she had to hit them four times each, she would need another magazine. Ammunition will be a scarce commodity as long as they are here. She focused her senses and took a deep breath. Her ears registered that Patience was opening a channel with Landom behind her while all around them dozens of different birds were chirping. She saw the cruel and hateful look in the eyes of the beasts and she could smell the mix of fresh flowers, blood and urine carried up by the wind. ¡°Just a bit closer¡­¡± She muttered, waiting for the Stalkers to reach the 50 meters mark. Unfortunately two more beasts hurried out of the forest moments later and quickly closed up to the others. When the four predators fanned out to circle them, Alena knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of this unscathed. Seconds later the Stalkers all fell into a mad sprint. ¡°Fuck! Shoot! Alena, don¡¯t stop shooting!¡± Not needing anyone to tell her this, Alena immediately put her trusty rifle to work. Her idea wasn¡¯t to kill them one by one but to wound each of them so she had an easier time reloading her weapon while avoiding their attacks. While in theory this was a solid plan, the beasts gave her a hard reality check. They managed to avoid many shots fired at their critical parts and only got minor wounds. Since Alena had to switch targets rapidly, the Stalkers weren¡¯t slowed by her suppression fire as much as she had hoped. Patience came closer to her, covering her back. Even if Alena still didn¡¯t see much value in someone with Patience¡¯s skill set, she had to admit that the woman had an excellent sense for fighting. If she could properly use a weapon, this fight wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. But alas, she didn¡¯t even bring one. The first Stalker to arrive was one that wanted to attack her back and was caught by Patience. Alena couldn¡¯t see what was going on as she needed to bring down at least one of the beasts first. When she fired her last shot, finally one of the Stalkers stumbled to the ground. A second one was right upon her and Alena could only shout a short warning before she had to roll out of the way of a huge paw that flew towards her face. Quickly getting back on her feed, she skillfully reloaded her gun and took aim while she was still in the middle of turning around. The beast¡¯s eyes went wide when she managed to land a hit on its neck. It stumbled and Alena immediately used this chance to fire two projectiles directly on its head from not even two meters away. The Stalker crashed to the ground, dead for sure. Just as Alena wanted to check on Patience who had to deal with two beasts on her own, her senses sent her a warning and she fell back on instinct. A huge maw passed her head within a hair¡¯s breadth, nearly ripping it off. Alena jumped back up and raised her rifle. Before she could take aim however, she had to use the barrel to block a paw aimed for her chest. Even though she managed to stop the attack, the long claws still ripped her suit and entered deep into her flesh. Suppressing a scream because of the searing pain that was enhanced by her G-Anomaly, Alena jumped back to gain a bit of distance from the beast. The Stalker however didn¡¯t let her catch a breath and immediately pounced at her again. Alena knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to block this and her only option was to evade and let the beast pass. But that would leave Patience with another enemy to handle, a third one that would be able to attack her from a blind spot. Not seeing a better option, Alena made a split-second decision and dodged to the side. She quickly turned around and readied her rifle. If she was fast enough, maybe she could stop the Stalker from attacking Patience from behind¡­ Chapter 104 - Dreaded Help In the end, the scene turned out a little different from what she had expected. Patience stood only a few meters behind her in a wide stance, both feet firmly planted onto the rocky ground. The Stalker was already in mid-jump when the woman struck in one fluid motion. The moment fist and head connected, Alena heard a sickening crunch, then the Stalker flew past her and crashed into the ground. Only after ten meters did the beast stop skidding, its face an unrecognizable mess. Slowly, blood and brain matter began to pool under its corpse. ¡°Damn, what¡¯s that fucker¡¯s head made of?¡± Patience winced and rubbed her sore hand. The women watched the blood slowly seep into the ground, coloring the brown dirt in a muddy dark red. Inspecting the battlefield, Alena found the two Stalkers that had passed by her lying dead on the ground, too. They weren¡¯t a bloody mess like the other, but one looked like it had a twisted neck. ¡°I may have underestimated you¡­¡± Alena said, taking a metaphorical step back from her snarky remark. ¡°I know you think of me as useless baggage out here and while you¡¯re not completely wrong, you look at it from a wrong perspective. I¡¯m no mercenary, no soldier. I¡¯m just a girl from the lower city. We don¡¯t need guns, our problems are solved in a more direct and personal manner. I would like to claim that we fight less bloody and without the constant urge to go for the kill, but looking at that kitten over there¡­¡± Patience motioned at the corpse with the exploded head, ¡°...yeah, I don¡¯t see me winning that argument. The point is, weapons are made for war and I¡¯m not. It¡¯s not that I use the wrong means in such fights, it is the one sending me to the battlefield that uses the wrong person.¡± ¡°Sounds like some psycho shit you wanna sell me as an excuse for your poor shooting skills. However, I see your point, even if I disagree in some parts. I think we should postpone this longer discussion to a later date when alcohol is flowing and not blood. For now, we should put this to a halt and instead focus on finding out why the Hubble is coming here!¡± Alena said and pointed at the distant sky. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Patience grunted and searched the horizon with her eyes. It took only a moment before she, too, could see the approaching ship. While they waited, she turned to Alena once more. ¡°Don¡¯t tell your brother about this¡­¡± She muttered and motioned at the mauled corpse. Alena didn¡¯t answer at first, not taking her eyes off the ship. Only when the Hubble finally came to a halt above them, did she give her a nod. ¡°He really likes you. Don¡¯t mess this up, you hear me?¡± *** While Happy tried to land the Hubble in a little chasm that would be their new hiding spot, Robin was in the hangar and did some last minute checks on the BWT drone. With everything they learned so far, they would be in dire need for a good scout. After realizing that they weren¡¯t the only ones on this supposedly godforsaken planet, he quickly ordered Sevastian to look for a new landing spot. It wasn¡¯t easy to find a ship in this jungle, but with all the broadcasting they obviously had attracted unwanted attention. Niu assured him that they weren¡¯t spotted yet, but the unknown ship should at least know by now that they have been in the region somewhere. That was why Sevastian searched for a new location where they could hide properly while Niu flew towards the plateau to establish contact with Landom. When they arrived at the collapsed site they witnessed a rather bloody scene with Alena and Patience in the middle of it. Luckily they had managed to fend off the attack, but it was still disturbing to learn that their energy weapons would be much less useful than expected. If they had known earlier, they would have brought more ballistic guns, even if ammunition for those is a real pain in the ass. ¡°Landom apparently found clues hinting at an act of sabotage¡­ Why would anyone try to mess with us out here? No one should know about this mission, as the human faction of the UAS kept a lid on everything concerning the monolith from others¡­¡± Robin mumbled and put the drone¡¯s casing back in place. For fear of being discovered, the Hubble could only stay for a short moment. So, they got very little information from Landom and only managed to plan that the small team would head for the monolith first to observe the area while staying hidden from sight. The others would follow on foot and would need some time to reach the artifact. ¡°We are split up again¡­¡± He mumbled and fastened the last screws, ¡°Burn in plasma, that sucks! Let¡¯s hope this will work out better than the shitshow on Seavis.¡± *** ¡°Okay, is everyone ready? Any questions?¡± Robin asked when they all stood under the belly of the Hubble, well armed and dressed in their armored suits. Since Landom wasn¡¯t here, Sevastian was in charge of security and had everyone wear their helmets. He also conscripted Ang¡¯Tue and Happy as defenders that used energy rifles. Robin had his pistol and Timothy didn¡¯t get a weapon - they concluded that they were more afraid of friendly fire from him than anything the jungle could throw at them. Therefore the researcher was carrying most of the sensible equipment they might need for the work on the monolith and Robin was in charge of ROMAS in his drone-form as the other thought of it. ¡°I still think it would have been better to meet up with the others first¡­¡± Happy muttered while she skillfully checked her rifle. ¡°And I do remember to have explained already that staying stationary and waiting for them until we found a hiding spot was too dangerous!¡± Sevastian said, nothing of his usual mischievous demeanor remained and instead he exuded an authoritarian aura. He knew about the high risks they were about to take and took his role and responsibility seriously. ¡°Let¡¯s go, no need to dally any longer!¡± Robin said and motioned into the jungle. From the ground and close up it was even more impressive than from the ship. The huge trees were an amazing sight and the uncontrolled growth of bushes and plants was so dense that visibility was quite reduced. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. While Sevastian took the lead and Timothy was responsible for keeping them on track, Robin observed some of the smaller trees in more detail. Big spikes littered its whole trunk and even through his suit he realized how sharp they were. He also saw flowers that looked to be carnivorous and at one point he believed to have spotted a snake a bit higher up in the branches. After walking for more than an hour through this green hell, the fateful moment finally arrived. Somehow Robin felt kind of relieved when they met their first Flat-Nosed Stalker. They were under so much mental pressure that it was good to be finally confronted with the beast. Also, the situation was handled pretty well, which gave the group a bit more confidence. Happy and Ang¡¯Tue both quickly fired as soon as the predator stepped out from behind a tree and when it began to stumble and slow down, Sevastian moved in for a physical fight. Patience had mentioned that it worked well for her and therefore he had put on a pair of heavy metallic gloves. However, he didn¡¯t bring his shield because it was way too clunky for such nimble opponents and also too heavy to carry it through the jungle for hours. With just three energy projectiles and a few well placed punches they quickly resolved the fight and hurried on. They knew they got lucky with just one of the Stalkers coming at them, but it was a good test for the team. After another hour they once more met a single Stalker and this time Sevastian handled him completely on his own. He did get some scratches, but nothing that completely pierced his suit. Four hours in on constant travel through the wild forest, Timothy was the first to ask for a break. The warm, damp weather combined with their armored suits and all the baggage they were carrying around took a toll on their endurance. ¡°How much longer?¡± He asked and dropped his big backpack. A bottle of water appeared in his hands and he hastily drank big gulps after taking off his helmet. ¡°Is this a version of the ¡®Are we there yet?¡¯ question kids use to terrorize your life?¡± Happy laughed and sat down next to Timothy. Robin also took out his bottle and suppressed a grin. Niu definitely was at her limits, too. He saw her chest quickly rising up and down while she tried to suppress panting like the rest. Her face was a little flushed, too and she couldn¡¯t hide her cutely reddened cheeks - even if Robin noticed the last detail only after he secretly threw some glances at her with the drone. ¡°Also, if I may¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and walked over, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in charge of guiding us? It¡¯s a bit disturbing to think you wouldn¡¯t know where we are and how much distance is left.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Timothy sighed theatrically, ¡°We only have managed to do a bit more than one fourth of the way. The next sections should be a bit faster so¡­ maybe 12 hours to go?¡± There was a collective grumbling as no one was excited to be on this trip much longer. Mind you, the first hour or two were great. There was so much to see and experiencing the jungle first hand was something special. It was special for about an hour, after that it turned into a really long, exhausting hike through a hostile and freaking hot environment. ¡°At least we managed to fend off the Creepy Cats quite easily!¡± Niu gave a fake cheer. ¡°You¡­! Why do you have to raise a red flag now? Don¡¯t you know anything?¡± Sevastian whined and threw his hands in the air. Like that the break went on for another 15 minutes before the group continued the trip. *** Ang¡¯Tue was walking behind Sevastian for some time already, his mind now accustomed to the constant pressure of fear of a sudden attack. Suddenly Timothy, the human responsible for research related topics, began to excitedly jump up. ¡°Yes baby!¡± He yelled, ¡°Finally halfway there! When will we have the next break? My body is about to fall apart!¡± It was a bit inappropriate to make so much noise out here in the jungle, but he could understand the man. It was a torture crossing this forest. Sevastian stopped right after entering a small clearing and turned around to scold the troublemaker. ¡°Damnit, just shut up and keep quiet!¡± The bulky man hissed, but no one was really listening. The clearing was inviting them to a long break with time for proper food. Ang¡¯Tue had to admit, he also was longing for a moment to rest. Unfortunately, someone else was also hoping to get some food in this nice place. Three of the creatures called Stalkers rushed out of the undergrowth and headed their way. Robin managed to shout a warning, but Ang¡¯Tue had already taken aim and fired at the first beast approaching. The projectile hit true and moments later another one hit its head and made it stumble. Not having time to compliment their pilot¡¯s great shot, Ang¡¯Tue aimed at the second beast while Sevastian knocked down the injured one before he jumped to intercept the last Stalker. The loud shots of a pistol tore all jungle noises apart. A moment later, the beast that Ang¡¯Tue and Happy were fighting broke down with two holes in its head. ¡°That went better than expected!¡± Robin said while they observed Sevastian who was wrestling with the last Stalker. Before they could see how this fight would conclude, Timothy shouted an urgent warning with panic in his voice. ¡°Careful! There comes another one¡­ a big one!¡± Ang¡¯Tue felt the differences even before his eyes registered them: This beast was of another breed. It was bigger than the other Stalkers by half at least and its leathery hide had a metallic sheen to it. With slow but steady steps it confidently walked to the middle of the clearing. It only watched as Sevastian slowly suppressed one of its kind and didn¡¯t make any attempts to intervene. Its eyes however showed a pure and wild rage, like a volcano that was about to explode. Suddenly, an energy projectile hit its side. To their surprise, the beast¡¯s only reaction was to slowly turn its head and look at the woman next to Ang¡¯Tue. No damage was done, not even a scratch or burned mark on its hide where the projectile hit. Robin followed up with three shots from his pistol but even those bullets didn¡¯t make the huge beast flinch. ¡°Oh shit¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue heard the man mumble and had to agree. This won¡¯t be an easy encounter. ¡°Sevastian!¡± Robin shouted for the man, ¡°Let¡¯s switch targ-¡± Two more beasts had pounced at the frontline fighter just as he managed to put his enemy down. He would not be able to help anyone. More shots were fired at the big Stalker but didn¡¯t achieve any better results. While the beast slowly walked towards them, Ang¡¯Tue saw Timothy, Niu and Robin back up step by step. Frantically they tried to harm the beast but failed to penetrate its hide. For a brief moment, Ang¡¯Tue closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Then he made a decision and took a step forward. ¡°Leave!¡± He said to Robin, ¡°Circle around the cleaning and enter from the other side. Just observe and don¡¯t come closer.¡± ¡°What are you planning? We will not leave you here!¡± Niu yelped in outrage. ¡°We won¡¯t leave him¡­ we will let him fight and have to save him afterwards, right?¡± Robin said with a sad face. ¡°Just make sure to activate the shackles before I''m completely gone¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said without explaining the details. The man would understand soon enough. Hopefully Sevastian was far enough away from him. Concentrating back on the approaching Alpha Stalker, Ang¡¯Tue pressed the button on the remote in his pockets. Just when the others retreated into the forest did his Suppression-Shackles beep once and dark mist began to rise from his body. He didn¡¯t vanish into the shadows however, instead he stuck out as a black spot on the brightly lit clearing while the grass all around him quickly began to wilt. ~See? I knew you would need help sooner or later¡­ Chapter 105 - Dread Robin clenched his fists in anger as he quickly circled around the clearing together with Happy and Timothy. He felt like back in the alien relic site with Patience when they were surprised by the smugglers. She had to step forward and fight for their lives. She had to tell him to get his shit together and keep moving. She was the one, who risked her life for their sake. Now it was all the same, wasn¡¯t it? He was frozen in fear and Ang¡¯Tue had to step forward to save his useless ass. Oh boy, and fear he felt. The beast was huge with intelligence glinting in its eyes. Intelligence as well as rage and bloodlust mixed with an unnerving feeling of superiority. After Robin realized that their weapons were doing shit and Sevastian was stuck in his own fight already, fear ultimately crept up his spine and with it came an overwhelming sense of dread. ¡°Fuck you, Robin!¡± He chided himself, ¡°Get your shit together and concentrate on your own job!¡± That was right, he still had things to do. It was his responsibility to make sure they wouldn¡¯t lose Ang¡¯Tue when he was done doing¡­? Doing what exactly? Robin never really got out of the old man what exactly his mutation was capable of. The only thing he had understood by now was that the Eltaran will have to pay dearly for whatever he was going to do. ¡°Everything comes at a price!¡± He muttered when he led his two friends back onto the clearing a short while later. He heard them panting and gasping for air behind him but his eyes never left the scene in front of him. A big black cloud of thick nebula completely hid the figure of Ang¡¯Tue. Nothing was left from the mutation¡¯s stealthy feature, instead it was like a beacon that warned anyone not to step any closer. The Stalker apparently also got the message and was warily circling around the menacing cloud, always keeping its distance when the mist tried to get closer. Robin couldn¡¯t make out what was going on inside, but at least the beast looked like it was already suffering from some effects that made it sluggish. A few meters away from that stalemate, Sevastian was just done beating the last remnants of life out of one of the Stalkers. His metallic fists mercilessly went down on the beast¡¯s head again and again. Too stunned to get away it quickly collapsed dead on the ground, all light had left its eyes. The second beast had tried to intervene here and there to stop Sevastian and save its comrade, but the huge man mostly tanked the hits to ensure his victory on the first one. When the Stalker fell and blood poured out of its cracked skull, the second beast lost all reasoning and madly charged at his selected foe. Which wasn¡¯t the bloody Sevastian any longer but the dark, ominous cloud of mist behind the man. An unhealthy cocktail of rage and adrenaline made it lose all sense for self-preservation as it rushed forward. Robin saw the Alpha open its maw for a noiseless shout, but whatever message it tried to convey, its brother was no longer listening. The wild charge turned into a jump as it pounced at the Eltaran hidden in the mist, maw wide open and claws fully extended. The next moment, it was gone as if the darkness had swallowed it whole. Sevastian, the Alpha and Robin and his friends just stared, not knowing what to do. Robin¡¯s mind went through different ideas how he could save the old man, one worse than the next, when the cloud suddenly churned wildly and retreated a bit, before it calmed down once more. In the space where it had been moments before, lay the corpse of¡­ something. Its flesh was melted as if it had rotten for ages already with white bones peeking out of gaps between the slimy and tattered hide. Arrogance and haughtiness quickly turned into dread and terror as the Alpha slowly backed off, step by step, not taking its eyes off this incomprehensible foe. Robin saw the beast hesitating, unable to decide if it was away far enough to attempt an escape, when the cloud suddenly receded. It was as if it sunk into the ground, becoming one with the long shadows of the surrounding trees. When it was completely gone and nothing remained, the Stalker looked around in confusion. Like the dangerous smoke, his enemy was gone, too. While the beast was more stumped because of its missing prey, Robin began to panic. Did Ang¡¯Tue lose control and just leave? Should he activate the shackles and risk killing him or was there still some time left? Maybe the Eltaran had a plan of sorts? He noticed that Sevastian also had stopped dead in his tracks. He too had tried to back away from Ang¡¯Tue, but now he was the perfect target for the Alpha. The beast didn¡¯t need long to decide that the most valid course of action would be to let the human in front of it pay for the humiliation it had received. With two long jumps it was right above the man and all Sevastian could do was dodge backwards until he felt a tree in his back blocking his way. ¡°Oh-h-h¡­ not good!¡± Happy stammered. ¡°Where did Ang¡¯Tue go? And what is that mutation?¡± Timothy asked, more himself than actually expecting an answer. ¡°We give Sevastian a moment. If it looks like he can¡¯t keep up and Ang¡¯Tue doesn¡¯t return, we rush in and¡­¡± Robin said and began to slowly cross the clearing. ¡°And what?¡± Happy hissed while tagging along, ¡°You wanna ask it curtisfully to leave?¡± ¡°We will improvise, okay? I¡¯ll not leave Sevastian here on his own!¡± Robin grumbled and tightened the grip on his pistol. He would find a way. He always did¡­ While the three slowly closed in from the distance, Sevastian was literally fighting for his life. He dodged left and right when claws aimed for his arms and ducked down or rolled away when the Stalker tried to bite off his head. Slowly but surely he was losing ground, backing away time and time again only to be repeatedly blocked by trees. Sometimes he could use them as a shield and other times they prevented him from completely avoiding an attack which was why he collected more and more bloody gashes on his body. In the midst of the forest, there was just too little space for proper movement. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. When the Alpha once more missed his head, Sevastian finally saw his chance. The beast had clamped its jaws around one of the trees with the spiky trunk and its eyes went wide in pain. It wanted to back off, away from the hurtful spikes, and lost its focus on the human for a short moment. That was all Sevastian needed. Robin watched in awe as the man leaped forward with his metallic fists raised high. Like a hammer he brought them down directly on the beast¡¯s head. It only had enough time to bend its knees a bit and get into a stable stance before the heavy hit landed. That was how Patience must have made a bloody corpse out of the beast she had fought, right? Satisfaction rose in him when he heard the loud cracking of bones breaking and splintering apart. The beast went down as did Sevastian - however while the Stalker instantly got back to its feet, shaking its head to clear the dizziness, Sevastian let out a blood curdling scream. With a last effort, he managed to back away from the stunned Alpha, his arms hanging twisted and mangled at his side. ¡°No!¡± Happy, Robin and Timothy screamed as one and began to rush forward when they saw the Alpha stepping towards their wounded friend. They wouldn¡¯t be there fast enough¡­ Robin desperately took aim with his pistol and fired a few shots at the huge beast, but that didn¡¯t even flinch and never took its blood-red eyes off its prey. Suddenly, black smoke began to rise from the Stalker¡¯s back and it took Robin a moment to realize that it was Ang¡¯Tue who must have come back. When the cloud of mist had swallowed half of the beast already, he finally could see the Eltaran who was clinging to the back of the Stalker. With all the smoke he couldn¡¯t make out any details, but he didn¡¯t look too well either. The Alpha trashed around, trying to shake off its attacker, however Ang¡¯Tue managed to tighten his grip after melting two holes into the beast¡¯s hide with his hands. Slowly, painfully slowly, Robin and the others watched as the huge beast began to rot from the inside out, its mouth opened wide in silent screams of desperation and pain. Only after more than a minute of struggling did death finally relieved the Stalker from the torture. It fell to the ground as nothing more than a wet sack of bones and tattered hide. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Timothy muttered and Robin could only agree. ¡°What the hell did we just see?¡± When they arrived at Sevastian¡¯s side, Ang¡¯Tue was still lying on the ground and black smoke obscured most of his figure. ¡°Sevastian, buddy, how are you faring?¡± Robin asked and kneeled down to inspect his wounds. There was a lot of blood everywhere but Robin, as sad as it may be, was used to that by now. He quickly checked the many small and big scratches but couldn¡¯t find anything dangerously deep or long. That brought his attention to Sevastian¡¯s arms. They hung loosely but twisted to his side and even though Robin wasn¡¯t a doctor, he understood that nothing was as it should be. They were completely and utterly shattered. ¡°I don¡¯t feel my arms¡­¡± The man whimpered. ¡°Oh boy¡­ oh boy¡­¡± Happy stammered in panic, not knowing what to say. ¡°Have I lost my arms? Where are MY ARMS?¡± His whining became a fearful scream to the end. ¡°Mate, look at me!¡± Robin said as calmly as he could, ¡°Look at me!¡± ¡°My arms¡­ my arms are gone!¡± ¡°Sevastian!¡± Robin said and grabbed the man¡¯s face between his hands, ¡°Your arms are still there. They are pretty wasted, but still there, okay? The pain was probably too much so your-¡± ¡°...Uhm¡­ Robin?¡± Timothy interrupted him. ¡°... your nerves probably just shut down-¡± ¡°ROBIN!¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t you see that¡­¡± Robin angrily roared and turned around, ¡°Ohhh fuck!¡± Behind them, Ang¡¯Tue had crawled back to his feet. The column of deadly smoke once more rose into the sky for many meters. Slowly the Eltaran stumbled forward step by step. ¡°Uhm¡­ Ang¡¯Tue? This would be a good moment to turn off your skill and rest, don¡¯t you think?¡± Robin asked hesitantly but the old man didn¡¯t stop approaching. ¡°Ang¡¯Tue, please! I really don¡¯t wanna use the shackles now. We need to take care of our friend here, don¡¯t we? You have won already. You saved our lives and defeated the ones who wanted to hurt us¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue showed no reaction at all, slowly he came closer and closer while the grass to his feet wilted under the smog¡¯s rotting effect. ¡°Can¡¯t you just turn on the shackles and shock him awake?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°Well, I would really like to refrain from that because there is a high risk of killing him and if it doesn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t see him coming back from wherever his mind had fled to because of some electroshocks that weren¡¯t enough to knock him out.¡± Ang¡¯Tue finally stopped and stared at them. For a moment everything went still, even the birds and all the other animals that normally created this great jungle-noise they heard before had gone silent for quite a while already. Then in one fluid motion the Eltaran raised his hand and a stream of black clouds shot out towards Happy. Robin¡¯s eyes went wide, but luckily Happy managed to evade the attack due to her mutated reflexes. She jumped to the side in a split second and the deadly mist splashed against a tree behind her former position. The spikes instantly fell off, then the bark withered before the whole tree broke off because its rotten trunk couldn¡¯t sustain its weight any longer. ¡°Holy mother¡­¡± Timothy gasped. ¡°Ang¡¯Tue! It¡¯s me, Happy!¡± Niu yelled, ¡°Calm down and remember who you are!¡± Once more everyone remained still and waited to see if the Eltaran would be able to fight against whatever had possessed him. Then a painful groan interrupted them when Sevastian finally felt something in his arms - pain, unimaginable pain. Robin quickly took out the remote and pointed it towards Ang¡¯Tue. ¡°No!¡± Happy shouted in panic, ¡°Please!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous and we need to help Sevastian!¡± Robin argued. Happy took a deep breath and with firm steps walked directly to the Eltaran. She stopped not even a meter away from the cloud of death. With a pleading voice, she stammered: ¡°Look at you! Is this who you want to be? What would your granddaughter think if she saw you like this?¡± She paused, ¡°...Ang¡¯Tue, tell me, what would Gaya¡¯Beo think of you?¡± That name triggered an instant reaction and the old man yanked his hand up once more... Chapter 106 - The Monolith When Robin saw Ang¡¯Tue grabbing his face as if he wanted to rip off a mask, he slowly relaxed his grip on the remote. Happy had finally managed to reach him and pull his consciousness back to the surface. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ NO!¡± The Eltaran shouted as he struggled to gain the upper hand in whatever fight he got caught in. Slowly the black smoke was sucked back into his body while some remnants here and there dissipated in the wind. Even though he saw everything in grayscale, Robin noticed his pale and exhausted face as well as the big bloody bite wounds on his arm. The Stalker that had pounced at him obviously had managed to inflict some nasty injuries before it rotted away. However, compared to Sevastian, the Eltaran was in top shape. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue groaned, still holding his face. ¡°Mate? How is it? Talk to us!¡± ¡°My head feels like it¡¯s about to explode¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Niu cheered in relief, ¡°Welcome back, old man!¡± ¡°Puh¡­ can I have some water?¡± When Timothy was about to hand him one of the bottles and a recovery stim, Robin held up a hand. ¡°You scared us quite a bit. Your G-Anomaly is totally fucked up. No offense, but would you please¡­¡± With a beep, the shackles were turned back on. ¡°Thanks, good to have you back. Rest for now, we have to take care of Sevastian.¡± Robin said and gave Timothy a nod. Switching his attention back to Sevastian, Robin could only sigh. The man was an absolute mess and he had no idea how they could help him. ¡°Can you do anything for him?¡± Robin mumbled under his breath and shortly afterwards the BWT drone hovered next to him. It stayed hidden most of the time as it was only that useful in the dense forest. Its time would come when night fell and heat-detection was a thing, but until then, it was nothing more than a silent follower of the group. Now he could only hope ROMAS had some medical advice. ¡°It¡¯s not like we ever had a doctor in the crew. The closest to that would have been Keran, who isn¡¯t here now. Is there nothing we can do? We have to keep moving. Staying here is too dangerous. How long would a stim need to fix his bones?¡± ¡°What side effects are we talking about? Broken bones shouldn¡¯t be a problem today, right?¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Robin cursed and looked back at Sevastian, who was lucky to have lost his consciousness a while ago. Considering his options, he shared what he learned with the others to see if they had any ideas. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here, that¡¯s for sure. We are halfway there and the way back should be more difficult as it goes slightly uphill most of the time. I suggest we head for the monolith first and then take Sevastian back to the Hubble with the Melody. However, how to get him to the monolith¡­ I have no idea.¡± Timothy said. ¡°We can¡¯t just give him a stim, you are sure?¡± Happy asked. ¡°We will cripple his arms like that¡­¡± Robin sadly shook his head. ¡°You¡­ Ahem¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said but was shaken by a cough attack, ¡°We could fix this afterwards, can¡¯t we? We¡¯re giving him a stim to stabilize his overall condition and ready him for travel. He will be out of order for the rest of this mission with his arms being crippled, but when we are back in the Mereus Cluster, they should be able to realign his bones and fix any damage that was done, right?¡± ¡°You want to cripple him in order to proceed with the mission based on the hope that it can be fixed afterwards?¡± Timothy asked with wide eyes but Robin had to agree. What else could they do? Even if they somehow would get the Hubble here, they still would lack the necessary equipment for a proper treatment. Also, Sevastian needed medical attention soon or else the broken bones would be the smaller problem. ¡°ROMAS? Could you help me align the bones as well as possible?¡± ¡°Okay, this sucks but still our best option. We will wake Sevastian up and let him decide.¡± ¡°Decide? What is the alternative?¡± Happy asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, okay? But I¡¯ll not cripple him, even if it is only temporarily, without his approval!¡± Robin angrily hissed and began to wake up Sevastian. *** When they finally arrived near the monolith and met with Landom, Alena and Patience the whole group was completely wasted. Of course Sevastian had agreed to the plan as he had no better idea himself and understood the danger of staying any longer. Also, he was quite optimistic that they would be able to repair any lasting damage later on. Robin had been in charge of arranging his bones while the redhead bit on a thick branch. He used the video-feed of the drone since ROMAS was able to highlight different parts of the arms in color so Robin knew what he had to adjust next. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. However, even though he worked for more than 45 minutes on that, mistakes were made. ROMAS had no means to see under the skin and could only work with a basic visual inspection, Robin¡¯s movements weren¡¯t perfect, many of the splinters from his bones were too small to adjust and they began to move after only 8 hours of rest, without the bones being fully mended. All that combined concluded in mixed results of the field-treatment. When they arrived just before sunrise the next morning, Sevastian had only about 40% of his regular range of mobility. Much flexibility in his elbows was lost and his left wrist was completely stiff. While Landom, and surprisingly even Alena, reacted to Sevastian¡¯s condition with shock but level-headed, Patience nearly exploded on the spot. Only after the two found a reclusive spot and had a long talk which also involved a lot of semi-public cuddling and even some kisses from Sevastian, did she calm down. ¡°How is the situation?¡± Robin asked Landom and Alena, while Sevastian and Patience took some private time and Timothy, Happy and Ang¡¯Tue were sleeping in the little make-shift camp. ¡°We landed a bit outside of the monolith, hid the Melody and sneaked towards the artifact. So far we didn¡¯t notice any activity or had encounters with the jungle¡¯s beasts.¡± Alena reported. ¡°You did expect activities, right? What exactly did you learn at the plateau?¡± ¡°Someone tried to sabotage the plateau. We are being targeted.¡± Landom solemnly said. ¡°Tried? I¡¯m pretty sure they did so quite successfully.¡± Robin questioned. ¡°They wanted to blow up the ceiling of the natural cave below the plateau, probably after we had landed. I found an armed explosive pod in the rubble and as such concluded that a natural cave-in happened before they pulled the trigger themselves.¡± ¡°Together with what we learned after you left, a picture is slowly forming. However, I don¡¯t understand the motives¡­¡± Robin muttered. ¡°What do we know so far?¡± Landom asked in an investigator¡¯s tone, being fully in his element, and Alena happily complied. ¡°We got a secret mission from the human faction within the UAS to research a device from the Keeper in a dying system where no one else normally stays. Just before we¡¯re leaving the Mereus Cluster the UAS wants to cancel the mission because of ¡®major security concerns¡¯. Due to bad luck we only get the message after arriving here. The safe landing spot mentioned by the UAS infopackage that we got from Keran and his people was a trap to kill us. While Keran¡¯s team didn¡¯t follow us to Terulos because they were called home after the mission was canceled, someone else is here and was expecting us.¡± ¡°Some of those are just assumptions. While I agree that it¡¯s likely that Keran didn¡¯t come here, I¡¯m not sure if it was the intention to kill us.¡± Robin loudly pondered, ¡°If they had blown up the earth under the Hubble, the ship would be damaged - heavily so, if it had fallen all the way to the bottom. However, the people in the ship would easily have survived such a crash. That¡¯s not a safe way to kill us, it¡¯s more likely they wanted to trap us on the planet.¡± ¡°Also, who would have an interest in killing us? As far as I understand the political landscape of the UAS, there are factions that want to handle you differently, less free-spirited, however all of them want you to check out the monolith. So, why would they antagonize you here?¡± Landom agreed. ¡°Maybe Keran has sold us out?¡± Alena shrugged. ¡°Keran? He literally lives for the rise of mankind. He would never do that-¡± Robin laughed and Landom was inclined to agree, but Alena interrupted. ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t just bad luck¡­ Who¡¯s idea was it to shut down all communications before leaving the system?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Robin was perplexed for a moment and looked at Landom. ¡°It was a heated discussion, but I think it was Keran¡¯s idea¡­¡± The man said slowly. All three of them stood there, each lost in its thoughts for some time. ¡°Who else might know about the Keeper¡¯s artifact on Terulos and has beef with us?¡± Robin finally asked. ¡°The UAS, Happy¡¯s family, the Eltaran?¡± Landom began a short list. ¡°None of those sounds plausible¡­¡± Robin pondered. ¡°What about the Keeper themselves?¡± Alena hesitantly asked. ¡°Hm¡­ while they would know about the monolith and maybe have the means to learn about our mission, why would they try to trap us here? I could see them trying to kill us to keep their secrets safe, but obviously, whoever this is wants us to work with the artifact first. The Keeper wouldn¡¯t need us for that¡­¡± They all nodded in contemplation, not knowing how to proceed, until Robin stood up. ¡°None of this makes sense¡­ We are missing too many pieces of this puzzle.¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯ll get some sleep. Wake me up in four hours, then we¡¯ll check out the monolith. Prepare as well as possible for any enemy activity. You can give ROMAS one of the energy guns just in case. It¡¯s not of much use against the Stalkers, but I think if we get interrupted there, it won¡¯t be by beasts.¡± *** Even with all the unrest that rose in the universe and despite its sole star dying, Terulos never stopped rotating. Minute after minute and hour after hour passed until the darkness of the night was slowly chased away by the fiery red light of the rising Goya. When he woke up, Robin didn¡¯t feel as refreshed as he had hoped since the short rest just wasn¡¯t enough after the exhausting travel from the day before. Alena and Timothy prepared a simple breakfast while Landom worked on the drone and the rest was still asleep. ¡°The weapon is mounted. Should work like the stun gun back on Seavis, just more deadly¡­ hopefully. You only have ten shots though, as I couldn¡¯t connect the weapon¡¯s energy supply to the drone¡¯s generator.¡± Landom explained when Robin came closer. ¡°Thanks, let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t need it. Who will go?¡± ¡°Alena and I will be responsible for security at the monolith¡¯s site, Patience and Happy will stay back here to protect Sevastian and the camp. Timothy should follow us to the artifact, too.¡± ¡°Reasonable. What is with Ang¡¯Tue?¡± Robin asked. ¡°I heard about his mutation¡­¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s the real deal but nothing we should count on. The risks involved are way too high.¡± ¡°I think so, too. I would like to have him as an element of surprise. He should stay hidden in the forest and only engage if the situation spirals out of control.¡± Landom said even so he clearly wasn¡¯t happy with this arrangement himself. ¡°Sounds like a plan. Come on, let¡¯s grab something to eat and head off. No need to waste time on procrastination!¡± Half an hour later, Robin and the others finally arrived at the destination of their long journey. Landom carefully pushed the last branches of the undergrowth away to clear their view on an open space in the midst of the jungle. No trees could be found there, no bushes, not even grass was growing. There was just a big, round stone-like formation on the ground with an enormous, 30 meters tall black pillar in the middle. Despite the obvious craftsmanship that was needed to build this place, everything still looked a bit as if it also could have been created by a happy coincidence of nature. When Landom, Alena and ROMAS had secured the surroundings, Robin stepped to the monolith and took a closer look. It was made of the same stone-like material as the circle on the ground and it seemed to have grown naturally with uneven pieces and sharp edges everywhere. High up at its top he could even see many different pointy spikes that together formed the peak. Taking one last deep breath and suppressing the flashbacks to his last encounter with Keeper technology, when he got zapped by the pyramid in the museum, he reached out with his hand and touched the cold, rough surface of the monolith. Chapter 107 - The Missing Piece Nothing¡­ nothing happened at all, leaving Robin standing in front of the monolith with an awkward smile on his face. He had been so sure that something would happen as soon as he touched the object, that he was a little lost now. It didn¡¯t make matters any better that his friends all around him were staring expectantly as they secured the area. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Robin fake coughed. If he didn¡¯t get anything out of this monolith, it would be the ultimate humiliation. He calmed his racing heart and closed his eyes. Slowly his breath became more even and his tensed nerves relaxed a little. Robin activated his G-Anomaly and concentrated it on the artifact he was touching. At first, everything remained black as if he was trying to sense the energy in a dead rock. However soon, a nagging feeling rose in him, a feeling he had twice before. Once when he checked the pyramid back in the museum and once at the Keeper-compatibility test from the UAS. There was ?ther in this artifact, he was sure of that. Unfortunately his probing didn¡¯t trigger any reaction from it and like last time, the energy lines that formed in his mind were black and couldn¡¯t be differentiated from the surrounding dark void. ¡°Okay, that is step one. Let¡¯s hope step two works out or this will have been a really long journey for a really short inspection!¡± He muttered. Robin had worked on a plan. On the long days traveling between the systems he realized that he may have a problem, if it turns out that the monolith is not just simply reacting to him like the pyramid did. He wouldn¡¯t be of any help other than confirming that it really was Keeper tech and ?ther was moving in it. ¡°If this fails, they will probably sue me down to my last penny¡­¡± He put down his backpack and rummaged through it until he found an aerosol can. After shaking it a bit, Robin began to spray the monolith¡¯s surface from the ground all the way up as far as he could reach. Soon, one side of the valuable, ancient artifact was completely smeared with white paint. He tried a quick Echo Pulse and fear crept up his spine as no black lines formed on the white surface. Getting his shit together, Robin once more used his main skill but kept his eyes open. Hopefully there was just too little ?ther for the Pulse to sense. The universe seemed to have pity on him, slowly thin black lines formed in his vision. Soon, a dense network of black connections and hotspots was created. Absentmindedly, Robin scratched his beard as he tried to understand what he saw. ¡°Timothy!¡± He called his friend, ¡°Come here, we need to figure this out together. I hope you learned something from the pyramid I gave you before!¡± ¡°No promises, that artifact was like nothing I¡¯ve seen before¡­¡± Timothy said and took a big tablet out of his own backpack, ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°Lines, a huge network of ?ther with many connections between different hotspots.¡± ¡°We need to sketch the schematics from at least three sides to make sure we got the dimensions of the network right.¡± Timothy explained and Robin could only sigh. This would take a ton of time. ¡°This will take a bit, make yourself comfortable.¡± He informed the others and began to copy the lines in his vision to the tablet. Meanwhile Timothy sprayed the other sites of the monolith, cursing the whole time about him defiling a piece of history. *** Robin knew they were on a soft timer. Someone was watching them, waiting for him to finish what he was doing. It was only a matter of time before they lost their patience and struck and Robin would really prefer to have learned everything about this monolith before that happened. Also, Sevastian needed proper medical attention sooner rather than later. What surprised him however was that after about one hour in, just before he finished the first copy, he was reminded that it wasn¡¯t a soft timer but quite the hard one. ¡°Oh shit¡­¡± He muttered, having completely forgotten about his need to recharge regularly. By now it was a ritual for him - he went to bed and plugged in his fucking head. He didn¡¯t even need to think about it anymore. Last night however, he didn¡¯t go to bed. He slept on a camping mat in the middle of the jungle. ¡°What is it?¡± Timothy asked when he heard him cursing. ¡°Nah, nothing, just my head that starts to hurt. I¡¯m not sure if I can keep up the connection to ROMAS for much longer.¡± Robin quickly made up a lie and sorted his options. ¡°Can you turn on something like an energy-saving mode?¡± Robin hissed while Timothy turned his attention back at the display with the schematic. ¡°I can¡¯t wake you up manually? What kind of bullshit is that?¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it¡­¡± Robin growled, ¡°Sleep for two hours, I need the chip as soon as the monolith is unlocked. We¡¯ll only have a small window of opportunity then. Can¡¯t risk being unable to interact with it before whoever is here with us strikes." Moments later the drone landed on the stony ground and Robin turned his attention back to the artifact. An hour later his head began to pulse with waves of pain and fatigue and when he finished the second side of the schematics, he finally had to take a break. He sent ROMAS to sleep for another two hours and used a Mind Refresh to quickly get back in shape. ¡°Did you learn anything already?¡± He asked his friend. ¡°No, look here, right now they are just two separate pictures. I need a third perspective, then my tool can combine those together and create a 3D-version of this schematics. Before that it¡¯s just random gibberish.¡± Timothy explained and handed him the water bottle, ¡°You are doing great. Keep it up, you are nearly done, okay?¡± When Robin finally completed the third picture, he was completely exhausted. Never before had he used his mutation for such a long duration. ROMAS was back online, as was the drone that returned to its spot in the security parameter. ¡°How is it?¡± Robin asked but was ignored by Timothy who was glued to his tablet. ¡°Amazing!¡± The researcher finally shouted, ¡°Never would I have imagined that this technology was so simple in its core.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That is good?¡± Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Well, no.¡± Timothy shook his head, ¡°You see these anomalies here, here, here and there?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah, I noticed them before. What are these blank spots?¡± Robin asked wearily. ¡°They are just that: blank spots. The circuit is straight forward, no complicated trickery or anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, the Keeper normally don¡¯t have to be afraid of anyone ¡®hacking¡¯ them.¡± Robin nodded. ¡°Exactly. However, they still want to make sure that no one without their permission is able to activate the monolith.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t wanna tell me¡­¡± Robin groaned. ¡°Yes, we need a key!¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. We aren¡¯t on a fantasy treasure hunt and need four keys before we can proceed!¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s more likely a single authentication token that has to be put on specific places of the monolith to gain access.¡± ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± When he was finally back on his feet, Robin stood in front of the huge artifact once more. Lost in thoughts he began to scratch his beard again. ¡°These blank spots aren¡¯t too big¡­ maybe I can ¡®shortcut¡¯ them with my latest ability? But how should I explain that to the others?¡± ¡°Ah fuck this¡­¡± He scowled and called out for his friend ¡°Timothy! Do you know the right order to unlock if one had the key?¡± ¡°Well, no. But it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find out. If we had the authentication token, you could just put in a random order and tell me what happens inside. I should be able to deduct the right order after a few tries. You don¡¯t happen to have the token?¡± ¡°No, Timothy, I don¡¯t have the token. Damn, what do you think? That I walked to a shop earlier and asked for ¡®one authentication token for secret Keeper technology¡¯ or what? I¡¯ll try something else, just¡­ never ask me how it works if it works, okay?¡± ¡°Fiiiine¡± Timothy said and raised his hands in defense, ¡°I¡¯ll just put it on the list with the crazy sense of directions you showed in the Mystic Sea¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­ totally forgot about that one. Yeah, leave it on that list.¡± Once more Robin visualized the dense ?ther network within the artifact. Then he selected the topmost blank spot and focused his whole mind on it with just one burning intent: reduce. He learned from his testing so far that he didn¡¯t increase or slow down the flow of energy - that would have been implausible anyway. No, Robin¡¯s mutated G-Anomaly could increase or reduce the resistance of specific parts in a circuit. The most simple example would be a circuit with a resistor to regulate the energy and Robin could manipulate the resistor to let through more or less energy. The results would completely depend on the consumer that was in the circuit. If it is a lightbulb, it may dim the light or make it brighter until the bulb explodes. So much for the theory. In praxis, Robin had no idea where any resistors were located or how he needed to manipulate them for a specific result. However, he understood enough to realize that the blank spots in the ?ther circuit were not ¡®cut off¡¯ from the rest but only had a really high resistance until someone with the right key came along and activated them, which would then lower their resistance and let the ?ther flow through. That was why he now wanted to test if he could force them to reduce the resistance without having the token. Standing in front of the monolith, Robin put all his mind into ordering the blank spots to let energy pass through. He needed a few tries as he still wasn¡¯t used to this skill and already having a throbbing head also didn¡¯t help. However, after a few tries, he finally achieved some success. He saw the blank spot suddenly lit up in black light and two new lines formed. They connected to a big dense cluster in the center of the circuit and shortly afterwards, one of the lines vanished again. Elated, Robin explained his findings to Timothy and highlighted the relevant parts in the schematics he had copied before. ¡°How¡­???¡± Timothy gaped at him but stopped himself from asking, ¡°Can you try the rest?¡± ¡°Yeah. Aren¡¯t you afraid that we have only so many tries before the system gets permanently locked or something?¡± Robin asked as he prepared to unlock the second ¡®keyhole¡¯. ¡°As far as I can see, nothing points in that direction yet. We¡¯ll know more after the first try though.¡± Now that he knew what to do, Robin quickly continued with the other spots. After each successful unlocking, he gave Timothy an update about what changes did happen. Mostly it was the same as with the first one with two lines forming and one of them disappearing afterwards. When the last spot was bypassed, the monolith suddenly gave a low hum and Robin¡¯s senses told him that immense amounts of energy were building up within. ¡°GET AWAY!¡± He shouted and ran towards the jungle, Landom and Alena tensed up while Timothy followed behind him. An invisible shockwave shot out from the foot of the monolith, throwing dust into the air everywhere. It was quick, quicker than Robin and Timothy but just as they reached the edge of the formation, it winked out as fast as it had appeared. ¡°Uaghhh!¡± Timothy screamed and fell to the ground. When Robin turned around he saw him lying on the ground and ripping off his left shoe. When his foot was freed, it was giving off clouds of smoke, the flesh was burned away. ¡°Holy shit!¡± He yelped while Alena quickly rushed over and injected a recovery stim into his leg. It took them a moment to calm down. Timothy took it like a champ and since it was ¡®only¡¯ strong burns, the stim worked wonders. After 20 minutes he had mostly recovered and fresh, white skin had grown over his wound. ¡°At least we now know why you have as many tries to unlock the artifact as you want. You just need to survive the penalty each time.¡± Timothy joked and wiggled with his naked toes. ¡°That was a close call¡­¡± Robin muttered. ¡°Yes, but really interesting. Did you see? Our stuff back at the center was not damaged in the slightest, even my tablet is still online and shows the schematics.¡± ¡°So it only reacts to biomatter?¡± Robin guessed. ¡°Maybe. We still know too little about ?ther yet. I didn¡¯t even know you could use it as a weapon¡­¡± ¡°Shit, mate, I¡¯d love to give you more time, but we are running out. Can you get back up?¡± ¡°We are running out of time?¡± Timothy asked, confused. ¡°Yeah, just put it on the ¡®no questions asked¡¯-list, okay?¡± ¡°The list gets longer quite rapidly¡­¡± ¡°Come one, 30 minutes left.¡± Robin hurried him. ¡°Okay, let me check the latest results. What have you seen after the last unlock and before the explosion?¡± For the next few minutes Robin explained everything and Timothy ran a few simulations. Soon he came up with an order to test. While Timothy left the formation platform and waited next to Landom, Robin hesitantly stepped back to the monolith. ¡°I get it¡­ I get it¡­¡± He grumbled and quickly activated the four spots again. The result of bypassing the spots was a bit different for the first two, but for the third it was the same as with his last try. ¡°It¡¯ll blow off again. But I now know the order. Next time should do the trick!¡± He shouted and bypassed the last spot. Without waiting for anything he started running like the wind, which proved to be a wise decision as a moment later another shockwave was sent out. After calming his racing heart and double checking his findings with Timothy, he was back in the center of the formation once more. ¡°Wish me luck!¡± He muttered and began to activate the first spot. When only the last spot was to unlock, Robin stopped and took a deep breath. ¡°If this isn¡¯t the right order, turn off the chip for 3 hours. Also, maybe we¡¯ll take a break and I¡¯ll try to connect you to the Melody to get some power, okay?¡± With that, he bypassed the last spot and clenched his hands. Nothing had reacted as if it was wrong, so hopefully he wouldn¡¯t be grilled in a second. Chapter 108 - That’s My Cue With a metallic hissing, a little display extended from the right side of the huge monolith. While Timothy excitedly rushed over, Landom and Alena both tensed up and redoubled their efforts in watching out for danger. Their weapons were at the ready as they observed their surroundings in alarm. If their theory was right, now would be the perfect time to interrupt this operation of the Hubble¡¯s crew. Robin quickly moved to the display. It was made of some kind of glass and showed something like a menu with unknown characters labeling many little panels. ¡°Can you read that?¡± He asks the researcher who arrived next to him. Timothy inspected the display with a thoughtful expression before he shook his head. ¡°No, I can¡¯t and I doubt anyone other than the Keeper themselves would be able to read this. That should be their native language, it¡¯s said that it¡¯s from the time before the unification of the civilized universe. In all their dealings with mankind or any other race, they are using the universal language. They never shared their tongue with the other races.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Whatever, any idea what we are dealing with?¡± Robin asked. ¡°This should be the menu to interact with the monolith. But since we have no idea what the monolith is for, I can¡¯t even begin to guess what each panel would do¡­¡± Timothy said but his voice faded to the end. ¡°But¡­?¡± ¡°This looks interesting.¡± He said and pointed at a little panel in the top right corner, ¡°I would say we can safely assume that it¡¯s universally accepted that big red blinking letters are used for warnings or important notifications.¡± Robin hadn¡¯t noticed it before but Timothy was right. A red symbol was aggressively blinking there, calling for attention. ¡°Well, could be anything from a notice about low power supply all the way up to ¡®hey did you realize that the freaking sun is about to explode?¡¯, who knows?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? That is a bit of a disappointment now¡­¡± An artificial voice answered his rhetorical question. When Robin and Timothy spun around, they saw two figures walk out of the jungle close to where the drone had landed after ROMAS stopped controlling it to save energy. They wore armored suits in blue and green with helmets that completely hid their features and artificially projected their voice. The newcomers had weapons but, unlike Landom and Alena, didn¡¯t have them at the ready but loosely pointed to the ground. ¡°And who might you be?¡± Robin asked calmly and raised a hand to stop his friends from doing something rash. ¡°Greetings Mr. Tulward, we are adventurers from far away, just like you. I¡¯d love to introduce myself properly, however under these circumstances I can¡¯t give out our names and since you probably already guessed why we are here, just call me Asshole No. 1 and my friend next to me,¡± He pointed at the second person, ¡°He is Asshole No. 2.¡± ¡°I like your style, have to give you points for that!¡± Landom said and Alena quickly agreed. ¡°He might be an asshole but at least he shows some basic decorum, unlike some other pricks we¡¯ve met¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk bad about the dead!¡± Robin said with a sigh, ¡°So, Assholes from far away, what now?¡± ¡°Now you will have to step aside so we can get the data from this console. Also, please hand us the tablet with the research information you wrote down while trying to access the artifact.¡± ¡°Ha, I would rather delete everything before giving it to people like you!¡± Timothy shouted and waved the tablet around. Robin was amazed to see his friend this fierce in the face of danger when it came to his research. ¡°Too bad, I thought as much though¡­¡± No. 1 said and made a sign with his hand. Suddenly a loud bang tore the peaceful atmosphere apart and Timothy yelped in surprise when the tablet splintered to pieces between his fingers. ¡°At least we can use this to prove a point.¡± Asshole No. 1 said, ¡°You see, we have another friend hidden in the forest, armed with a Storm XXC. He is here to ensure that you do as we order for the time of our little meeting.¡± Robin was confused for a moment but ROMAS quickly helped out. Warily, Robin looked into the forest from where the shot had come. ¡°We wondered what you would prepare¡­ armor-piercing weapons, that still comes at a surprise.¡± He said out loud so his friends too would know what they were dealing with, ¡°Tell me, who are you really? What is so important, that you are willing to go against the UAS to get this data. As far as I understand you too don¡¯t know what this thing is all about.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You are well informed, Mr. Tulward. I had planned a speech to explain how dangerous this rifle is and that this is our insurance that you don¡¯t try anything funny thinking your suit would save you from the worst. A marvelous weapon, isn¡¯t it?¡± No. 1 said and slowly they walked closer to the monolith. Exactly at the border of the formation platform they stopped however. Even though they couldn¡¯t see his face hidden behind his own helmet, the two Assholes still managed to catch a bit of Robin¡¯s disappointment. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we would be stupid enough to step in range of this freaking machine with you nearby, did you?¡± No. 1 continued, ¡°So, Mr. Tulward, what do you think about my offer for cooperation?¡± ¡°Huh, it was worth a try, right?¡± Robin said and when he finally got the message he was waiting for over the short range comm, a smile formed on his lips, ¡°But I still don¡¯t think that this job is open for new partners, sorry.¡± Turning to Landom and Alena, he loudly ordered ¡°Take their weapons and remove their helmet, I really wanna see who these dudes are!¡± Surprised, No. 1 and 2 both froze for a second. That was not going as they had expected at all. ¡°Tulward, you should take this more seriously!¡± No. 2 snarled and both raised their guns, ¡°If you start messing around, we will just kill you and be happy with what data we can salvage from the artifact.¡± Robin ignored them and concentrated on the feeble connection he still had in his head. ROMAS couldn¡¯t work with the drone any longer, too high were the energy costs. However, at the end of the day, the BWT drone was still made for a normal human to control. It may be clunky, but with him standing right here, he had enough options at hand to wreak havoc. Landom and Alena didn¡¯t miss their chance and fired both at once the moment the black drone crashed into Asshole No. 1 and 2 from behind. They stumbled forward from the first blow and backwards again, when their shoulders were hit by energy projectiles. Before they could stabilize their footing, Alena was upon them. Her rifle was switched out for a long, thin blade that pointed directly at the heart of Asshole No. 1. The fight at the plateau had been a wake-up call for her. Not wanting to be humiliated like that again, she had asked Sevastian to bring her trusted blade. There weren¡¯t many situations where she could make good use of it, but with these energy-resistant beasts all around, it definitely was the weapon of choice. ¡°Are you stupid? Damnit!¡± Asshole No. 2 cursed, waved his hand and then stopped. After a moment of silence, Robin couldn¡¯t hold back a chuckle, ¡°What? Did you expect my head to explode? You should learn to count my friend¡­¡± ¡°What? Why? Who? We know exactly where all your team members are¡­¡± ¡°Ah! That¡¯s my cue!¡± A friendly voice came from the forest and Ang¡¯Tue walked out of the jungle. Over his shoulder a huge rifle with a big scope was slung and Robin didn¡¯t need to guess that this was the Storm XXC. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Asshole No. 1 asked, totally baffled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid he also cannot give out his name. Sorry mate!¡± Robin laughed and motioned at Landom, ¡°Take their helmets off, I have to check out the monolith for a second. We will leave in a minute!¡± ¡°No! We aren¡¯t allowed to take off our helmets, please!¡± Asshole No. 1 pleaded but Robin ignored him and hurried back to the monolith. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Huh, so whatever this is, there is only a little left?¡± Robin asked and looked at the small display when he arrived back at the monolith. Nothing had changed, the red writing was still blinking aggressively. "What about the warning?¡± ¡°Timothy!¡± Robin shouted at his friend when he also arrived at the artifact, ¡°Pack your things, we need to leave. I got the data but don¡¯t put your hopes up high. Seems to be some little part of a bigger database. I¡¯ll send you the data later, then you have time to check it out, okay?¡± ¡°You have the data? How? Where did you store it?¡± ¡°Uhm.. put these questions on the list, too!¡± ¡°Wha-¡± Timothy wanted to complain but was interrupted by blood-curdling screams of the two assholes. When he turned to look at them, he saw that both, Landom and Alena, had each taken off the helmet of one of the attackers. Their faces however were an unidentifiable, red and smoking mess. When the screams finally stopped, he saw that they looked like someone sprayed really nasty acid on them, disfiguring them so much that you couldn¡¯t even tell their race. ¡°They had a kill-switch! We have to leave now!¡± Landom shouted and looked at Ang¡¯Tue, ¡°What is with the last one?¡± ¡°Just unconscious, didn¡¯t see a need to kill him.¡± The Eltaran said. ¡°Leave him be,¡± Landom shouted and began collecting their stuff, ¡°Hurry up folks, we leave now!¡± ¡°Just who are these guys? Who would allow the installation of such cruel kill-switches in their armor?¡± Robin wondered while they ran through the forest to the little camp. Moments later, Happy was leaving with Sevastian in the Melody to prepare the Hubble and meet the rest on their way for a quick evacuation. The others began a fast but orderly retreat through the jungle, each one lost in their own thoughts. Robin¡¯s mind was thrown into a real tumult again when he read the last message ROMAS had sent before the power finally ran out. ¡°A SOS? What the hell?¡± It is happening...! Ohhh boy... now it finally did happen: my first missed chapter release! As some of you might know, a little dog moved in a few weeks ago and ever since then I didn''t get a single calm moment to write. That''s why you guys got my whole backlog and the Patreon-Chapters over the last days. Now all those are published and I''m totally blank. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Good news though: The little dogo is finally acclimating, so on the weekend I''ll hopefully be able to restart writing. You will get the next chapter next week. Thanks for understanding and have a great day, Dusky Chapter 109 - Plan B ¡°So, you¡¯ve failed?¡± A rough voice growled on the open comm channel, ¡°Didn¡¯t you bother me with endless explanations why your plan was fail-save and did not require the support of my people?¡± ¡°*Cough* It wasn¡¯t a complete failure, Pack Leader Lone.¡± Mason stammered while thinking hard about something positive to report. ¡°Oh? Do tell!¡± An awkward silence fell over the communications room. At least it wasn¡¯t a video connection - one of the little benefits of staying in this dying system. After a few uncomfortable moments, Ummol, Mason¡¯s man in charge of navigation, came to his rescue. ¡°They didn¡¯t leave the planet just yet. Our information about their crew was incomplete but now we know their numbers and the exact nature of their mission. Apparently they also have no idea what to do with the data they got - if they even had the chance to download anything. Due to the environmental conditions they won¡¯t be able to send anything back to the UAS before leaving Terulos¡­¡± ¡°Right, we still have time. There are many options we have left. Pack Leader Lone, please excuse us. We must prepare for intercepting their ship. If they escape from the planet, there won¡¯t be a second chance to stop them.¡± Mason said, now with a bit more confidence in his voice. ¡°You better not mess this up, Ommih. If they transfer the data to the UAS, our deal is off¡­ If we don¡¯t get the data, our deal is off¡­ If they survive, our deal is off¡­¡± the Zulbano growled, ¡°...and believe me: In that case, I¡¯ll personally make sure that your planet moves to the top of the list!¡± ¡°Just leave it to us, we will handle them!¡± Mason hissed through clenched teeth and quickly cut the connection. ¡°What an asshole!¡± He shouted after making sure that the comm was closed, ¡°Violence and blatant threats, that is all these savages know.¡± ¡°Calm down, Mason.¡± the Mohait next to him said, ¡°They are in the better position and we really did fuck this up. Let¡¯s be happy that the deal isn¡¯t off the table already and make sure to fulfill our part. You can curse them as much as you like, but these beasts always stay true to their word.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Did the scans bring up any results?¡± ¡°Nothing yet, but it should only be a matter of time. Even if we can¡¯t locate their ship now, as soon as they take off and rise above the trees, our scanners should be able to pick them up easily.¡± ¡°The question is: What then? I would love to shoot them down and be finished with this stupid assignment¡­¡± Mason mumbled. ¡°...but we wouldn¡¯t get the data. Siller checked the monolith after he woke up and found it dead. This isn¡¯t a valid option if we want to make the Zulbano happy.¡± ¡°Lets keep this idea in mind as plan C. Even if we miss our chance to finish the deal with the beasts, at least we would stall the humans a bit.¡± ¡°You think the leaders will agree to this course of action?¡± Ummol asked skeptically. ¡°No, of course they won¡¯t.¡± Mason said with a shrug, ¡°But luckily they aren¡¯t here and we have no way to contact them. It¡¯s only a backup plan and would totally be in line with our greater goals. But you are right, let¡¯s call the others to the meeting room and look for a better plan together.¡± After Ummol had left the communications room, Mason stood in front of the big window, hands crossed behind his back, and looked down to the green planet. Slowly his mind wandered back to their deal with the Zulbano while he observed the occasional flashes of lightning in the stormy regions. ¡°I would really love to return to my planet and find it the way I left it.¡± he muttered. *** ~Don¡¯t you want the power to protect¡­ ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± Ang¡¯Tue let out a sigh for the umpteenth time. Ever since he used more of his mutation than any kind of healthy-precaution would suggest to fight against the alpha Stalker, his inner demon was an annoyingly constant companion. Too little time had passed since his blackout on the UAS ship. He couldn¡¯t meditate enough to rebuild the fortress in his mind and now, after this exhausting fight, he didn¡¯t even find a minute to rest and stabilize his condition. ~You are stronger on your own¡­ ~Cut off all the rotten bits and pieces of this ¡®crew¡¯, just kill-... ¡°Are you okay?¡± A sudden voice rudely interrupted his inner monologue. ¡°Mr. Tulward!¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and slightly bowed his head to greet the captain. ¡°Ugh, no chance that you just call me Robin, right?¡± The man asked. ¡°That would be inappropriate, wouldn¡¯t it, Captain?¡± ¡°No it wouldn¡¯t. But I¡¯m not in a mood to argue with you about the proper code of conduct again. You also don¡¯t look too well. How are you faring?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Have been better, have been worse.¡± Ang¡¯Tue gave an evasive answer. ¡°You are old enough to know that sharing a burden with others, especially a burden on the mind, helps with processing and healing¡­¡± The captain sharply countered. Even if he just joined this ship recently, Ang¡¯Tue could see how much this young human was growing with all the responsibilities piled up on him. While he still made mistakes - dangerous ones at that - he got better and better at keeping the crew together, plotting the right course of action and trusting his people in difficult situations. Stolen story; please report. ~He is weak¡­ ~You would do much better in his positi-¡­ ¡°Oi! Are you with me?¡± Ang¡¯Tue heard when he snapped out of it again. He had stopped walking and the human now stood in front of him, waving a hand in front of his face. Reflexively he opened his third eye and focused his mind. ¡°Maybe you are right. I need time to meditate, not just a few hours but days and weeks of rest¡­¡± ¡°Are you a risk?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue said after he took stock of his condition once more, ¡°However, I won¡¯t be of much help if it comes to a fight again.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like that will be necessary any time soon¡­¡± The man said and scratched the back of his head. Together they watched the Vaslov woman as she cut in half another Stalker that had tried to sneak up on them. Ever since she switched her weapon to the long, thin blade, she could only be described as an artist of killing. With minimal movements she weaved in and out of the beast¡¯s claws just to cut off a leg here or a head there. None of the others were needed any longer to ensure their safety. ¡°Keep your head together, mate. Happy should arrive soon to pick us up. You¡¯ll get as much time to rest as you need when we are back on the ship, okay?¡± The captain finally said before he patted Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s shoulder and continued to lead the group through the jungle. ~She may be a danger to our rise¡­ The voice in his head said and for the first time it was missing its unwavering confidence. ¡°¡®Tsk¡­¡± Ang¡¯Tue snorted contemptibly and tore his eyes away from the bloody sword in the woman¡¯s hand. With a grin on his face, he followed the others deeper into the forest. *** It didn¡¯t take too long before Robin saw the Hubble in the sky above the dense trees. He organized a quick boarding and ordered Happy to take the ship into a stable orbit around the planet. Alena was managing the scanners to make sure that the other ship wasn¡¯t sneaking up on them and Patience took care of Sevastian as well as possible with the ship¡¯s medical equipment. And while Timothy was waiting for a debriefing in his lab, Robin and Landom had a discussion about their next steps. ¡°We should leave immediately!¡± Landom said while he looked through the mission details once more. ¡°I know, but Happy is sure that we are safe as long as we keep an eye open. I want to talk to Timothy before we leave. Maybe he can get something out of the data we¡¯ve got.¡± Robin argued. ¡°Let the UAS work that out. Our job here is done!¡± ¡°Landom, we won¡¯t get a second chance like this. As long as we aren¡¯t at risk, I want to at least know what we are dealing with. That aside, returning now could also very well mean we directly rush into the arms of whatever organization sent the assholes after us.¡± That finally made the security officer back down. Lost in thoughts he paced up and down in the room, rubbing his chin. ¡°That¡¯s a valid argument. Right now, our best option is to leave immediately, but on the other hand, we could gain more endurances if we took some time to find out who is behind this attack.¡± Landom stopped and said, ¡°Talk with Timothy and find out what you can. I¡¯ll stay on the bridge and help the others to keep an eye open.¡± ¡°Great, thanks!¡± Robin happily agreed and turned to leave. ¡°Robin¡­¡± Landom called after him, ¡°If the situation changes and I see a quick retreat as the better option, I¡¯ll make Niu turn us around without hesitation!¡± ¡°I hope you do!¡± Robin said with a grin and left for his cabin. Before visiting Timothy, Robin wanted to stop by his room to recharge his Neuro Chip and reactivate ROMAS. He really wanted to know what this last message was all about. On his way he made a quick stop at Sevastian¡¯s room and checked on his condition. The huge man didn¡¯t look too bad and assured him that everything was fine, but Robin saw the pain and sadness in his eyes. He pretended to be strong for Patience, for his sister and probably for everyone else, but deep down he was afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to fix his condition. He saw a bleak future ahead - a hired gun with crippled arms? That wouldn¡¯t work out. When Robin arrived in his room, the first thing he did was to take out a datapad and write a report about Sevastian¡¯s heroic service together with a request for the UAS to prepare the best possible treatment for when they return. He addressed the report to Eston and Hutton and queued it for transmission. Only then did he jack in his charger and closed his eyes. Patiently he waited for ROMAS to wake up. ¡°Welcome back, buddy!¡± Robin greeted his companion, ¡°You did a good job out there! Are you alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± he said and reread the last message, ¡°So, you found a SOS coming from Terulos? Is there anything else known except the status?¡± ¡°Too bad¡­ What about the database you¡¯ve downloaded?¡± ¡°Anything known about the topic?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ can you make a copy that I can take to Timothy?¡± While he waited for the copy to be finished, Robin thought about the SOS. ¡°That could be anything. A crashed ship? A hidden facility? But how can that be on Terulos? The UAS never found traces of any other activities. The monolith should be the only artificial object on this planet. Well, on the other hand¡­ scanning is kind of unreliable. Who knows what they might have missed?¡± ¡°Is it another Keeper facility?¡± He mused but suddenly he had an idea, ¡°With how tough the conditions on this planet are, most other structures or ships would long be dead or destroyed by now. The monolith probably caught the SOS only recently¡­ and who was here recently other than us?¡± Still plugged in, Robin began to pace up and down in his room. ¡°Chances are that the ship of the assailants has crashed and is now sending an SOS. Maybe they even came here with more than one ship. We still know too little about them.¡± He realized but quickly shook his head, ¡°That, or they are broadcasting it in hope of luring us into a trap¡­¡± Chapter 110 - Lights Off When ROMAS was done copying the data a few minutes later, Robin hurried to the lab to meet with Timothy. ¡°Now it¡¯s your time to shine!¡± He greeted his friend, ¡°The data from the monolith, nice and fresh. You are probably the first person who can lay eyes on it in centuries, not to mention the first one ever that isn¡¯t a Keeper!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t check it before coming here?¡± Timothy asked, clearly not believing him, and took the memory stick. ¡°Actually, no¡­ not really. What do I know about the Keeper language?¡± Robin shrugged. ¡°Well, probably as much as I do: nothing. So, I hope you didn¡¯t come here with great expectations.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s a long shot, but please give it a try.¡± Robin said while he followed the researcher to a workstation. ¡°As if I¡¯d miss a chance like this¡­¡± Timothy scoffed and opened the files. Robin waited patiently off to the side and simply watched as his friend skimmed through seemingly endless documents in an unknown language. Only five minutes later couldn¡¯t he hold it anymore, ¡°So? What are we seeing there?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°*Cough* Buddy?¡± ¡°Hmhm?¡± ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Timothy said, his eyes still glued to the screen in front of him, ¡°I do recognize the characters.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Robin asked in surprise. He definitely didn¡¯t expec- ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fairly certain that this is the same language as the one we saw on the monolith¡¯s screen. This should really be the Keeper¡¯s native language!¡± ¡°What?¡± Robin exclaimed exasperatedly and nearly tore his hair, ¡°That¡¯s it? Damn, we already knew that!¡± ¡°No, we assumed that to be the case. Now I can confirm that theory.¡± Timothy said and finally looked at Robin. When he saw his disappointed face he couldn¡¯t stop a chuckle, ¡°Rob, I told you to temper your expectations. This is already a great find as it is. You want me to read this? Fat chance! I need loads of text with known context before I can begin to decipher anything.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ I understand but still¡­¡± Robin muttered. ¡°We have time. I¡¯ll see what I can do with this as it is, okay?¡± Before Robin could answer, they both felt the ship¡¯s sudden acceleration. Its speed increased so much that the artificial gravity began to fail and Robin and Timothy had to hold on to their surroundings to avoid falling. ¡°Burn in plasma! What now again?¡± Robin cursed and tried to get to the door. ¡°If Happy didn¡¯t even have the time to shout a warning, this has to be quite the emergency¡­¡± Timothy shouted with a shaky voice while clinging to his desk. Slowly, way too slowly, Robin crawled through the door into the hallway. Just when he finally reached the elevator the acceleration stopped and gravity normalized. With shaky feet, Robin stood up and called the lift. ¡°Damn, how long did she kick the thrusters? We must be going insanely fast¡­¡± Robin hit the call-button again and again to make the elevator understand that he really was in a hurry right now and jumped in as soon as it arrived. When he stopped in the middle deck moments later, close to the bridge¡¯s entry, his passive energy sense suddenly woke up. Terulos¡¯ atmosphere had a quite high energy level but he had enough time to get used to it earlier, when they had stayed on the planet. Now however, his whole body began to itch again like in his first days after getting the skill. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°We have an emergency. Rob, come to the bridge immediately!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± Robin grumbled while trying to figure out what was going on, but soon the ambient energy level overwhelmed everything else; the only things he still could make out were the ship¡¯s thrusters and its shields. Moments later however, the latter also vanished from his senses. ¡°Shield¡¯s offline! Prepare for a rough flight¡­¡± Happy couldn¡¯t even finish her warning before a huge explosion rocked the entire ship. Robin was thrown to the ground and slid along the hallway when the Hubble began to tilt in an unnatural angle. ¡°...I correct: Prepare for a rough landing! 40 seconds until impact!¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed Afraid of a sensory overload in this electrically charged atmosphere, Robin didn¡¯t dare to use an Echo Pulse to check the ship¡¯s situation. However, even with his passive sense alone he could tell that they lost one of the front VTOL thrusters just now. ¡°What the fuck are they doing there?¡± He cursed again and finally reached the Hubble¡¯s bridge. Niu and Alena both sat behind their usual stations and Landom clung to the captain¡¯s seat. When he threw a glance out of the window, Robin saw nothing. There was just a dense gray wall. Since everything was always gray for him, it confused him only more. ¡°Landom, status!¡± He shouted. ¡°We are under attack. Shields are offline, scanners are offline, visibility zero.¡± Landom began and in the background Alena shouted at Niu. ¡°8.000¡­ 7.000¡­¡± ¡°We took a direct hit.¡± The security officer continued, ¡°Damage unknown. At least one VTOL offline. Pressure normal, oxygen normal, power¡­¡± ¡°5.000¡­ 4.000¡­¡± ¡°Remaining power¡­ unknown, hull-status¡­ unknown.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°2.000¡­ 1.000¡­¡± ¡°The enemy? Are they following us?¡± ¡°750¡­¡± ¡°PREPARE FOR IMPACT!¡± Happy yelled and the ship shook once more when she flipped the whole vessel to get more use out of the main thrusters to reduce their speed. Robin¡¯s skin tingled even stronger when she diverted all excess power to the two rear thrusters. Instantly he was catapulted backwards through the open door and into the hallway by the abrupt deceleration. He still could hear Alena shouting their altitude, though. ¡°250¡­ 100¡­¡± Multiple smaller hits rocked the Hubble in rapid succession, before it finally hit the ground and came to a stop after quite a spin. While Robin crawled back to his feed, he felt the thrusters shutting down. ¡°Rough landing¡­ Damn, I really hope the ship isn¡¯t completely fucked!¡± When he returned to the bridge, he could see Niu slumped down in her seat. Alena and Landom both lay on the floor, seemingly knocked out. Then, the power completely ran out and everything turned dark. *** ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Niu sighed and snuggled deeper in the pilot¡¯s seat while she patted the pair of joysticks, ¡°This is where I belong!¡± ¡°The expedition into the jungle wasn¡¯t to your liking? I never would¡¯ve noticed¡­¡± Alena said with a deadpan face. ¡°Argh, come on! I was useless like a rock. I was just trying to survive from one moment to the next, hoping I would be able to feel the freedom of flying one last time.¡± ¡°I always thought you wanted an assignment on an exciting ship. Now you play coy like a princess.¡± ¡°Well, I have to say that being the Hubble¡¯s pilot is much more entertaining and challenging than I ever thought.¡± Niu said thoughtfully while she slowly steered the ship out of Terulos¡¯ atmosphere. ¡°Let me guess: You suddenly enjoying this trip has absolutely nothing to do with our captain in the making¡­¡± Alena teased. ¡°Of course it does! He is the one who throws us from one crazy situation into another.¡± Happy laughed and a little bit shy she added, ¡°Additionally, you have to agree that Scrappy is really-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna know!¡± Landom interrupted when he entered the bridge, ¡°Well, I would love to know, but I think it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t.¡± The man quickly sat in the captain¡¯s chair and looked from one woman to the other before his gaze settled on Alena. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into girl talk¡­¡± He said and shook his head. Not waiting for her to respond, he changed the topic, ¡°Niu, give me a quick report please.¡± ¡°Are you the new Captain, Mr. Security?¡± Happy asked while she pulled up a map of Terulos and some additional data. ¡°Nope, but for now I¡¯m in charge of our course of action if things go south.¡± Landom answered and motioned for her to begin. ¡°There isn¡¯t much that can escalate our situation right now. We are heading into a stable orbit around Terulos and Alena is keeping an eye on our scanners and sensors. We know there is another ship somewhere on or around the planet and are prepared to run as soon as they come closer.¡± Happy explained, ¡°The Hubble¡¯s shields are top notch and we aren¡¯t some slowpoke; Should be able to outrun most other ships. However, even if we are out of the crazy atmosphere, the dying star still makes scanning a challenge. So I don¡¯t see anyone finding us here just like that.¡± ¡°But you are sure that our sensors will find them first, if push comes to shove?¡± ¡°The Hubble is a vessel optimized for research and exploration¡­ what do you think?¡± After Niu got them into orbit, she talked about different routes and locations they could head for if necessary. ¡°I think the best would be to turn everything off and just drift around the planet until Scrappy and Timothy come up with results¡­ or ideas¡­ or a goal. Whatever.¡± She finished the lengthy report and leaned back in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree, there¡­-¡± Landom nodded but was interrupted by Alena. ¡°I¡¯m not! We have a hit on the long range scan.¡± She shouted, ¡°One ship, medium size, approaching our location fast - really fast!¡± Niu immediately sat straight and pulled up the data on a screen. ¡°Ohhhhh¡­ They will be here in less than a minute. How can they be so fast already? It¡¯s like they knew where we¡¯d pop up long before.¡± ¡°Alena, get me more data on the ship and listen to any kind of hailing.¡± Landom shouted, ¡°Niu, get us up to speed and try to keep them at distance.¡± ¡°Roger that, but no chance we outrun them. They had quite the head start somehow.¡± She confirmed and pushed the throttle up. Quickly, Niu made the Hubble turn away from the approaching ship and took a stable position in her seat. ¡°Hold on tight!¡± She warned the others and taped into her mutation. It was as if the world around her suddenly slowed down. Everything seemingly moved slower, giving her more time to react. Decisively she pushed the throttle even more, bringing the ship to its limits. The gravity module and the dampening field immediately began to fail and she felt her body being pressed into the seat painfully. Her reflexes helped her to micromanage their acceleration. Reacting to system warnings and thresholds with inhuman speed, which allowed her to get the most out of the Hubble. At the end of the day however, the ship just wasn¡¯t made for racing or high speeds and still lost ground every second. ¡°...so it¡¯s better we hide then?¡± She heard Landom say when she managed to spare some of her attention to the situation on the bridge. ¡°I can¡¯t see any scenario in which they come here with friendly intentions.¡± Alena agreed through gritted teeth because of the still growing centrifugal force. ¡°Niu, can we reach quadrant 36?¡± Landom asked, ¡°If we lose them in the storm, we can lay low for some time and work on a better plan.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Captain!¡± Happy laughed and aligned the Hubble¡¯s nose into a proper course to reenter the planet¡¯s atmosphere. Internally however, she was letting go an imaginary breath of relief. Running away really wasn¡¯t an option. The other ship had nearly caught up to them and hiding was their best chance. ¡°They should come into weapons-range in 10 seconds!¡± Alena updated and Niu quickly opened the ship¡¯s comm after the Hubble began reentering the atmosphere and switched from the brutal acceleration to a moderate deceleration. Using her mutation to keep track of everything, she threw a quick glance at the display with the scanning results. And indeed, Alena managed to identify the other ship as some kind of interceptor. A typical UAS design and even if they didn¡¯t get the exact model, they had a good idea of their armament. *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm opened ¡°We have an emergency. Rob, come to the bridge immediately!¡± Niu reported and threw Landom a glance, ¡°We will have to eat one, maybe even two hits from their laser. However, our shields should be able to tank those easily. After that the storm will hide us from¡­-¡± Before even the system began to shout warnings, Niu noticed the shields suddenly fluctuating and getting unstable. ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡°WARNING! Strong electromagnetic interference detected. Shield failure imminent¡± Seconds later, the shields completely winked out. ¡°WARNING! Shields offline!¡± ¡°What?¡± She heard Landom gasp behind her and quickly warned the others. ¡°Shield¡¯s offline! Prepare for a rough flight¡­¡± ¡°Incoming!¡± Alena yelled and a shock ran through the whole ship when they were hit somewhere at the front. Happy had only seen a red flash in the gray clouds outside before the Hubble yanked at her joysticks when it tilted to the side. ¡°Altitude 12.000, rapidly falling!¡± ¡°...I correct: Prepare for a rough landing! 40 seconds until impact!¡± *Ding* - Ship¡¯s comm closed From there on, everything was a bit blurry in Niu¡¯s memories. At some point Robin rushed into the bridge and she remembered seeing the gray fog outside suddenly retreating, giving a perfect view of the endless forest below them. She somehow managed to slow their descent with a risky flip-and-burn maneuver that was probably breaking each and every rule the UAS ever had written down and cost them another VTOL, but at least the ship didn¡¯t break apart when it ultimately hit the first trees, plowing a path through the forest. The next thing she knew, she woke up in complete darkness and everything hurt while someone was carrying her around. Chapter 111 - Stranded ¡°Can you keep up?¡± Robin asked when he heard Landom¡¯s heavy breathing. ¡°I¡¯ll manage, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°No offense, Landom, but you look like shit and sound like an old steam-machine. That¡¯s a lot of blood dripping down your face¡­¡± ¡°As if you would know!¡± The man forced a hollow laugh, ¡°It¡¯s dark as hell in here and even if not, you wouldn¡¯t be able to see its color, would you? Maybe it¡¯s just sweat!¡± Robin¡¯s steps came to a short halt, before he continued through the hallway. It always has been just a matter of time before the others would find out. Landom was an investigator and, to be honest, it would be more concerning if he hadn¡¯t noticed by now. ¡°You better make sure Alena doesn¡¯t hear that. If she knows that you are indirectly complaining about her weight, you are in for a beating!¡± Robin scoffed without commenting on the topic. He carefully corrected Happy¡¯s position on his back and continued walking. ¡°Ow¡­ow¡­ow¡­¡± Niu whimpered when she woke up. ¡°Hey, how are you?¡± Robin asked with care in his voice. ¡°Uhh¡­ my head¡­¡± She stammered, still a bit woozy, ¡°Scrappy? Are you kidnapping me right now?¡± ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t dare, little princess!¡± He laughed and put on an overly dramatic expression, but when he looked over his shoulder, he noticed that she was already dozing off again. ¡°What¡­ a¡­ shame¡­¡± She quietly muttered, before her eyes closed once more. ¡°What was that?¡± Robin asked, puzzled, but received no answer. When they reached the hangar at the end of the Hubble a few minutes later, he quickly scanned the room and breathed a sigh of relief. In the dim glow of the emergency lights he could see that everyone else was here already, no one was missing. Timothy just looked a bit disheveled, Patience and Savastian seemed to be completely fine and Ang¡¯Tue sat in a corner, eyes closed, and meditated. ¡°They are just unconscious, Happy got knocked out of her seat and hit her head, Alena had a sensory overload due to her mutation and blacked out shortly after the crash.¡± Robin explained when Patience rushed over with a concerned expression, ¡°Please find them a place to recuperate.¡± After she easily lifted up both women and took them to the bench at the wall and Landom also sat down to rest, Robin looked at Timothy, ¡°Can you give everyone a check-up? I don¡¯t wanna have any complications later on just because we missed some internal injuries.¡± ¡°I could only bring a basic scanner but it should be enough for a rudimental check.¡± The researcher said and took a tablet out of his backpack. Robin then walked to the Eltaran who sat in the spot the furthest away from the others. When he stopped a few meters in front of him and thought about waking him up or not, Ang¡¯Tue opened his third eye and a smile formed on his face. ¡°I¡¯m still me, thanks for caring. My injuries are minimal but I¡¯m not yet in a position to use my mutation - not that my particular set of skills would be of any help to us right now¡­¡± ¡°Good to know, stay here and rest. We may need you later, I¡¯m counting on you!¡± ¡°Ha, as if you youngsters will need the help of this ancient relic!¡± He laughed and closed his eye again. When he returned to the others, Robin saw that Savastian was talking with Timothy and took notes on his tablet. His hand moved a bit rigid but he obviously tried his best to get used to his condition. ¡°You are taking stock of our situation? That¡¯s great, please give me an update when you are done.¡± Robin said and gave him an encouraging smile, ¡°Ah right, you can skip the old man. Just leave him be for now, okay?¡± ¡°Sure thing, Captain. Give me just a few more minutes!¡± The bulky man said and for a moment he tried to flail his arms as he always did but quickly stopped and twisted his face painfully, ¡°Fuck, that hurts¡­¡± Robin sat down next to the still unconscious Alena and took a few big gulps from the bottle of water someone had organized. Now that he had a moment to rest himself, Robin noticed how bad his own condition was. While he wasn¡¯t hurt anywhere, except some bruises here and there, his head was throbbing without end. The constant pressure from the overload of his passive sense by the still high ambient energy level began to take a toll on him. ¡°Ugh.. just how did we end up here so fast? One moment we were discussing if staying or leaving would be better and the next moment we were stranded on Terulos in the middle of a freaking storm.¡± He muttered, ¡°I need the report from Sevastian, we need to know our situation. I really hope this wasn¡¯t the last flight of the Hubble¡­¡± Slowly, all the tension and pressure overwhelmed him and forced his mind to sink into a slumber. *** ¡°Captain! Hey, Captain!¡± Someone called and shook his shoulder to wake him up. ¡°Sevastian?¡± Robin asked drowsily, before his mind cleared and he jolted awake, ¡°Shit, how long have I been out?¡± ¡°Just an hour. After I got a better idea of our situation and how much time we have left, we decided to give you some rest.¡± Sebastian said and handed him another bottle of water and something like a cereal bar, ¡°Here, you have to eat.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Robin said and began to munch on the sticky bar, ¡°What do you mean with ¡®how much time we have left¡¯? Please, give me an update!¡± ¡°The enemy won¡¯t be able to follow us for now. But first things first, we have some slight injuries, nothing serious. Happy, Alena and Ang¡¯Tue are out for today, they need more time to rest and should be back in shape in about 8 hours. Everyone else is mostly fine.¡± Sevastian began his report. ¡°That¡¯s good. The medical support we can provide is limited¡­ something we definitely have to fix. How is the ship?¡± ¡°Fucked¡­ according to Happy¡¯s and Timothy¡¯s first analysis it¡¯s not much more than a flying piece of scrap right now.¡± ¡°Flying? So we aren¡¯t stuck here?¡± Robin interjected excitedly. ¡°No, unfortunately we are.¡± Sevastian shook his head, ¡°At least for now we are completely stranded. We¡¯ve lost two VTOL thrusters, front left and rear right. With them the landing gear is also gone. Two legs are left, but since the ship came to rest on the stump of one of the trees we¡¯ve mowed down, we have maintained our balance, at least for the moment. Shields are gone due the power outages and the strong atmospheric disturbances. That¡¯s also what killed them in the first place; we completely underestimated the negative effects of the storm. When the storm dies out however, we should be able to bring them back online - which is a necessity if we want to fly anywhere.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°So we are stuck here as long as the storm is raging?¡± Robin asked when he slowly got a better picture of their situation. ¡°Yep. That is also the same timeframe for our safety. For now the enemy won¡¯t be able to find us here and even if they do, they can¡¯t come down without risking a crash, too.¡± Robin scratched his beard and loudly mused, ¡°When the storm ends, we can take off and escape Terulos, but that is also the moment when the enemy will be able to find and approach us? So, what¡¯s different from our first encounter when we left the planet? Won¡¯t they just shoot us down again?¡± ¡°What¡¯s different? Well, first of all they should have an even better idea of where we are. Secondly, taking off will be quite the hassle and Happy isn¡¯t even sure if she will manage it at all. Running away won¡¯t be an option as long as she is fighting to leave the atmosphere. Ah yes, and I still haven¡¯t mentioned the broken generator. As long as you don¡¯t fix that, the Hubble will remain a dead log.¡± ¡°Uf¡­¡± Robin sighed and looked around until his gaze settled on Timothy, who was tinkering with the Melody II. ¡°What is he up to?¡± He asked. ¡°Timothy tries to connect the Melody to the Hubble and bypass our broken generator to send some power to the scanners. We need more information about our surroundings.¡± Sevastian explained. ¡°Will they even work in this storm?¡± Robin wondered. ¡°Probably not, no¡­¡± When ROMAS popped up some questions in Robin¡¯s vision, he relayed the first two to Sevastian. ¡°We are in Quadrant 36 and according to Timothy we have at least 6 hours from the moment we notice the first signs that the storm subsides. When this will be¡­ we have no idea and too little information about this site of Terulos.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks for your work. I¡¯ll stop by Timothy and see if he needs a hand and then check the damage of the generator. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not completely broken. Let the others rest for now. We¡¯ll decide our next steps when I¡¯m back.¡± Soon after he helped Timothy with powering the scanners, Robin found himself standing in front of the generator. After checking all the fuses, fuel pipes and connectors, he read the error logs and tried a restart. For a moment the huge reactor gained some life and began to hum, before it died out again. ¡°Ugh, burn in plasma¡­¡± He groaned, ¡°Please don¡¯t let it be the ignition chamber¡­¡± Hydrogen Fusion Reactors were still used these days mostly because of their ruggedness. A higher fuel consumption in exchange for reliability was a great deal for most people. However, sometimes there are cases where the ignition chamber can get cracks because of extreme shocks to the machine. There is no way he would be able to repair that with what little tools they had. ¡°That will hurt¡­¡± Robin muttered and activated his mutation¡¯s skill to get a better idea of what was happening inside of the generator. Slowly his whole vision turned blue when the ambient energy flooded his senses. ¡°Damn!¡± He yelped and lost grip of the image. Soon his world was colored in a trist gray again. After rubbing his temples until the headache subsided somewhat, he tried again. This time he gritted his teeth and soldiered through until he had enough control of the situation to focus his senses and filter out the extreme background noise. Only a few thin lines remained and showed him the backup battery support that powered the emergency system. ¡°Neat, it was worth the time learning this¡­¡± He muttered and booted the reactor once more. Pain pierced his head when the generator tried to initiate a hydrogen fusion and huge amounts of energy shot through the machine. Nevertheless Robin stayed focused and observed the ignition chamber. After a few long seconds the reactor died again and he finally stopped his skill. ¡°Fuck¡­ fuuuuck¡­¡± He cursed and desperately hit his head, as if that would make the pain go away, ¡°At least it isn¡¯t broken. Seems to be the same problem that the shields have, too. The interferences caused by the storm are disrupting the fusion process. If it was still running, it would probably keep working but it won¡¯t start under these conditions. After packing his stuff, Robin slowly walked back to the hangar while ROMAS began to analyze their situation. ¡°Puh¡­ that doesn¡¯t look too good, even though the Hubble hasn¡¯t as many problems as we feared. What is the special marker? And what are our greatest risks at the moment?¡± Robin asked and stopped in front of the door that led into the hangar. ¡°What? We are so close to the SOS? Wow¡­¡± Robin exclaimed and then stumbled over one of the risks listed, ¡°Are you kidding me? You really think the Eltaran is that unstable?¡± ¡°ROMAS, what would you suggest how we proceed? I can¡¯t see how we can take-off without the enemy intercepting us¡­¡± Robin asked wearily, too much has happened in the last hours and he feared that they would be stuck here; a sitting duck waiting for the enemy to find them. ¡°Holy¡­ You are suggesting to attack an unknown enemy? Are you crazy?¡± Chapter 112 - Expectations ¡°Why is it my job to tell you that this is a fuckin¡¯ bad idea? You are stupid, the plan is stupid, this whole planet is stupid and leaving Rucasur with you was stupid¡­¡± Patience cursed loudly but suddenly stopped when realization hit her, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s right: I¡¯m stupid, too! Why am I even here?¡± ¡°Because you longed for an adventure?¡± Robin asked hesitantly. ¡°Maybe it was the thrill of the forbidden? I¡¯ve met many criminals that were led astray when they were young because of¡­ Ouch!¡± Landom winced when Patience nudged him with her elbow. ¡°Just shut up and make sure we don¡¯t crash again!¡± She growled and leaned back in the Melody¡¯s backseat. Despite their bad situation, the hostile environment and the continuously growing tension on his mind, Robin felt happiness and elation for a short but valuable moment. They have been through so much the last weeks and months and now the fear of being stranded on this godforsaken planet is creeping closer like a shadow in the twilight, but they all keep standing strong. They stuck together nonetheless and weren¡¯t losing themselves in despair. ¡°I have found a good crew¡­ awesome people¡­ great friends¡­¡± He muttered, ¡°I better make sure to bring them home safely!¡± After relaxing his taxed mind, Robin put all his focus back on the track ahead. Well, there wasn¡¯t much of a track to be honest, not even a clear line of sight. Right now, he piloted the Melody II through the midst of the storm that knocked out the Hubble¡¯s shields earlier and had Patience and Landom sitting in the back, sharing the co-pilot¡¯s seat. Visibility was low, a mix of rain and fog obstructed his vision and Robin was sure that even without Guard removing ¡°useless parts¡± of his brain, everything would still be colored gray. They still were about 50 kilometers away from the SOS-location and Robin had to depend on the directions ROMAS was sending to his Interface to not get lost. The storm easily blocked the little ship¡¯s navigational systems and even put the repulsor under much stress. Carefully Robin pulled back the right joystick to raise Melody¡¯s nose and gain some height. He had no idea which altitude they had reached, but every now and then he saw treetops poking through the fog below them. After he had stabilized the ship again and made sure that the flight-corridor in front of them was free of trees, mountains or whatever this planet might put in their way, Robin used his mutation and checked on the plasma repulsor. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on me now of all times, buddy!¡± He mumbled when he saw the module glowing in a brighter blue than ever before. Accompanied by a loud crack, a lightning strike snaked down to the ground a hundred meters to their right. For a few seconds its bright light gave view to a seemingly endless forest below them before everything was swallowed by the murky gray once more. ¡°B¡­ b¡­ burn in p¡­ plasma!¡± Robin cursed when his passive sense registered the energy spike so close by and send nasty itches through his nervous system, ¡°I fucking hate this planet. The next one we visit will have cozy fields, calm lakes and oceans with beautiful beaches!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remind you of that!¡± He heard Patience shouting from the back and a small grin returned to his face. ¡°Just 30 minutes to go¡­¡± *** ¡°We should land over there.¡± Landom said, ¡°+13¡ã, 40 meters. Do you see the fallen tree? There should be enough space to go down, right?¡± Robin quickly found the place and checked the surroundings. The SOS was probably a bait to lure them into a trap so directly going there was a no-go. They planned to park the ship about two kilometers away from the marker; even here, at the outer rim of the storm, that should be far enough to avoid detection by the enemy. They will have to cover the rest of the way by foot. However, they had too little information, not only on the enemy but also on the environmental conditions. As far as they knew there could be a completely different fauna on this side of Terulos ¨C and even if it was the same, stumbling into the hunting ground of another Alpha Stalker was a scenario to be avoided. ¡°Seems clear and calm down there¡­ however, in this storm everything that doesn¡¯t flap in the winds like crazy looks calm.¡± Robin said and finished the last slow circle with the Melody before he pushed her nose down to initiate the landing. Huge trees blocked most of the ground, their thick foliage spanned endlessly like a green blanket covering the world below. Only here and there a small hole popped up, like an entrance to another world. Carefully, Robin headed for one of these clearings and dove down. Moments later, big trunks surrounded them, half hidden by all-encompassing fog. However, different from his earlier trips to the forest, here it was spacious. The trees stood dozens of meters away from each other and nearly no bushes or shrubs could be found on the ground. ¡°Wow! It looks like someone with a big vacuum cleaner passed by and sucked up everything that wasn¡¯t a fuckin¡¯ 100-meter-tree¡­¡± Patience marveled, and Robin heard Landom agreeing, ¡°It really feels like someone cleaned this place up. Creepy!¡± ¡°Are you complaining about being too uneducated?¡± Robin gasped when he saw ROMAS¡¯ cheap excuses, ¡°Damn, time to put you back in one piece so we can have a real discussion about your attitude!¡± When the Melody finally touched the ground, Robin, Landom and Patience were flabbergasted by the enormous size of the trees. ¡°The Melody is like a little toy between these monstrosities. Just how big are these trunks¡­¡± Robin wondered. ¡°Duh¡­¡± *** After getting off the ship, the three of them stood on the rocky earth in their armored suits. ¡°At least we would notice if something tried to sneak up on us.¡± Patience muttered. ¡°Well, yes¡­¡± Landom slowly said, clearly lost in thought. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°What is it?¡± Robin asked when he noticed that the man was disturbed by something. ¡°This is like a huge, wide-open world. Vision only blocked by the occasional tree-trunk here and there and some little green islands and small hills.¡± ¡°Yes¡­? The small green islands like these ¨C ¡° Robin said and pointed at the few bushes behind him, ¡°They should pop up where light manages to pass through holes in the leaves above us.¡± ¡°I know. But didn¡¯t we come here expecting an ambush or trap at the location of the SOS?¡± Landom said and rubbed his chin, ¡°This must be the worst possible place you could find for a trap¡­¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ He isn¡¯t wrong, Rob. This feels fishy!¡± Patience agreed and took a defensive stance. Robin looked around vigilantly. Walzor was right, this wasn¡¯t the place to go if you wanted to ambush someone. ¡°Keep your guard up. We move out.¡± He said and took the lead, ¡°The target location is about 2,5 km away from here and the scenery may still change.¡± While they passed the huge trees, Robin closely observed his surroundings. Small pebbles littered the ground, bushes were rarely seen and dropped twigs and leaves were completely absent. ¡°What are those?¡± He asked when he spotted a cluster of dark spots on the ground some distance away. Coming closer he found five perfectly round holes, each about 30cm wide. Patience kneeled down to inspect the holes and shrugged. ¡°They lead deeper into the earth, no end to be seen. Should be man-made as perfectly carved as they are.¡± ¡°Hard to believe.¡± Landom contradicted, ¡°Out here in the middle of nowhere?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s part of the trap?¡± Patience said and stood up. ¡°Too obvious¡­¡± Landom mused. ¡°Whatever they are, we won¡¯t find out right now. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± Robin interjected and headed away from the holes towards a small hill he had spotted in the distance. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, we can see the SOS location from atop that hill. That may help assert the situation, okay?¡± Patience and Landom followed him but after they had taken only a few steps, Landom suddenly swirled around and yanked up his right hand. ¡°Ouch!¡± Patience yelped and took a staggering step forward, ¡°Burn in plasma, something hit my shoulder.¡± ¡°Careful!¡± Landom said and showed them his open hand. A thin, 15cm long spike was stuck in his palm, cleanly pierced through his armored glove. ¡°Damn! Where did that come from?¡± Robin said and hurried to his friends while he carefully eyed their surroundings. He also threw a glance at Patience¡¯s shoulder and found a similar needle stuck there. However, that one had penetrated much deeper and probably only stopped after hitting the bone. ¡°Something came out of the holes and shot the spike. I managed to catch it¡­ more or less¡­ due to my hardened skin. How is your shoulder?¡± Landom explained without taking his eyes off the holes. ¡°Just a scratch!¡± Patience scoffed in an attempt to downplay her anger about not even noticing the attack. With her left hand she reached for the spike and, without any hesitation, ripped it out of her shoulder. Some blood dripped down the long needle, but it didn¡¯t look too bad. ¡°It takes more than this to bring me to my knees!¡± She growled while she rolled her shoulder to test if it was affected. ¡°Good. Hopefully there wasn¡¯t any poison on it¡­¡± Robin said and looked at Landom, ¡°What now?¡± To his side Patience froze up like a statue. ¡°Poison? Fuck, what?¡± Frantically she touched her shoulder as if she could find any toxic substance by feeling for it. ¡°You would have probably noticed it by now if there had been anything on the spike.¡± Landom said. ¡°Maybe I do? Don¡¯t you agree that it¡¯s getting colder or is it just me feeling it?¡± ¡°Patience, calm down!¡± Robin said and padded her back, ¡°It¡¯s not getting cold and nobody has poisoned you.¡± ¡°Whatever has attacked us won¡¯t come back.¡± Landom said, ignoring their bickering. ¡°How do you know?¡± Robin asked. ¡°I think it was a local creature. It hunts unaware prey in its territory, killing it by shooting the spikes. Now that the ambush failed, it won¡¯t attack again anytime soon.¡± ¡°A creature shot this? The spike managed to penetrate our armor. Even most ballistic weapons aren¡¯t capable of that.¡± ¡°I stayed more alert when we turned to leave and saw something small move in the corner of my eye. Also, think back to the Stalkers. If a hunter can¡¯t penetrate their hide, it would have gone extinct long ago.¡± ¡°I hate this planet!¡± Patience complained. ¡°You seem confident¡­¡± Robin addressed Landom again. ¡°Just this much. We don¡¯t know the local fauna, nor am I an expert on such things.¡± The man shook his head and returned his march to the hill, ¡°Stay vigilant, there may be more holes on the way.¡± After Robin got confirmation from ROMAS that Landom¡¯s theory was highly probable, he followed the man. After a few meters he turned around and groaned. ¡°Patience! Stop scratching yourself and come on. You aren¡¯t poisoned!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s itching everywhere!¡± She whined. ¡°I thought it was getting cold?¡± Robin sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ but now it¡¯s itching!¡± ¡°Try to stay alive until we are back on the Hubble. I¡¯ll make Timothy give you a complete check-up, okay?¡± ¡°What? You¡­ little shit!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t fall asleep!¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± *** They needed quite some time to finally reach the small hill. Twice they had to take a detour around holes in the ground because they wanted to avoid any more encounters with whatever lived in the earth. Even though they stayed silent the whole time, Landom once again reminded them to keep quiet when they ascended the slope. There hung an eerie silence in the air. Only the muffled platter of rain hitting leaves could be heard. The trees completely blocked it with their thick canopy of foliage above them and not for the first time Robin wondered where all the water went. The storm was still ongoing and while it was less strong here, there should still be heavy rain. However, his eyes could make out little of what happened so far above them since the fog was getting more dense for some time. ¡°Just what is wrong with this place?¡± He thought, ¡°The change in scenery we hoped for also didn¡¯t happen. Why is the enemy luring us here where everything is visible from miles away?¡± With careful steps he followed Landom the last meters to the hilltop while looking around in alert. ¡°Everything is visible?¡± He suddenly realized and looked up. ¡°The fog!¡± Robin yelped in shock to warn the others, ¡°We can¡¯t see what is happening above us!¡± ¡°What do you¡­ -¡± Landom began but stopped dead in his tracks, staring blankly ahead. Quickly, Robin closed up and also looked down into the forest in front of them. ¡°Holy plasma, burn me alive¡­ what is that?¡± ¡°What are you guys stammering?¡± Patience grumbled and came to Robin¡¯s side, scratching her right knee. ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s not what we expected!¡± Interlude 04 & 05: Leave No Stone Unturned Still a little bit nervous, Krezolgok pulled his hood further down over his face to make sure his muzzle stayed hidden. Of course he had gotten what he came for, but he still couldn¡¯t get used to the respect and reverence he was met with. ¡°No, not respect and reverence¡­¡± He thought, ¡°It¡¯s fear and dread that these people feel. I can smell it. Even with the heavy scent of metal and electronics in the air, it still reeks of cold sweat.¡± Those of his clan who ventured out from time to time talked about it and his father also did not fail to mention it every time he recounted his ventures to the ¡°Civilized Territories¡±. Heck, even his blood told him to keep his head high - he was a Zulbano, he was a hunter¡­ the apex predator. The ¡°Wolf-Folk¡±, as they were called sometimes, lived in a territory that spanned over only five systems with no more than 20 habitable planets. Compared to the unified races of the UAS, which colonized dozens of galaxies, or the Drel, who alone had claimed as much territory, the Zulbano were a small folk. However, the systems they lived in were hidden well, not many knew where to find them and even less dared to travel there. Isolated from the rest of the Civilized Territories, the Zulbano got a certain kind of mystery to them and rumors about their fierce and unyielding nature as well as their many won fights and wars gained them quite the reputation - rumors that they very carefully keep spreading. The Wolf-Folk was a nation of fighters, brutal to themselves and their enemies alike. Only the strong may survive and prosper. Those ones met in the Civilized Territories normally were on missions for their clans or acting as hired guns. Very feared but efficient problem solvers. ¡°They don¡¯t know anything about us. Just rumors and gossip. Still, here they are, nearly groveling to my feet.¡± The young wolf thought and let out an angry growl, ¡°Pathetic, I¡¯m nothing but a Bultaz. A failed member of the clan, nothing more.¡± ¡°Is there something that¡¯s displeasing you, honored guest?¡± The man at his side asked, sweat dripping down his disfigured face. He had once been a human, Krezolgok guessed, but now most of his features were replaced by metal parts, making identifying his race a guessing game. ¡°The stench of metal and rotting flesh¡­¡± He hissed, ¡°Not something you could change, I assume, Head Priest Muronag.¡± The Cetro shot him a sharp glance but quickly lowered his head again, not responding to the offense. ¡°Weak¡­¡± The Zulbano muttered and kept walking. A few minutes later they finally arrived at the hangar and Krezolgok made his way for the single ship that stood in the middle of the big hall. At its door he stopped and turned to face Muronag and his two guards. ¡°If your information proves to be right, I¡¯ll inform the Pack Leader about your cooperation. I cannot speak on the behalf of the clan, but will see to it that a good word is put in for your community.¡± He said, his face hidden by the deep hood and the dark mist that billowed out of his robe the whole time. ¡°Thank you, honored guest.¡± The Head Priest said and bowed his head, ¡°If you need anything else, feel free to contact us any time!¡± Krezolgok just grunted in annoyance at this show of submissiveness and climbed into the small ship. After the door closed behind him, he turned off his robe¡¯s cloaking feature and pulled back the hood. There often was a misconception about the Zulbano. People assumed that these hunters, these natural predators, weren¡¯t much more than sentient, cunning beasts that ferociously fought with claws and teeths. However, in reality the Wolf-Folk had some highly advanced technology at hand. Sure, it wasn¡¯t them who had developed it but other races, but it had become an essential part of their culture by now. They specialized in tech that allowed them to fight in cities as well as they did in the forests: cloaking devices, personal shields, lethal and non-lethal weapons and so on. Mind you, a Bultaz would never get anything like that, but Krezolgok at least had some basic equipment like the masking robe. While it didn¡¯t make him invisible or invincible, it still helped to obscure direct vision and veil his movements, giving his prey less time to prepare when he attacked. Also, to be honest, it also added to the mystic air that surrounded the Zulbano and ensured that the gossiping would continue. While Krezolgok waited for the autopilot to fly his ship out of the hangar from the Cetro¡¯s mothership, he thought about his next steps. ¡°The prey is hiding in the forests of Seavis. The location is to my advantage but I need some more supplies before I go there. The contact I had with the Cetro is one thing, however I should make sure to stay off the radar from anyone else or the mission will fail even if I find the rogue community.¡± The ship activated its QVT and soon entered superluminal travel. The young wolf observed the outside world slowly turning dark and then slumped back in his seat. ¡°The priest was mostly clueless about any specifics. Neither did he know the exact region the prey is hiding nor could he provide anything with their scent that I could use to begin tracking them.¡± Once more he growled. ¡°I need to check some inns and taverns for rumors then¡­ or find the other team that is looking for Techno Blood. The priest was sure they were UAS people and seemed to be hating them to his bones. I wonder how they managed to poke such a big Cetro community.¡± Not dwelling on this any longer, Krezolgok shook his head and grinned, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. No one takes my prey. Maybe they can quicken my search, but that¡¯s it. Their hunt will end the moment we meet.¡± *** A loud ringing shattered the silence of the night before everything turned quiet again. Half a minute passed before the jarring bell rang once again. Finally lights began to light up behind the open window of an apartment on the second floor in a housing complex in Nexus Haven, one of the better living districts of Rucasur¡¯s capital Seka. A third time the person waiting at the door selected the ¡°Calling¡±-button on the welcome screen, making the security guard flinch visibly. ¡°Sir, please¡­¡± The old man pleaded with all the courage he could muster. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can leave. Your service isn¡¯t needed tonight.¡± The visitor said, casually pointing at the twelve heavily armored soldiers that stood lined up in a semicircle and vigilantly eyed their surroundings. Four huge military UAVs swirled around them, securing the airspace above, and two armored vehicles blocked the road. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°B¡­ but there are ru¡­ rules!¡± The guard stuttered. ¡°Not tonight, my friend, not tonight.¡± The man said and smiled when he saw that the elevator inside the building was finally opening, ¡°Leave now. We only came for a friendly chat. No worries.¡± ¡°As you say, Sir.¡± The old man nodded and hurried back inside. ¡°Bennet, what¡¯s going on? Ringing me out of the bed in the middle of the night. And why didn¡¯t you answer my comm?¡± The woman exiting the elevator asked sleepily when she reached him. She was still not fully awake and wearing pajamas stitched with the extended periodic system. ¡°Sorry, Katlina, you have a visitor.¡± The security man said with an apologetic look and pointed at the door. Angrily she shuffled to the door and pulled it open. ¡°I hope for your sake that this is really important!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is, Mrs. Hutton.¡± Startled, the woman rubbed her eyes and gaped at the scene outside. ¡°Eston?¡± She boggled, ¡°Damn, are you trying to take over the building or are we going to war?¡± ¡°I hope for the former, but I fear it¡¯ll be the latter¡­¡± The officer said grimly. ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°...No, of course not! Damn, Hutton, you still suck at getting jokes.¡± Eston sighed, ¡°Can we talk inside?¡± ¡°Now?¡± The researcher asked and looked at her sleepwear. ¡°Yes, now, or do you think I came here to ask for an appointment?¡± ¡°That¡­ Ughhh.¡± She moaned and headed back inside. A few minutes later Katlina returned to the dining room, two cups of steaming coffee in her hands. After she sat down at the table, opposite of Thomas M. Eston, she motioned at her guest with a nudge of her chin. ¡°So, why are you here?¡± ¡°Are you aware of the research we¡¯re doing on Gaunus?¡± ¡°Yes, most of it is about weapons and other military equipment.¡± She said and scratched her head, ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡± ¡°That is correct. We are working on some of mankind¡¯s most advanced weaponry. Obviously that also means we have installed our best facilities and are housing the brightest heads. Have you heard of Prof. Aurelius?¡± Eston said, ignoring her question. Nothing of his relaxed attitude from before was left. ¡°The ancient researcher? Of course! What¡¯s with him?¡± ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± ¡°What? No, why would I¡­- wait; you also don¡¯t know?¡± Katlina asked with squinted eyes. ¡°Not exactly, no. He left Gaunus two days ago, we hope he¡¯s on his way to Rucasur. He has lots of connections here.¡± ¡°You wanna tell me the old geezer deserted from the UAS? Are you kidding me? He lived his whole life for the sake of mankind and the UAS.¡± She scoffed. The officer gave her a long, scrutinizing look and then slumped in his chair. ¡°He didn¡¯t desert¡­¡± Eston finally said, ¡°It¡¯s more like he fled the planet.¡± Not waiting for her to ask, he continued. ¡°He worked on a new Drel weapon we got our hands on. It took him weeks and months to get the energy-supply done and even then he had not a hinch of an idea how the weapon worked or what its effects may be. Multiple times he asked for more information from witnesses that had seen the weapon firing but was turned down by the facilities commander.¡± ¡°Ramones¡­¡± Katlina muttered. ¡°Yes, the evening before he left, Aurelius gave Watanabe, Ramones¡¯ second hand, a written report and warned them of testing the gun. He stated that the weapon¡¯s energy consumption wasn¡¯t only ¡°strange¡±, but above everything we¡¯ve ever seen in a weapon that small. His warning was brushed aside again and the next morning he was gone.¡± ¡°Commander Ramones is known to be¡­ brash and daring¡­ I assume Aurelius sent a copy of his report to the UAS HQ? What is your position, will you allow further research? The old man has worked on many alien weapons and isn¡¯t known to be a scaredy cat. If he drops the project it¡¯s probably for the best to listen to his instincts.¡± Katlina mused, more to herself than to actually voice a question, ¡°Wait, why are we even talking about this? I probably only know half of what is happening on Gaunus due to my clearance level and I¡¯m not even an expert in Drel technology. What is this about?¡± Eston took a long sip from his coffee and slowly placed down the cup before he answered and Katlina got the feeling that the man had just aged a few years. ¡°The UAS didn¡¯t get a chance to decide how to proceed. Ramones ordered a test in one of the secure facilities just this afternoon. It was ¡°just a handheld weapon¡±, as such he argued the risk was negligible.¡± ¡°...how bad did it go?¡± Katlina asked, her voice not more than a whisper. ¡°We lost about two thirds of the complex.¡± Eston said heavily, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the testing site, I mean the whole outpost. It was the Drel weapon your son had seen once. It ignored the strengthened materials used to build the testing site and directly ripped space apart. The whole building and four adjacent facilities were completely erased from existence; the following water inrush did the rest. We lost five of our best research teams with ten people each as well as 350 soldiers, workers and civilians.¡± For a long time both of them remained silent, processing the aftermath of the disaster. ¡°Why are you telling me all this, Mr. Eston. I¡¯m just the head of some backwater museum¡­¡± Katlina finally muttered while her mind was still trying to process what she had learned just now. ¡°You know where the weapon came from?¡± Eston asked in return and her eyes went wide. ¡°Tulward¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Robin Tulward brought it from the Drel outpost he found. While Watanabe died in the accident, Ramones survived. Now he is pointing towards the civilian who smuggled this weapon of mass destruction into a UAS facility.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit!¡± Katlina stood up and shouted enraged, ¡°First of all we allowed him to keep the gun and secondly, I¡¯m fairly certain that Robin or at least my son would have reported the weapon¡¯s nature after their encounter with the pirates. How can Ramones think he will get away with shifting the blame simply like that! No one will believe this fairytale.¡± ¡°Huhhh¡­¡± Eston sighed deeply. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the UAS buys this story?¡± ¡°Of course not, but Tulward has stretched his dealings with the UAS. There are factions that are very unhappy with how much leeway he got. He also ignored a direct recall-order after leaving the Mereus Cluster and this disaster is the perfect excuse to put him in a dark cell. Bolster is pushing me hard. I don¡¯t know if I can protect the boy when he returns to the Cluster.¡± With a stern face Katlina inspected the weary UAS official. ¡°Once again: Why are you here?¡± ¡°People are asking questions, good questions, and I¡¯m no longer in a position to leave them unanswered. I need to understand what Tulward is up to and you are the person who had the most contact with him. If you want to help him, help me leaving no stone unturned. I need to know everything about him - from how he got the map to the exact nature of his G-Anomaly all the way to what''s going on with the chip in his head.¡± Chapter 113 - Completely stunned and oblivious to everything around them, Robin, Landom and Patience stood atop the small hill and looked down into the forest. They had been wrong, the scenery didn¡¯t change at all compared to before. Even here, huge trees grew like hands grasping for the sky above while the ground was unnaturally tidy and only a single green island made of shrubs and small bushes could be seen. This island however attracted the group¡¯s attention. It was quite the sight: a few trees had been toppled over, leaving a hole in the foliage above. The sun, Goya, was shining with its eerie light, illuminating the glade in different shades of red. And even though Robin could only guess most of this play of colors, he was completely captivated by the enchanting scene. It was as if all this was an elaborate setup with just one purpose: Crafting the most perfect environment for the huge alien¡­ thing resting in the center of the green island. The black behemoth was oval shaped, like the shell of a turtle, and rested on four thick legs at least 40 meters above the ground. The legs each were more than 15 meters wide at the bottom, slowly thinning towards the upper end where they were connected to the main part. The central body alone was roughly 60 meters long, 45 meters wide and 20 meters high and, like the rest, made of a dull black metal with many rough edges. At its side it had two small wing-like protrusions sticking out. The whole thing was completely encased in the black metal and windows couldn¡¯t be found, but Robin spotted a few shutters which could be hiding them. ¡°Just what is this thing¡­¡± Landom muttered, enthralled by the scene in front of him. ¡°That must be a spaceship, right? That doesn¡¯t look like a building at all!¡± Patience exclaimed and tilted her head, ¡°But I can¡¯t see any thrusters. Maybe it¡¯s some kind of ¡®Walker¡¯? Running around on those huge legs¡­¡± ¡°No, that should be a spaceship. It¡¯s too big to be a planetary vehicle.¡± Robin whispered in awe. He had completely fallen in love with the ship¡¯s design the moment he laid eyes on it. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s both? It walks on the ground as long as it stays on a planet but can still take off and do some space-traveling if needed.¡± Patience suggested. ¡°That¡¯s not the main question right now.¡± Landom interrupted her guessing game, ¡°I¡¯m more concerned who¡¯s ship that is¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the style.¡± Robin said without taking his eyes off the ship, ¡°But it should have been here for a long time. Just look how some of the smaller trees are growing around it. It must have stayed here for years and years.¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s abandoned?¡± Patience asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty certain no one is living here, yeah.¡± Robin nodded. ¡°I do agree.¡± Landom said, ¡°This also doesn¡¯t look like a spot for a trap¡­¡± ¡°You are saying¡­¡± Patience began and slowly looked from one to the other, ¡°The SOS was actually just that? An SOS from an old, maybe crashed or broken ship? Great! This whole trip was for naught then?¡± ¡°What?¡± Robin yelped and finally looked at his friend, ¡°Are you crazy? This is absolutely amazing! We may have found a lost ship from an unknown or forgotten race! Can you believe this?¡± ¡°Well, while I¡¯m inclined to celebrate with you,¡± Landom interjected, ¡°I¡¯d like to remind you about our reason for coming here. While it may be an interesting discovery from a historical or maybe even scientific perspective, we¡¯re still stuck on this planet, about to be attacked and need a plan to escape our pursuers, do you remember?¡± ¡°Maybe we can just use this ship to flee the planet. I doubt any of us are sentimentally attached to the Hubble.¡± Patience suggested, clearly trying to salvage this otherwise wasted trip. ¡°Do you really think this ship is still working? Fat chance!¡± Robin waved her off, ¡°Why would they have left it here to rot then? Some critical parts must be broken.¡± ¡°We still should take a look.¡± Landom said, ¡°Maybe we get lucky. We still know too little.¡± ¡°Of course we will go down there!¡± Robin exclaimed and began to descend the slope. There was no way he would leave this marvelous piece behind without first examining it from top to bottom. Landom followed behind him while he vigilantly observed their surroundings, his weapon at the ready. Excitement rose in Robin while he closed in on the ship. This discovery was huge and he felt a bit like back on Ruca II when he finally found the Drel outpost. However, he also had learned to keep a calm mind in situations like that. Last time he lost focus at some point and didn¡¯t notice that his oxygen was about to run out; no need to make the same mistakes twice and rush things. The constant itching from his passive sense reminded him that the storm was still at full power - they had time. When he reached the bottom of the small hill, Robin turned around and surveyed his surroundings. Landom stood beside him, also maintaining a vigilant stance. A few of the big trees grew here and there and while you could probably even hide a small ship behind the thick trunks, it wasn¡¯t likely. He also couldn¡¯t spot any clusters of holes in their vicinity. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ve left their territory?¡± The alien ship was a few hundred meters ahead of him, snuggled in the shrubs that formed the green island in the otherwise barren forest. Now that he had left his elevated position on the hill, the ship appeared even more enormous. The four legs alone were bigger than the Melody II and exuded a feeling of stability and safety. ¡°Just who had crafted such a beautiful ship?¡± Robin muttered and threw Patience a last glance before he continued to approach the ship. She lagged behind a little l but carried on, her eyes darting nervously from left to right. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡± He asked and looked around once again to find what was disturbing her. ¡°Huh?¡± Patience jumped up and quickened her pace, ¡°Yeah, just thought I heard something.¡± Both men gave her a scrutinizing look, but then just shrugged. They were pretty sure they were alone in this area, not even small animals could be found. Slowly the group crept closer to the ship and just as they were about to reach the first bushes, at least that last assumption could be thrown to the wind. From the midst of the green island a Stalker rushed out, heading straight for their position. It was fast, running as if its life depended on it and its maw was opened in a silent scream. Robin couldn¡¯t hear it, but he didn¡¯t need to as the panicked fear in its eyes told him all he needed to know. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Prepare to fight!¡± Landom shouted and raised his weapon even before Robin could yell his warning, ¡°Something else must be following it¡­¡± They quickly formed a half circle with Patience in the front to tank the Stalker¡¯s mad charge. However, when the beast came closer and noticed them, it screeched to a halt and fled to the side. Dumbfounded, the three watched as the panicked Stalker crashed head first into one of the huge trees. A loud, dull thump echoed through the forest and Robin winced from the imaginary pain. Blood flowed down the beast¡¯s head and formed a small puddle under its feet. Soon it stood back up and screamed once more, this time however, it was audible to everyone and Robin reflexively grabbed his helmet in a futile attempt to cover his ringing ears. ¡°Just what can terrify a Stalker to this extent?¡± He gasped when the scream finally stopped, but got no answer as the beast wasn¡¯t done yet. It stumbled back a few steps, took a running start and charged into the tree again. Robin, Landom and Patience watched in horror as the Stalker suicided in the slowest and most painful fashion possible. Time and time again it headbutted the thick trunk until it finally couldn¡¯t get up any longer. All around it the earth had turned red with blood by now. Robin saw its chest rise and fall one last time, then the Stalker¡¯s eyes turned dim. ¡°Burn in plasma, what the fuck is going on here?¡± He whispered in shock and looked at his friends. Landom also seemed shaken and carefully watched the bushes from which the Stalker had first emerged. ¡°I don¡¯t like it here!¡± Patience said. Her eyes erratically flitted from bush to bush and she was even more nervous than Robin. ¡°We¡¯ll quickly leave after we¡¯ve checked out the ship, okay?¡± Robin said and looked at the man next to him, ¡°Do you think it really was hunted?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s been a few minutes by now. If there was a pursuer it would¡¯ve long reached us. It seems like the beast was mentally unstable somehow. Maybe something psychodelic?¡± ¡°Like from eating the wrong mushroom? Maybe.¡± Robin shrugged, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up, I don¡¯t wanna stay here longer than necessary. With careful steps the group moved forward and it didn¡¯t take them long before they finally found themselves next to the closest of the ship¡¯s legs. ¡°I don¡¯t even recognize the material¡­¡± Landom marveled as he touched the cold metal. Patience stood a few steps behind them, clearly more wary of their surroundings than interested in the ship. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Robin said and inspected the craftsmanship more closely. It was as if the hull had two layers. The outer one was made from a dull metal-like material that was cut into pieces and then attached like armor plates. It looked like a rough crafting technique at first but the pieces matched together perfectly, even if some edges protruded here and there. It wasn¡¯t sloppy work, Robin realized, but a skillful technique needed for the legs to retain their mobility when moving. Through little gaps between the plates he could see the glint of the second layer made of a polished metal. It was too dark to make out any details though. Robin looked around and felt really small under this huge ship. He still couldn¡¯t see any kind of command bridge, windows or at least some thrusters but he was convinced that this definitely was a ship made for space-travel. ¡°Give me a moment and keep an eye open!¡± Robin instructed and sat down. He wanted to check the ship with his G-Anomaly. Maybe he would learn something if there was a little energy left in its systems. After he closed his eyes, Robin first checked the feedback from his passive skill. The high ambient energy level and the raging storm in the sky made this a futile attempt however. Next he used his active sense and concentrated on the ship¡¯s main body 40 meters above him. It was just in his reach after his gene-repair session on Seavis and should do the trick. Robin had spent countless hours by now on training his ability to filter out unwanted energy sources. However the image in his mind was flooded with a blue hue instantly, representing the chaotic energies created by the storm. He needed six attempts before he finally managed to fade them out and everything turned dark again. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything left¡­¡± He muttered and took a deep breath. Focusing on a random point of the ship above him, he looked for any blue lines to form before his inner eye. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Switching to another spot, he tried again¡­ and again¡­ and again¡­ ¡°Nope, nothing.¡± He said with disappointment. ¡°Was a long shot anyways.¡± Landom said, ¡°If it crashed here years ago, there is most likely no generator active anymore.¡± Robin knew that as well, but what Landom didn¡¯t know was that his senses were so sensitive by now, that he could find low-level systems powered by emergency supply and maybe even bits and pieces of residual energies. However, this ship was just dead. Time had killed all backup systems and no energy signatures remained. ¡°Ugh.. you are probably right.¡± Robin sighed, ¡°So, it¡¯s dead. No entry in sight and without special equipment, this wreck will remain a closed treasure chest, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Landom said, ¡°Sorry, Captain. I know you¡¯ve wished for more.¡± ¡°Maybe the ship belongs to the Keeper, then you would never be able to sense anything without painting the whole ship first.¡± Patience joked. ¡°By the way, why is that a thing?¡± Landom asked intrigued, ¡°Why did you need to paint the monolith?¡± ¡°When I feel energy, it¡¯s like painting a picture with blue colors in my mind. ?ther however is colored in black. So with black lines on a black surface, I see shit. Same if I close my eyes and only paint a ¡®mental picture¡¯.¡± Robin explained. ¡°I¡¯m no expert in these kinds of G-Anomalies, I¡¯m obviously more into modification of body parts.¡± Landom said, ¡°But that¡¯s not how it works, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Robin asked. ¡°Well, the blue or black lines are nothing but a visual representation of what your body is sensing, created by your mind, right? So shouldn¡¯t you be able to, well, change the colors? Like: ¡®I want to see energy in green and ?ther in red¡¯ or something?¡± Robin abruptly opened his eyes and blankly stared at Landom. ¡°It can¡¯t be that easy, can it?¡± ¡°Uhm, as I said I¡¯m no expert. But that is how it works with other mind-based mutations I¡¯ve heard of. Didn¡¯t Timothy tell you about it? He should know more about these kinds of things.¡± ¡°Timothy has some¡­ memory issues right now. But, you¡¯re telling me¡­¡± While Robin didn¡¯t know what to say, Patience was laughing her ass off. ¡°You should see your face!¡± She said, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, ¡°Rob, you are such a moron! I always knew it, but the extent of it never ceases to amaze me!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Robin cursed, annoyed by his own negligence. In a flight of anger he sent out an Echo-Pulse, fueled by his frustration. His head nearly exploded from the overstimulation and he sank to his knees. However, suddenly the image in his mind began to brighten up; the dark void glowed in a dim blue hue, representing the all-encompassing ambient energy. What really upset Robin, however, was that the color actually began to change from blue to green. ¡°You are kidding me!¡± He muttered as he observed the dark space filling with green light nearly everywhere. Only the area occupied by the spaceship remained dark, as if no energy managed to penetrate its hull. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Robin mused. ¡°What is it?¡± Landom wanted to know. ¡°The ship, it¡¯s shielded somehow. The whole ship is just one dark spot to my-¡± He stopped. Just as the snapshot from the quick Echo-Pulse began to fade away, he saw it: Small red lines formed all over the ship¡¯s body. ¡°This really is a fuckin¡¯ Keeper ship¡­¡± Chapter 113 - The Keeper Ship Chapter 114 - Lunatics ¡°Impossible!¡± Landom said with conviction, ¡°That is absolutely impossible.¡± ¡°Hold on a second¡­¡± Robin said and stopped Patience who also wanted to throw in some questions with a raised hand. Once more he closed his eyes and focused on the ship above him while he tapped into his mutation. Soon, his mental image turned into a blue fog, only leaving a blank space at the exact spot where the ship began. If his range was a little bigger or the ship smaller, he would be able to see the whole vessel¡¯s shape as a void in a sea of blue fog. ¡°Green for energy, red for ?ther. Green for energy, red for ?ther. Green for¡­¡± He repeated it like a mantra and only a short while later the image changed color, immersing everything in a bright green hue. ¡°So far so good¡­¡± Next he concentrated on filtering out all ambient energy. It took him longer than last time as he still had to keep chanting his little mantra but after some time, the green haze in his mental image faded away. Only then did he notice the faint red lines criss-crossing the ship¡¯s hull. It wasn¡¯t much, but definitely more than just remnants. Robin wanted to look for hotspots and the ?ther source, however his skill soon stopped and the network of red lines faded away. ¡°Jup, this thing is powered by ?ther. Must be from the Keeper, there is no one else working with that kind of energy, right?¡± He said and looked at Landom who could only shake his head in disbelief. ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone else. But¡­ a ship from the Keeper themselves? That is not possible¡­¡± ¡°Why are you so insistent on-¡± ¡°No, now it¡¯s my turn to ask questions!¡± Patience interrupted him, ¡°How would you even know all that? Didn¡¯t you just say that the ship is shielded?¡± ¡°And I mean it. The ship is definitely shielded. Right now we have a high level of ambient energy but none of it is penetrating the hull. To my senses it feels like a hard cut between the hull and the air surrounding it. Normally it¡¯s more like the energy is slowly fading out, getting less intense the deeper it penetrates into the metal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure energy shields are active defense mechanisms, using the ship¡¯s power to create an energy net around the surface that disrupts any source of electricity that is added externally¡­¡± She mused, ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like this ship still has enough juice for tricks like that.¡± ¡°Well, there is running energy - ?ther, not electricity - all over its hull. However, it is so faint that I don¡¯t think its function is to shield the ship. Seems more like the metal from the outer shell has some neutralizing properties.¡± ¡°There are dozens of metals and alloys like that, but the problem is that they work both ways: no energy is getting in your ship and also none is getting out. That¡¯s why no one is using them, you are nullifying most of your systems like communication, scanning and so on.¡± ¡°But that only applies to energy as we are using it, or everyone else at that. But maybe it¡¯s different in this case and ?ther can pass unhindered.¡± ¡°Passive energy shielding? That is stuff from legends mate. You would render most scanning useless, disrupt targeting and tracking systems¡­ immunity to jamming and maybe even resistance to some energy weapons. All that without any costs? Holy plasma¡­¡± ¡°Landom, if the Keeper had such tech at hand, we would know about that, right? Do you know anything about the research we did on their tech?¡± Robin asked. ¡°That¡¯s my point all along: we don¡¯t know! Never before has mankind, the UAS, or anyone else gotten their hands on a piece of Keeper technology.¡± Landom said, ¡°There are a few Keeper Info Stations, yes. But those are crafted to fit our needs, same with the wandering Keeper we meet from time to time at the outer rims of the civilized territories. Their ships have a unique style but are basically built with parts from the UAS or the Drel. The first time I ever heard about Keeper technology that was not specifically designed for compatibility with non-?ther-users was the monolith we visited before. Everything else is just small handhelds or storage devices like the pyramid you touched.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be¡­ the Keeper have been around since the era of the Starborn, probably longer. Someone must have found some relics, ships or something by now, right?¡± ¡°There are theories about Keeper cities hidden far away from the rest of the civilization, unique ships running on ?ther and high-tech devices used to observe and monitor every corner of the universe. But that¡¯s it, theories and myths, nothing more. At least as far as I know. Maybe Keran and his people would know more, but I doubt it.¡± Robin sat down and thought about Landom¡¯s words. It was in line with what he had learned before beginning this mission, but there has to be more, right? It can¡¯t be that they just found the fuckin¡¯ first ?ther ship ever. The universe is so big and the Keeper have been around for at least 4.000 years¡­
  • Landom¡¯s explanation is coherent with the information in the UAS briefing
  • Theory: While it actually is unlikely that there never has been found anything before, we normally can¡¯t use their tech due to the dependence on ?ther. The Keeper are known to learn all secrets quite quickly. It¡¯s highly probable that they get back whatever is found before anyone has a chance to start a proper research.
¡°But now it¡¯s different. Goya is dying and the interferences are so strong that not even the Keeper can find a lost ship on Terulos.¡± Robin mumbled, ¡°What does this mean for us now?¡± Before his mind could linger on that any longer, he noticed a rushed movement behind him. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked as he spun around together with Landom. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I think I saw something move over there¡­¡± Patience, who had startled them by jumping up from her crouched position, said and pointed at a cluster of bushes. ¡°Stay here!¡± Landom said and slowly walked around the green spot, his weapon at the ready. When nothing moved after a few moments of absolute silence, he picked up one of the few stones from the tidy floor and threw it. Nothing moved. Step by step, Landom inched closer to the bush. When he finally reached it, he used his free hand to push a few twigs aside without lowering his weapon. ¡°Patience, there is nothing here.¡± Landom said after he peeked inside. ¡°I swear I heard something.¡± She pouted and still looked a bit insecure. The officer eyed her a moment longer and turned to Robin. ¡°Maybe we should hurry up. Even if it is a Keeper ship, it doesn¡¯t help us in our momentary situation. We need to prepare for the upcoming attack.¡± ¡°Okay, give me a few more minutes to scan the ship. Maybe I¡¯ll find an entry or something.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Make it quick!¡± Minutes ticked by while his head started to pound and he wanted to curse himself for not bringing a Mind Refresh with him, but how was he supposed to know that they would find such a treasure out here in the wilderness. The red ?ther lines were so faint, that he needed to stay focused all the time while using his mutation to not miss anything. At least he got better at fading out the ambient energy and the image in his mind became a little clearer. Robin could only sense the thin ?ther on the ship¡¯s hull. Even when standing next to one of its huge legs and touching it, he didn¡¯t find the slightest whiff of ?ther inside. He wasn¡¯t sure if this was because his senses couldn¡¯t penetrate the shiny second layer of the hull or if there wasn¡¯t anything else to sense after all these years. If he had to guess however, he would put his money on the former. If there was still energy flowing on the outside, there had to be a source somewhere inside, right? Whatever it was, it made his scanning a little less straining as he only had to look out for anomalies in the outer ?ther-net. With the slowly fading ambient energy it got only easier. After seemingly endless uses of his mutation, Robin finally noticed a change when he examined the last big leg. ¡°Of course it had to be the last one¡­¡± He grumbled even though the rising excitement pumped a fresh dose of adrenaline through his body. With renewed enthusiasm he concentrated on the cold metal he was touching and forgot everything else around him. Well it wasn¡¯t as if he had paid his friends any mind since he began to scan the ship, but he trusted that Landom would give him a warning if anything- ¡°Robin, this is Landom on the private comm. Do you read?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Robin sighed as the image in his mind faded away after he lost grip on his skill, ¡°Really, now? I think I finally found the entrance. It seems to be a locking mechanism not unlike the one we found with the monolith. Maybe a bit more complex but if we get Timothy here, I¡¯m sure we can-¡± ¡°Robin! We need to leave. Now!¡± Landom¡¯s stern voice rang through the comm in his helmet, ¡°Patience is getting more and more paranoid. I¡¯m afraid something isn¡¯t right here. Also, time is running out, we don¡¯t know how much longer the storm will last and we have to get back to the others and prepare for the attack.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Robin wanted to object but stopped himself and looked around. Landom stood a few meters behind him and he saw Patience nervously going from bush to bush, poking each with her foot before jumping back in fright. ¡°What the hell?¡± He said astounded, ¡°Hey Patience, how are you doing? Everything alright?¡± ¡°No, Robin, it¡¯s not! I already tried to explain it to Landom, but we are not alone here. Something else is observing us¡­ someone else!¡± She said with a whispering voice. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Robin looked at Landom who only shrugged. He then turned back to the ship¡¯s leg once more, gave it a quick scan and tried to remember as much of the image as possible. After that he stood up, walked over to the Security officer and switched to private chat. ¡°Damn, what has gotten into her? You are sure that she is imagining things? It¡¯s not like her to be so tense.¡± ¡°I have no idea, but it¡¯s probably for the best to get her back to the Hubble and put her through a full medical check.¡± ¡°Fine, this stupid itching is driving me crazy anyway.¡± Robin said and started to walk back to the hill they came from, leaving the amazing ship behind with a heavy heart. ¡°Itching? What itches?¡± Landom asked, confused. ¡°Nothing, just a side effect from my mutation that is reacting to the sto¡­ Fuck!¡± Robin stopped dead in his tracks and Landom bumped into him. ¡°Damn, what is it now?¡± ¡°The itching¡­ it¡¯s gone!¡± Robin gasped and concentrated his throbbing head to read his mutation¡¯s feedback from their surroundings. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good for you?¡± Landom asked, unsure what to make of it. ¡°No! That¡¯s bad.¡± Robin said and turned to Patience, ¡°Come on, mate. You were right, we have to get out of here fast!¡± ¡°Told you!¡± She yelled and quickly followed them up the hill. ¡°Robin?¡± Landom asked while he followed him. ¡°The itching is a reaction to the storm. Now that the itching is gone¡­¡± ¡°...the storm is fading? Since when?¡± ¡°I have no idea. I only noticed it now. I thought I was just getting more used to filtering out the ambient energy.¡± Robin said and fell into a light sprint, ¡°How long have I been inspecting the ship?¡± ¡°About two hours, maybe? We¡¯ve been here for roughly three hours total.¡± ¡°Shit, then we¡¯ve lost at least an hour or two since the first signs of the storm letting up.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Landom gnashed his teeth, ¡°Just hurry up and get us back!¡± *** ¡°I¡¯m not getting in there!¡± Patience hissed and raised her hands in a boxing pose, ¡°What if it is a trap? What if someone has sabotaged the ship and we crash to death moments after take-off?¡± ¡°Damn, you stupid Burlag. We don¡¯t have time for your paranoia. We¡¯ve to go back to the others before the storm completely subsides!¡± Robin angrily yelled and wanted to head towards her. However, a hand firmly gripped his shoulder and held him in place. ¡°Leave this to me and prepare the Melody.¡± Landom said with a calm voice. Robin threw him a quick glance and when he saw the man¡¯s eyes behind the visor, he remembered their talk back on Seavis. ¡®Trust your crew¡­¡¯ Slowly he nodded and climbed into the Melody. ¡°Be careful¡­¡± Robin muttered and began to boot the systems. ¡°Patience, you have to calm down.¡± Landom said, his palms held up in a de-escalating manner, ¡°Breath¡­¡± Step by step he got closer to the woman who stared at him like a scared animal. He saw her fists shaking, obviously Patience was fighting a fight only she could see. ¡°Hopefully she wins, I don¡¯t see us taking her against her will¡­¡± Landom muttered to himself and he tensed up a bit when he finally reached her. ¡°Now I get it¡­¡± Patience suddenly said with wide eyes and the shaking stopped, ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it? You lured us here to kill us when there are no witnesses around!¡± ¡°What? What the hell are-¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Patience yelled. Her fist flew forward and slammed into his chest with unstoppable force. The heavy blow lifted Landom¡¯s feet off the ground and he flew back more than a dozen meters before hitting the ground hard. ¡°Cough¡­ Patience¡­ Cough¡­ you need to-¡± ¡°I need to do nothing. Your little scheme was revealed. Now you will pay for betraying your friends!¡± She growled, being upon him before he could even crawl back to his feet. ¡°Patience!¡± Landom shouted, ¡°Think back to Sevastian. He is at the Hubble and needs our help. We are stranded here all together and we will leave all together. You, your friends¡­ your love. We are going home, okay? You just have to calm your mind and reflect on what you are about to do!¡± He tried to reach her once again and the mention of Sevastian actually did make her stop; her fist was already pulled back for the next punch, a punch he would not be able to stand up from no matter the enhancement his mutation bestowed on his body. Then, a menacing grin grew on her face, ¡°You talk about him? You wanna kill him too, don¡¯t ya? You fuckin¡¯ bastard, I¡¯ll blast your fucking face to pieces!¡± Just when Landom thought he¡¯ll meet his maker, Robin appeared behind Patience and the woman suddenly stiffened up. Moments later she fell to the ground like a dead log face first. ¡°Oh damn, that was close¡­¡± Landom muttered while he slowly stood up, still wobbly on his feet. When he looked down at Patience, he saw a syringe sticking out of her shoulder in the exact spot where the spike had hit her before and destroyed her armor. ¡°Trust your crew!¡± Robin complained self-mockingly, ¡°A bunch of lunatics are we, nothing more!¡± ¡°Well, to be fair, I did distract her long enough for you to knock her out, right?¡± Landom tried. ¡°Tsk¡­ Just grab her feet, we have to get her into the Melody somehow! I really hope Timothy finds out what¡¯s wrong with her.¡± ¡°Ugh, and really I hope she doesn¡¯t wake up while we are still on our way to the Hubble, sharing the seat in the back¡­¡± Chapter 115 - Battle Plan The Melody landed a few dozen meters away from the Hubble and before Robin even powered down the ship, Timothy came running over and entered local comm range. ¡°You are back! It¡¯s about time, the storm is subsiding! What took you so long?¡± His agitated voice rang loudly. ¡°Hey Timothy! Yeah, we didn¡¯t get killed by the enemy¡¯s trap, thanks for your concern.¡± Robin grumbled and shut down the remaining systems. ¡°Obviously. You wouldn¡¯t have gone there if the risk had been too high, right?¡± ¡°...you are massively overestimating our ability to assess any risk we are facing in our situation right now.¡± Landom groaned, ¡°Please go and get Sevastian. We could use his assistance.¡± They saw Timothy turning around mid run before he hurried back to the Hubble. ¡°Does he really believe that us walking into a presumed trap was a move with reasonable risks?¡± Landom asked skeptically. ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely that he talked himself into it so he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about something he couldn¡¯t change anyway.¡± Robin said and climbed out of the Melody, ¡°I hope the rest is doing fine. Everyone¡¯s nerves must be hanging on a thread. While we might have put ourselves in a potentially dangerous situation over there, the others could only sit here and wait for our return. At least we could distract our minds from the constant fear of being stuck here on this godforsaken planet for the rest of our lives." ¡°You may be right. While we had put ourselves at risk, we at least were able to act and do something. You should go first and check on the others, I¡¯ll make sure Patience is taken care of when Sevastian arrives.¡± ¡°Thanks, bring her into the Hubble. I¡¯ll have Timothy prepare the laboratory.¡± Robin said and hurried to the big ship. Now that he had thought about the situation of the others, concern began to rise within him. After entering, Robin noticed that the hangar looked different from before. Where Ang¡¯Tue had been meditating earlier a little scaffold was built, propping up the black BWT drone. Different tools and parts cluttered the floor. Robin even spotted parts that should have belonged to energy weapons once. On the other side of the hangar someone had established a supply station. Dozens of water bottles, packaged food and snacks lay on the table, all neatly sorted. Alena, standing next to the table, was holding a tablet in her hand and scribbled notes. As he could see no one else, Robin approached Alena while taking off his helmet. ¡°Good to see you back in one piece.¡± She greeted him, her face cold and unreadable as ever, ¡°How did it go? Did you bring everyone back?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Robin said and nodded, ¡°The good news is, there wasn¡¯t a trap. The bad news-¡± ¡°No trap no ship?¡± She guessed. ¡°More or less, yeah. At least nothing that would be of any help in our immediate situation. Also, Patience began to act strange. We had to suppress her to get her back here. I hope Timothy can find something.¡± ¡°Strange? Like what?¡± Alena asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°She became more and more paranoid, to an unreasonable degree.¡± Robin vaguely explained. ¡°Paranoid? Maybe she was just overwhelmed with the situation.¡± She shrugged, ¡°What do you mean by ¡°suppress¡±? I can hardly see you two restraining her against her will.¡± ¡°Well, she tried to kill Landom. I had to knock her out with a tranquilizer.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alena said and for a short moment, Robin saw a crack in her stern face, ¡°Uhm, sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have an idea what may have caused it. Let¡¯s hope Timothy can fix her.¡± Robin said and pointed at the supplies on the table to change the topic, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alena looked at him for a moment longer before she went along and dropped the matter for now. ¡°We collected all the rations. I¡¯m trying to make a plan on food distribution.¡± ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Robin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not done yet, but at least a week. If you get the power back online, we would gain access to the food generator again, which in turn will buy us much more time.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s hope this will become one of our more pressing concerns.¡± ¡°You would like our food to be a topic of concern? Is that your new strategy to get us killed?¡± Alena asked with squinted eyes. ¡°No, but if we need to worry about food, it would mean we have at least managed to overcome the impending attack.¡± Robin said with a tired smile and ignored her pointed remark, ¡°You have 15 minutes to finish here, then we will have a meeting to discuss our next steps. Where are Ang¡¯Tue and Happy?¡± ¡°They both returned to their rooms after Timothy declared the Hubble as stable. The old man was meditating most of the time and Niu behaved strangely. Sevastian ultimately sent her away to rest.¡± ¡°Strange? Like what?¡± Robin asked worriedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Alena said and put on a thoughtful expression, ¡°Happy wasn¡¯t¡­ happy anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on her. Landom and Sevastian shall meet with us here in 15 minutes. Timothy can stay with Patience. Landom is explaining everything we know to him right now, so his priority shall be getting her back to normal.¡± Robin ordered and wanted to quickly leave the hangar. However, with a lightning-fast movement, Alena grabbed his wrist and held it so tightly that it hurt. ¡°You nearly killed us today.¡± She hissed and glared at him. ¡°I know¡­¡± Robin muttered softly but didn¡¯t try to evade her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that you are new to all this and making mistakes is part of the learning journey. However, you¡¯ve started to make mistakes at such a scale, that any misstep will not only cost your life but that of your crew, too - mine and that of my brother included.¡± Alena said slowly, ¡°Till now I never said anything since you balance out good and bad decisions, always done with best intentions. Today however, you¡¯ve willingly put us all at risk for some potential scientific gains. I¡¯ll not remain sitting still if that happens again!¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Robin slowly nodded, ¡°I understand. I know that you all are suffering from my bad decisions. I¡¯m trying my best¡­ It¡¯s not easy, you know?¡± ¡°I do! That is why I didn¡¯t apply for a job as captain. I don¡¯t even think I could do better than you. But I don¡¯t have to! You are in charge so you have to be the one to make the right decisions. And those decisions should prioritize the wellbeing of you and your crew over everything else.¡± Alena said, her voice finally calming down a bit. ¡°I promise to do better¡­¡± Robin said earnestly, not blaming her for her outburst. He didn¡¯t think she was wrong, either. They looked at each other for a moment longer before Alena nodded and let go of his wrist. Robin only shortly stopped to have a chat with Ang¡¯Tue. After he was sure that the Eltaran was still himself and had not yet lost the fight with his inner demon, he walked to Niu¡¯s door and knocked. ¡°May I come in?¡± He asked. Immediately the door slit open and Happy rushed out. ¡°Robin!¡± She shouted and bolted directly into his chest, giving him a tight hug. ¡°Hey Midget.¡± He softly said and patted her back, ¡°We are back. You don¡¯t have to worry, okay?¡± Niu didn¡¯t answer but kept her arms slung around him. Robin noticed slight tremors running through her body and heard her sniffle. Once more he patted her back, not knowing how to react. For some time they stood in silence, one having an emotional breakdown, the other a social overload. Only when the door tried to close with them still standing in its way did Robin move. He carefully pushed Niu inside, guided her to the bed to lay down and sat on the edge. When she looked up, he saw her red, puffy eyes still glittering with hidden tears. ¡°Everything went well. There wasn¡¯t a trap but an old ship sending an SOS. We only took a quick look and immediately returned. We were really careful, if we had spotted any enemy activity or something else amiss, we would have turned on our heels and run without taking so much as a second glance.¡± Robin tried to play down the danger they had put themselves in. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe what the others told me after I woke up and noticed that you three had left. Going into a trap willingly! Just what were you thinking?¡± Niu sobbed and began to pound her fists weakly on his chest. ¡°I¡­-¡± Robin began but she interrupted him. ¡°I nearly killed us all and then you just go to the enemy to give him a chance to finish the job?¡± She wimmered and stopped hitting him, then tears rolled down her reddened cheeks again, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Robin didn¡¯t answer at first but he finally understood what this was all about. He hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but Niu must be under quite some stress right now and both he and Patience had left her here on her own. He gave her a moment to calm down. Hesitantly, Robin moved his hand to pat her head but pulled it back at the last moment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± He finally said. ¡°We crashed, the ship is a wreck and everyone is stranded on a planet that blocks any means we have to call for help.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Robin solemnly nodded. ¡°I am the one who piloted the ship!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded once more. ¡°It was my job to get us away from them safely!¡± Once again, Robin nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°and you did exactly that. If we had any other pilot, we would now be nothing more than rubble, smeared on the surface of Terulos.¡± Robin handed Niu a tissue from the nightstand and only continued after she collected herself a bit. ¡°If you want to put blame on someone, then it should be me. It was I, the captain of this ship, who decided to leave the planet but stay in a close orbit even though we knew that enemies may be nearby. I took unnecessary risks and endangered everyone on this ship.¡± When he saw that Happy was about to object, he shook his head and raised a hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter at the moment. I will reflect on the decisions I made today, but now is not the time. You did a great job, Niu. You saved all of us and bought us time to come up with a better plan. So let us use that time and prepare for what is about to come. I need you for that, okay? Please help me fix this mess¡­¡± Niu looked at him, her eyes still red but she had recovered somewhat. Robin felt uncomfortable under her burning gaze from such a close distance. It was then that he realized that he still sat on her bed and immediately jumped up. He gave an awkward cough and straightened his perfectly straight armored suit, before he walked to the door. ¡°We have a strategy meeting in a few minutes in the hangar. I would be happy if you joined us.¡± He said and pressed the button to open the door. Just before the door closed, Happy called after him. ¡°Robin!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± He turned around and saw her sitting up. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°No, thank you!¡± He gave her a warm smile and left. *** A short while later, Robin was sitting in the hangar together with Landom, Alena, Sevastian and Happy. The latter still had red eyes but looked a lot better overall. On a small table stood a speaker with a direct comm channel to the laboratory. ¡°Before we start discussing our next steps, I want a complete status report. Sevastian, please.¡± ¡°Sure, thanks.¡± The bulky man said and stood up, ¡°First of all, the ship: we managed to activate some small power sources. It¡¯s not much but just enough for internal communication and some lights. Before the Melody left, Timothy managed to make some quick scans but got nothing because of the storm raging outside. Despite its lost landing gear, the Hubble rests stable for now and can be used as shelter. Restarting the generator is our first priority, shields will come back afterwards. The third step would be another take-off. Without the storm and some straining of the remaining thrusters Niu is confident to get us off this planet. We do have food for nine days without the generator. Second, the crew: Everyone is assembled back in the Hubble. Ang¡¯Tue is out of action for the time being but assured us that he has his mutation under control. He is no imminent threat to us, if we believe his claim. Timothy, how is Patience?¡± The speaker crackled and Timothy¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°She is in an induced coma. Symptoms were extreme paranoia and a high propensity for violence¡­ higher than normal. Landom explained that she was injured by an unknown creature and may be poisoned. Supporting that theory is a Stalker the team met at their target location which showed comparable behavior. I¡¯m no physician and lacking proper equipment, however I''m running some tests right now that should at least reveal whether we are dealing with a poison or not. Don¡¯t expect any solution from me within the next hours however.¡± ¡°Thanks, Timothy.¡± Sevastian said and continued his report, ¡°Coming to the third topic: the enemy hunting us. We didn¡¯t get any new information on the enemy itself and still have no idea who it is, why they are hunting us or what ship and equipment they have. The storm is shielding us for now but it has begun to subside and will be completely gone in about three hours. Our timeframe in which we are confident that the enemy will not be able to attack is two hours at most. Timothy has refitted the drone and installed two energy weapons so we can use it as a defender. From the crew only Landom, Alena, Robin and Happy are able to fight. We have three energy weapons and more than enough ammunition left but won¡¯t be able to use the Hubble¡¯s turrets. In addition we still have the Storm XXC with four shots left in the clip. If the Melody II is armed, I don¡¯t know.¡± Sevastian finished and sat back down. ¡°Thank you, good job.¡± Robin praised and stood up, ¡°To answer your question: the Melody unfortunately isn¡¯t armed.¡± He sorted his thoughts for a moment and then began to explain what they had found at the location of the SOS marker. When he was done, everyone was completely nonplussed. Finding a Keeper ship out here in the middle of nowhere was the last they expected. ¡°I know it¡¯s a great find. Believe me, I would love to be there right now and examine it from top to bottom. However, whatever its state may be, we won¡¯t be able to make use of it with the little time we have left.¡± ¡°Instead,¡± Robin said and sat back down, ¡°let¡¯s concentrate on forming a plan to survive the upcoming attack!¡± With that, the two most nerve wracking hours of Robin¡¯s life began to tick down until finally a sleek green ship broke through the last layer of clouds. Chapter 116 - The Price Of Arrogance The red glow of Goya was already receding, announcing the day¡¯s approaching end, when an arrow-shaped ship slowly dived through the clouds high above the treetops. It was a sleek, medium-sized interceptor build in the style of the UAS with the original purpose of hunting down their enemies. Aboard the ship four figures occupied the cockpit and looked down on the planet below. ¡°Don¡¯t rush this, we have time!¡± A tall Ommih ordered, ¡°Last time you nearly blew them up by accident. Don¡¯t fuck this up again.¡± Like the others on the ship, he wore a green and blue colored armored suit. On a shelf next to him he had placed his helmet and weapon together with more miscellaneous tools needed for the upcoming mission. ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± The little Mohait piloting the ship answered stiffly, clearly not happy to get blamed for the failed assault from before. ¡°Mason, there should be only one of three possible scenarios awaiting us.¡± Another Mohait said as he stood next to the captain, ¡°They¡¯ll expect us to come here as soon as the storm subsides. So they will either attack us with everything they have the moment we get within range, they will try to ambush us when we board their ship or they will have fled long ago. Whatever it is, it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We hold the advantage and I intend to keep it that way.¡± Mason said, ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to take any risks just because your trigger-finger is itching!¡± Ummol, the Mohait next to Mason and his second in command, just grunted in annoyance. Soon, they had left the last clouds behind and vision was clearing up. Far down below, on the planet¡¯s cursed surface, they saw the endless forest stretching to the horizon in every direction. Directly below them however, was a huge hole in the green blanket of leaves. Three of these enormous trees had actually been toppled over, ripping a tear in the otherwise dense layer of treetops. They spotted the big Hubble resting amidst the trunks easily. ¡°Stop the ship!¡± Mason ordered. ¡°At least they really crashed and hadn¡¯t been able to continue their flight under the cover of the storm.¡± Ummol muttered. After they came to a halt, Mason looked at the copilot. ¡°Gutty, give me a full status report of the Hubble. How is the ship?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah. With all the atmospheric interference, even now that the storm recedes, it¡¯s hard to get anything definitive from down there.¡± The Mohait who occupied the seat next to Bekker, the pilot, said. He pressed some buttons on his scanning station and nodded absentminded. ¡°Power is offline, no major energy source detected. Also, the ship is massively damaged. Of the four thrusters, two are completely missing. No information on vital signatures, though. Maybe I¡¯ll catch something when we¡¯re closer.¡± ¡°Seems like your first option is off the table.¡± Mason laughed and looked at Ummol. ¡°That¡¯s better. If we had to subdue them with our ship weapons, I¡¯m afraid we would have finished the job by blowing them up.¡± ¡°Agreed. Bekker, get us closer and land at least 300 meters away. I don¡¯t wanna be too close in case they decide to self-destruct their ship to take us down with them. Gutty, do another round of scanning as soon as we are close enough.¡± Slowly the interceptor flew down to Terulos¡¯ surface and landed between two big trees that were still standing. Gutty quickly initiated another scan and inspected the readings. ¡°I can confirm that their generator is offline. The Hubble is pretty messed up, but it may not be impossible to attempt a take-off. That depends on the internal status. We would notice the powering up however, giving us more than enough time to react accordingly. Still no feedback on vital signs though, but the hangar door is open and I can¡¯t see their small ship. It may very well be that they have left already.¡± ¡°Where would they even go? We are their only chance to get off this planet if they leave the Hubble to us.¡± Ummol pondered, his face even grimmer than usual for a Mohait. ¡°Agreed.¡± Manson said, ¡°I expect some kind of ambush as soon as we are distracted. We have to draw them out first.¡± ¡°You are having something in mind already?¡± ¡°Yeah, go and fetch Siller for me.¡± Ummol gave a quick nod and hurried out of the cockpit. ¡°Gutty, man the lower turret and have an eye on the Hubble. Bekker will take over the upper turret to watch the surroundings after we have left.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡± Another Ommih asked when he strolled in casually. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re expecting an ambush and need to lure them out.¡± Mason said. ¡°Great, leave that to me!¡± Siller readily offered, ¡°I still have a bone to pick with those assholes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your feelings cloud your mind. Keep calm and you will be able to avenge your fallen brothers.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t let them play you like a bloody amateur again!¡± Ummol chuckled with a teasing grin. ¡°Fuck off! Our information on them was lacking. I wasn¡¯t prepared for a fucking invisibility-mutation. When did you ever hear of something like that?¡± Siller snarled, ¡°This time, let him come - I¡¯m his perfect match!¡± ¡°¡®Tsk¡­¡± Ummol scoffed but kept his mouth shut when Mason shot him a stern glare. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s group up with Vernes and prepare to head out as well.¡± *** You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A few minutes later, Siller stood in front of the ship¡¯s exit and waited for it to open. He checked his equipment once more and for the umpteenth time cursed when his gaze fell on the weapon in his hand. It wasn¡¯t bad, not at all. The sniper had a great range and its energy projectiles had enough power to easily penetrate any kind of body-armor, most personal shields and even some light armored vehicles. Still, it wasn¡¯t his Storm XXC. That weapon was something else altogether; not only did he prefer the ballistic ammunition but it also was the weapon he had used for most of the time in his career. He got it as a present when he joined the people he now worked for just after graduating from the UAS academy. After all this time he still remembered every kill he scored with it. The others thought he was eager to avenge his teammates - bullshit, he just wanted his weapon back, ripping it out of those fuckers¡¯ dead hands! Siller concentrated back at the task ahead when the door finally slid up. For a brief moment his eyes glowed red, hidden by his dark visor, as he swept his gaze through the forest outside. Not finding anything amiss, the Ommih jumped out of the ship and quickly headed for the closest tree. ¡°Damn, those things are huge.¡± He muttered as he observed his surroundings vigilantly, ¡°One could probably hide whole ships behind these trunks.¡± After he was sure to be safe, he moved forward and rushed to the next tree that stood about a hundred meters away. He repeated that twice and finally settled next to a 20 meters wide trunk, roughly halfway between both ships, while not in a direct line. Siller quickly took out some of his tools and put them on the ground behind him. He adjusted the little radar-like devices to cover his back and tested their functionality by throwing a small rock over his shoulders. Instantly a warning flashed in his visor, notifying him about movement in the surveilled area. ¡°I¡¯m in position. Roughly 150 meters from the Hubble. I¡¯m using a tree as cover to my left and the radar-scanners for my back. I left my right open to give them a vector to approach me.¡± He reported and lay down on the ground. With trained ease, Siller readied his weapon and began to sweep the area around the Hubble with a searching gaze through the scope, his eyes flashing red every now and then. Minutes ticked by and when there was no enemy movement even after half an hour, he opened the comm channel again. ¡°This isn¡¯t working.¡± He said, ¡°They aren¡¯t taking the bait and it¡¯s getting darker by the minute. You should head out yourself.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Mason said, ¡°It seems like they are waiting for us to enter the Hubble or are hiding inside themselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cover your back when you head to the ship. But don¡¯t forget your goggles, if the invisible asshole is inside, I won¡¯t be of much help.¡± Siller said. ¡°Acknowledged.¡± Just a few moments later, Siller saw Mason and Ummol leave their ship together with Vernes. The three headed through the forest directly for the Hubble and he had to stand up and walk around the trunk to keep an eye on them. A quick glance back to the interceptor confirmed that both turrets were manned and also observed the forest. Siller stayed focused and kept his mind sharp to not miss any suspicious movement. However, even after the trio had arrived at the Hubble and he was lying in his old place, he couldn¡¯t find so much as a trace of the enemy. ¡°Nothing.¡± He said, ¡°Maybe they really have fled already?¡± ¡°Or they are inside. Keep your eyes open¡­ and active!¡± Ummol answered and Siller could hear how irritated the Mohait was. ¡°You really don¡¯t like it if you have to rely on me to cover your back, don¡¯t ya?¡± He chuckled. ¡°How could I?¡± Ummol snapped, ¡°We all saw how great that went last time!¡± ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± Mason¡¯s stern voice stopped any further bickering on the comm. Just as the others climbed through the open hangar of the Hubble, Siller noticed movements in the depth of the forest. On the other side of the clearance, he saw a red glow in the shape of a humanoid figure coming closer. ¡°There you are, you sneaky bastard!¡± He muttered and stopped his skill. Siller blinked twice before he looked through the scope again. The figure was gone, the forest as calm and undisturbed as before. Quickly he tapped into his mutation again and after his eyes flashed once, the red shimmering shape reappeared. ¡°What a fearsome mutation. I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that before. The UAS will pay handsomely for any information I can collect on his G-Anomaly.¡± Stopping his muttering, he opened the comm and notified the others. ¡°He is on his way. I only spotted the invisible prick yet, no trace of anyone else.¡± ¡°Where is he going?¡± Mason asked. ¡°Looks like he wants to catch your back after you¡¯ve entered the Hubble.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Mason said, ¡°That means the others are either outside somewhere and can be kept in check by you and the turrets or they are hiding here in the ship. We can handle that.¡± ¡°Can you close the hangar?¡± Siller asked, ¡°If he can¡¯t get in, he should select me as his next target.¡± ¡°Roger that. Good hunt.¡± Mason agreed and moments later the huge hangar door began to close. Siller concentrated back on the hidden figure and calmly observed as it changed course and headed in his direction. ¡°You aren¡¯t even trying to approach from the side? Arrogant prick!¡± He cursed as he continued to watch. The red glow was the heat signature of a humanoid and while the guy could make himself invisible somehow, he obviously couldn¡¯t erase his presence completely. Siller let him come closer and closer as he moved directly towards his position next to the tree. 50 meters left¡­ The Ommih shifted his sniper from left to right, as if he was still searching for threats to not alert the enemy. At the same time he was looking out for any suspicious movements of the red shape that may indicate drawing a weapon or anything. 25 meters left¡­ Siller took a deep breath, let go half of it and adjusted his position. 10 meters left¡­ In one fluid motion, he took aim and pulled the trigger of his gun without hesitation. The weapon flashed with a bright red light and Siller deactivated his mutation. He didn¡¯t need it anymore. Only a few meters in front of him, a figure in black armor appeared, sinking to its knees with its eyes wide open in shock. ¡°The price of arrogance.¡± Siller said and a grin crept on his face when he saw the blood gushing out of the hole in the other man¡¯s chest. *** ¡°Damn, this sucks¡­¡± Happy sighed while drawing spaceships into the dirt with a stick. ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Sevastian growled, ¡°I should be out there, supporting them in the fight!¡± Happy looked at the man who watched the forest around them. Then she shifted her gaze to Patience who lay on a blanket next to him, still in coma. ¡°They will manage somehow. I¡¯m sure. You have seen what Ang¡¯Tue alone is capable of¡­¡± A shudder went through Sevastian¡¯s body when he thought back to the fight in the forest. He didn¡¯t remember much, but he could see the baleful black smoke as clearly as if he stood right in front of it. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said and shook away the dark memories, ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about Timothy and Landom actually. I really hope they don¡¯t mess it up¡­¡± ¡°I should have brought them there. I¡¯m the pilot, right?¡± ¡°Come on, Niu.¡± Sevastian said, ¡°You know that we can¡¯t risk losing you. If you get the same disease as Patience, we would be fucked. And in the fight at the Hubble, you wouldn¡¯t be of any help. You have done more than enough already. You¡¯ve literally saved our lives more than once. It¡¯s totally fine that you sit this one out.¡± Niu gave him a weary grin and motioned at Patience. ¡°She won¡¯t be happy to have missed this¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, she won¡¯t!¡± Sevastian agreed. Chapter 117 - The Will To Kill ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Robin cursed when he saw the sharpshooter suddenly fired at a seemingly random spot and Ang¡¯Tue appeared out of thin air. ¡°Old man, how are you?¡± He called over the comm channel, but didn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°He is too far away. On this damn planet communication is restricted to an uncomfortable degree.¡± Alena said with an impassive voice. She sat next to Robin high up in one of the trees surrounding the crash site, hidden away by a thin layer of leaves, and looked through the scope of the huge sniper. After she inspected the scene below for some time, Alena looked back at Robin who was about to panic. ¡°The old man is still alive, if only barely. The enemy is stripping him of his equipment. Seems like you were right: they try to catch us alive.¡± ¡°Burn in plasma¡­ This is not starting as we have planned.¡± He said but still calmed down visibly. ¡°I told you, as did Landom and my brother, Ang¡¯Tue is not only a risk to this operation because of his mental instabilities but he also lacks skill in an armed conflict.¡± Alena chided him. ¡°I know¡­¡± Robin growled, ¡°But you were there, too. You know it was impossible to turn him down.¡± She sighed and her tone warmed up a bit, ¡°Yes, you are right. He wanted to prove his worth. And while that is completely unnecessary, I can relate. However, never would I have thought that he would be this oblivious to the weaknesses of his G-Anomaly¡­¡± ¡°He never was hunted before. Sure, as an Eltaran he always had to keep his presence a secret. But never was someone actively searching for him specifically. Don¡¯t you remember his bad entry when we first met him in Dreamer¡¯s Hope?¡± Robin tried to explain and shook his head to clear his thoughts, ¡°If we get through this disaster, I¡¯ll talk to him. For now, let¡¯s continue with the plan and not waste Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s effort to distract the enemy.¡± Alena nodded and returned to observing the enemy. ¡°I could take out their sharpshooter¡­¡± She said, her finger reaching for the trigger. ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Robin stopped her, ¡°You would give away our presence and position. We need to get the most out of it before we are found.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Alena grudgingly agreed. It wasn¡¯t easy to hold still while one of your team fell into the enemy¡¯s hands but she knew Robin was right. While Alena continued the observation, Robin began to prepare their descent from the tree. Carefully he dropped down the stupidly long rope Landom had used before to climb into the hole in the mountain and prepared an ARA for each of them. Just as he wanted to tell Alena to go down, the woman suddenly chuckled in amusement. A rare sign of joy he only saw once, when she was fighting with her life on the line. ¡°The guy has stopped Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s bleeding with a stim and now cuffed him with Suppression-Shackles. He has dropped any kind of wariness towards the old man.¡± She said, ¡°Those things wouldn¡¯t stop him if he lets loose, right?¡± ¡°No, they won¡¯t.¡± Robin said and took the remote control out of his pockets. He looked at it, wary of its intended use. ¡°Just in case everything goes south and this thing doesn¡¯t work, keep one bullet left. We might be happy to have it by then¡­¡± He said with a low voice and stashed the remote again. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Alena snapped and swirled around. ¡°Ang¡¯Tue was unstable even before he got shot and shackled. It was you who told me, just a few hours ago, to prioritize the crew¡¯s wellbeing over everything else¡­¡± ¡°And he is part of this crew!¡± She hissed, still angry at his thought about killing one of their own. ¡°Alena!¡± Robin shouted with a low but stern voice, which made her pause. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen him fighting at full force.¡± He said with dread on his face, ¡°Even in this situation, where we are getting attacked by an unknown enemy that is much better equipped for combat than we are¡­ I¡¯m much more afraid of Ang¡¯Tue losing control than of everything these people could throw at us.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡± She asked skeptically. ¡°It¡¯s worse, believe me.¡± Robin said and handed her the ARA, ¡°Now let¡¯s get down there and make sure to kick these guys asses so the old man has no need to give in to his inner demon, okay?¡± Just a few minutes later, the two reached the enemy¡¯s ship. They had to make a small detour to avoid the turrets that were watching the forest, but since they mostly concentrated on the Hubble and the location of Ang¡¯Tue and the sharpshooter, it wasn¡¯t that much of a hurdle. Alena quickly took cover behind a huge mound of earth that had been created when Hubble skidded through the forest while attempting to brake with its nose. Meanwhile, Robin inspected the ship and its closed entry. ¡°UAS style, Interceptor-class. It¡¯s made for quick responses to emergencies and is decently weaponized. Nothing you would send into a big fight but definitely enough to catch any stragglers.¡± ¡°Do you think they are UAS people?¡± Alena asked. ¡°Maybe. We already know that there are factions within the UAS that have opposing ideas on how things should be. Perhaps one of these factions couldn¡¯t sit still any longer and send a team to finish us off.¡± ¡°That wouldn¡¯t explain their interest in the data from the monolith though¡­¡± ¡°Right and a few more things also don¡¯t add up. Of the three figures that boarded the Hubble one probably is a Mohait. They shouldn¡¯t know about this mission at all. It is a tightly kept secret by the human faction within the UAS. So, why would a Mohait be here?¡± Not expecting an answer, Robin turned to the ship and inspected it with his senses. Since he had come closer, he could feel the hull being surrounded by a strong energy that he learned came from an active shielding system. A quick Echo Pulse confirmed his worries when the whole ship lit up in blue. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Different from the air-compressing shield he had installed in the Melody II, energy-based shields didn¡¯t react to biomatter or slow moving objects. Only energy projectiles or fast bullets that contain much kinetic energy were intercepted. That allowed people to enter and exit their ships without the need of shutting down its shields, which otherwise would be a great risk in a combat scenario. For Robin however, there was another factor to concern. Time wasn¡¯t on their side though and as such, he didn¡¯t hesitate to shove his hand through the invisible energy bubble surrounding the ship. His eyes went wide and he almost pulled back his arm when his passive sense exploded like never before. It felt like his arm was asleep, prickling and itching without end, but multiplied by a dozen times. ¡°Damn¡­ fuck this shi-i-i-t!¡± Robin gritted his teeth and concentrated on the metal surface he was touching. He needed to close his eyes to be able to activate his skill at all and even then, it took him three attempts until he finally got a rough image of the door¡¯s schematics. After identifying the lock¡¯s location, Robin switched to his newest skill and reduced the resistance of the mechanism that kept the door shut. After bypassing the authentication check the magnets inside the frame were powered up and began to pull open the heavy door. Immediately he stepped back and scratched his arm. ¡°This skill is nuts¡­ fuck!¡± He cursed, ¡°Alena, check the situation.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± She said and put down the sniper, hiding it behind another dirt mound. Straining her ears, she listened to any noises she could hear through the helmet and also touched the metal floor inside the ship. After a few seconds she nodded at him and jumped through the door. ¡°Clear, no one is coming. I could only feel some slight movements in the front of the ship. No information on their numbers, though.¡± Robin nodded and also climbed into the ship, following Alena towards the cockpit. His pulse was rising again. He knew what the next step would be and despite having more than enough time to mentally prepare himself, Robin couldn¡¯t shake off the fear crawling up his spine. He tightened the grip on his energy weapon and tried to concentrate on one specific thought: we cannot risk being stuck on this planet! They encountered no closed doors on their way to the ship¡¯s front and soon peeked around a corner to observe the situation in the cockpit. There were only two seats, one for the pilot and one for the copilot. Both were occupied by a Mohait, who focused on the visuals of the turrets and the continuous scan results from the Hubble. They neither noticed that someone had boarded their ship, nor that Alena and Robin were slowly sneaking up from behind. Robin gave his weapon one last check and looked over at Alena to wait for her sign. She had already pulled out her sword and nodded first at Robin then at the Mohait sitting on the left, then she slowly moved to the guy in the right seat. When they were just a meter behind their oblivious targets, Alena gave him another firm nod and rushed forward in one fluid motion, her sword raised. Robin also reacted and jumped forward. However, he let go of his weapon and instead took the surprised Mohait in a strong chokehold. Having the seat¡¯s headrest between himself and the enemy, he could put on much more pressure than the small enemy could fight against. That however didn¡¯t discourage him from trying and the Mohait instantly began to thrash around wildly. The fear of death and the panic due his lack of air pumped adrenaline into his body, giving him strength to fight back. It was no use, though. Robin didn¡¯t let off and clamped his arm around the guy¡¯s throat like a vice. His mind raced with thoughts and panic also surged when the guy didn¡¯t stop struggling. ¡°That was a stupid idea, damn it! I should have just shot him and gotten it over with... fuck.¡± At the last moment, Robin had reconsidered his approach and decided to just knock out the Mohait - no need to kill the guy when there was such a good opportunity to take a prisoner, right? But even if he wasn¡¯t trying to kill him, the man was fighting for his life under his tight grip and Robin realized that his hesitation to kill just made everything worse. This needed to be done, it was the only sensible way. He looked over at Alena, panic and shame mixed on his face. It took her only a moment to act. Suddenly she stood directly in front of the Mohait, looking at the struggling and squirming enemy first, then at Robin. After observing his panic-stricken face for a moment, she reached out for the Mohait¡¯s head. Still firmly held by Robin, she gave it an abrupt twist. Immediately the struggling stopped and Robin felt the man slump down. The head now rested on his arm, wobbling from side to side after having lost its stability because of the broken neck. In a daze, Robin let go and stumbled back. When he reached the wall, he slowly sank down and tried to stop the shaking of his hands. ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t¡­ I thought¡­¡± He stammered without finishing the sentence. ¡°You thought ¡®Why should I kill him, if I could knock him out¡¯?¡± Alena softly asked and crouched down next to him. ¡°There is no shame in feeling revulsion towards killing.¡± She continued, ¡°It¡¯s not easy to take a life and even harder, if you not only have to pull a trigger from a distance away but do it with your own bare hands.¡± ¡°I thought we could take him prisoner¡­¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Alena said, ¡°But you need skill and training to knock someone out with the method you tried. What you did was just prolonging his suffering, giving him a slow and cruel death.¡± ¡°You could have done it, right? Maybe there would have been a chance if we had planned better¡­¡± Robin muttered as guilt gnawed on his conscience. ¡°I could, but I didn¡¯t.¡± Alena said and stood back up, ¡°Let¡¯s assume we¡¯ve knocked him out, then what? Will you leave him here on the ship? What if he wakes up and uses the turret to kill us? Taking him with us also wouldn¡¯t have been an option and leaving one of us here to guard him would have been even less feasible.¡± After Robin had calmed down a bit, Alena turned to leave. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, Robin. Despite what I said earlier today, I know that you are doing your best while working way out of your comfort-zone. Right now however, there is no room for concessions. We need to win this fight or we will die a miserable death here on this godforsaken planet in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°I know, you are right. I¡¯m just not used to¡­ this. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Robin said, steeled his mind and also stood up to follow Alena. Together they checked the displays in the cockpit. ¡°Can we use the turrets?¡± Alena asked after she pushed the dead pilot out of the seat. ¡°No, unfortunately not. Like most of the other systems they are DNA-locked and only allow access to registered personnel.¡± Robin explained after he went through the screens, ¡°We might be able to find a workaround, but that will take much more time than we have right now.¡± ¡°So this ship is useless? Damn¡­¡± Alena cursed. ¡°We expected as much, didn¡¯t we? Come on lets-¡± Suddenly, the ship¡¯s comm crackled as a connection was established. ¡°No one else is coming. They are either hiding in the Hubble and will be flushed out by Mason and the others or they have fled already.¡± A rough voice said. Alena and Robin both froze in place not knowing how to react. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the prisoner. Maybe we¡¯ll get something out of him if we ask forcefully enough.¡± Siller continued and Robin threw a quick glance towards the man outside. Luckily the window was a one-way see-through and protected them from being spotted. That did only help that much however, as they couldn¡¯t answer without giving away that something was wrong. Before that became a problem though, Siller unfortunately noticed something else. ¡°Bekker? Gutty? Why aren¡¯t you manning the turrets anymore?¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Robin cursed under his breath and saw the man looking directly at the cockpit. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Siller¡¯s voice crackled on the comm once more, ¡°What have you done to our men?¡± ¡°How could he spot us here?¡± Alena whispered. ¡°Probably the same way he detected Ang¡¯Tue. Damnit!¡± Robin answered. Outside, below in the forest, Siller pulled out a pistol and pressed it at the Eltaran¡¯s head. ¡°You fuckers better get out of our ship right now or I¡¯ll splatter his brain all over the floor!¡± Chapter 118 - Desperation ¡°We should hurry up and get to him before he recalls the rest of his team. If it is only him, we still have a chance to save Ang¡¯Tue.¡± Alena said, using the local comm integrated in their helmet. ¡°Agreed.¡± Robin said and quickly hurried towards the ship¡¯s exit. It took them only a moment to get to the door and without much hesitation they both jumped out, taking cover behind the earth mound. ¡°Look who we have here!¡± Siller said, his voice now broadcasted to proximity comm, ¡°Put your weapons down and slowly come closer.¡± Robin hesitated but Alena gave him a nod. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°You have a plan?¡± Robin asked while he threw his weapon over the little wall. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Alena said while she, too, threw her sword away. With her foot however, she pulled the hidden sniper closer. ¡°Can you call ROMAS?¡± She asked. ¡°No, we are too far away and even if I could reach him, the hangar door is closed.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need a distraction¡­¡± Alena muttered. While the two had their silent discussion, Siller had yanked Ang¡¯Tue to his feet. ¡°You fuckin¡¯ bastards, you killed Gutty and Bekker!¡± He raged, ¡°I really hope Mason will let me kill you slowly and painfully!¡± ¡°No one will kill anyone, right Mr. Tulward?¡± A new voice joined the channel, stern and controlled but Robin still noticed the anger and annoyance in it. Looking to the Hubble, he saw that its hangar had opened and three figures were marching out. Despite this rapidly escalating situation, Robin¡¯s gaze quickly returned to Ang¡¯Tue. He cursed in desperation when he saw small streams of black smoke rising from the Eltaran¡¯s eyes. ¡°Oh no, please not!¡± He wanted to call out to him, tell him that everything will be alright and they didn¡¯t need him to diffuse the situation, but Ang¡¯Tue was missing his helmet and as such lost any way to secretly converse with the others. He barely registered Mason talking in the background, having a wild argument with Alena. Robin only had eyes for the black smoke. There had to be a way to solve this. Unfortunately, they were still too far away for him to scan Siller for any electronic devices he could disrupt and create a distraction. While he was looking for a way out of the impending disaster, Robin¡¯s gaze dropped from Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s face to the man¡¯s hands. They were shackled in an attempt to suppress his- ¡°Wait, what if¡­¡± He mumbled to himself and rummaged through his pockets. ¡°Oi, put your hands back where I can see them!¡± Siller immediately shouted. ¡°Be ready!¡± Robin told Alena and slowly raised his hands. ¡°What is that? Drop it!¡± The sharpshooter yelled, not able to identify the remote from that distance. ¡°Sure!¡± Robin said and pressed the button in hope that the man had his mutation active right now. He had some kind of vision-based G-Anomaly, so he should be using it, right? Robin¡¯s question was instantly answered when Siller stiffened up as Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s personalized version of Suppression-Shackles sent strong arcs of electricity through his body. He had taken them from the old man earlier, not sure what the bracelets were used for. Now they electrocuted him from inside his own pockets. After a few long seconds, Siller finally fell to the ground like a dead log, his survival unknown. Alena, while amazed by the shackle¡¯s immense effect, didn¡¯t let the short window of opportunity pass and picked up the Storm. In one fluid motion she raised the gun, took aim and pulled the trigger. A loud shot echoed through the forest and Robin saw the chest of one of the figures far away by the Hubble explode in a bloody mist. ¡°Go!¡± She yelled and took aim once more. Robin didn¡¯t hesitate and sprinted toward the Hubble. Soon, he heard another shot from the Storm but none of the remaining men fell, instead one of them hurriedly took cover behind the crates they had placed outside. The other figure rushed forward, not unlike Robin. A third shot could be heard and this time Robin saw the bullet splashing up dirt and earth right next to the running man. Somehow Alena had missed a second time. Robin closed in on the Hubble and when he was about to meet the person running towards him, Alena fired her last bullet. While she missed once again, the man was forced to jump out of the way, away from Robin¡¯s path. He passed by, not stopping or turning around. That guy seemed to have some strange mutation and he could only hope that Alena would be able to deal with him. His target was the last one of the boarding party that had hid near the Hubble. When Robin came closer, the guy tried to shoot him from behind his cover. But since he was afraid of the woman with the sniper, he could only aim that much and missed all but one shot. Robin was hit on his arm but his armor took the brunt of it. He didn¡¯t dare to stop and rushed into the hangar as fast as he could. Only after he had found cover himself, did he return the fire. More through luck than actual skill, Robin managed to land a decent hit on the man as well, but he was disappointed when a light blue bubble appeared around his target, protecting it from any harm. ¡°A personal shield, great!¡± He cursed and hunkered down to be completely hidden by the shelf he used as cover. He quickly tapped into his mutation, searched for the crate and activated his new skill. Moments later the box blew up in a small fireball after the explosive they had prepared got triggered. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Robin marveled at the sight. This was the first time he found a way to actively use his mutation in combat. While he had gotten some use out of it in his fight against the drone-guy on Seavis, it wasn¡¯t anything as offensive as this. Unfortunately his little stunt wasn¡¯t enough to kill his enemy, which Robin realized when the guy opened fire even while his armor was still burning.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Burn in plasma!¡± Robin gasped and retreated further into the hangar, ¡°At least his shield is gone.¡± Moving to the second and last trap he had prepared, Robin crossed the room and hurried into the hallway with their bunks. They had pushed out one of the beds that he now used as cover before opening fire towards the approaching man. ¡°Go, get him!¡± He whispered to his trusted companion.
  • Connecting to BTW drone¡­
  • Connection established
  • Approaching target¡­
Mason, the man who followed him, stopped at the doorway and returned fire. Before ROMAS arrived behind his back however, the shots suddenly stopped coming. At first Robin thought he was reloading and used the time to send out an Echo Pulse to get a better idea of his surroundings. His eyes went wide when he realized that the man wasn¡¯t reloading but had pulled out a small object with way too much energy for its size. ¡°Grenade!¡± Instantly he began running down the hallway, sending Echo Pulse after Echo Pulse. When he saw the glowing orb flying towards him, he stopped and jumped into the room to his right. A low bang could be heard and then a strong wave of energy rolled through the hallway, making his passive sense tingle to no end. ¡°That wasn¡¯t an explosive¡­¡± Robin wondered, ¡°A stun-grenade? Damn, that guy is still trying to catch me alive. He is not taking me seriously at all.¡± As he didn¡¯t want to be trapped inside Happy¡¯s bunk, he quickly rushed back out into the hallway. The man hadn¡¯t come closer yet and just stood in the doorway, assessing the situation. When Robin saw the huge form of the UAV rise behind him, he could hardly suppress his grin. ¡°Good fight, mate!¡± He muttered and finally let go of some of his tension. ¡°Good fight?¡± Mason chuckled, having heard him, ¡°Do you think it is that easy? Do you think you are the only one with a trick up your sleeve?¡± With horror, Robin watched as the man opened his right hand and pushed it to the ground. Behind him, the BWT drone also crashed down into the floor. ¡°That¡¯s the real shit!¡± Mason madly yelled and, with some effort, drew a half circle with both hands. The drone, moving in concert, actually flipped sides and landed on its top.
  • Drone incapacitated.
  • Mission failed.
  • Terminating connection¡­
¡°Holy plasma!¡± Robin didn¡¯t need ROMAS¡¯ update to know that shit just had hit the fan quite hard and started running again. While he fled deeper into the Hubble, his mind was racing with dozens of different ideas - one more useless than the next. *** At the same time that Robin realized he had run out of tricks, Alena also found herself in quite a desperate situation. She had stayed outside, not leaving the little earth wall that served as cover, and tried to kill the remaining enemy. At first she thought she had simply missed him because of the flurry of activity all around or the huge distance between them. With the second shot she took her time, aimed carefully and calmed her breathing. The result was the same however, missing the approaching figure by a slight margin. She couldn¡¯t be sure, but got the feeling that he had actually evaded her bullet. ¡°A mutation of the reflexes?¡± She mused, ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t allow one to dodge a bullet¡­¡± She used her last shot to distract the figure as it was about to reach Robin. Once again she missed and this time Alena was sure they avoided the bullet by stepping to the right. ¡°What bullshit mutation is that?¡± She gasped and dropped the empty sniper. When the figure was just twenty-something meters away Alena saw it drawing a weapon. ¡°At least we¡¯ll have a proper fight!¡± She laughed and likewise picked up her sword. It turned out the following melee was not what she had expected and definitely not something to enjoy. Just a few minutes into the fight Alena was riddled with cuts all over her body. If it wasn¡¯t for her trusty suit, she would long be gone. The problem wasn¡¯t that her enemy was stronger, faster or more skilled than her, on the contrary, she beat him in nearly all fields. But whatever the G-Anomaly was that the guy used, it allowed him to predict each and every move of her, leaving Alena clueless on how to proceed. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not the reflexes.¡± She thought while trying to analyze the situation, ¡°He often reacts before I even move, as if he knows what I will do next.¡± She deflected a sloppy low swipe and prepared to counter, when the guy suddenly stepped forwards and foiled her attempt. Before she could react, the man¡¯s empty fist crashed into her side, threatening to knock her off balance. Alena quickly adjusted her footing and continued the fight. ¡°Soothsaying? Like scrying? Really?¡± She mused but dismissed that thought. That was far beyond what G-Anomalies could grant. Suddenly she had a realization and took a few quick steps back, disengaging from combat. ¡°You little fucker, you¡¯re a telepath. A frickin¡¯ mind-reader!¡± She thought and stared at the man. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± The man laughed cheerfully, ¡°You are really skilled with the sword, Mrs. Vlasov, if it wasn¡¯t for my¡­ delicate abilities, I would have long lost.¡± ¡°You are an Ommih? Never heard of a human that came even close to your level.¡± ¡°Alan Vernes, at your service.¡± The man introduced himself with a small bow, ¡°How about we stop this useless fight and wait for my colleagues to return? I¡¯m no advocate of torture, so I would be happy to stop cutting you up like a fish.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit.¡± Alena scoffed, ¡°No mutation is perfect and I¡¯m pretty sure that even yours has its limits.¡± ¡°Oh it does, but what price are you willing to pay to find out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know already?¡± She grinned and ended their conversation by jumping back into the fight. Alena wasn¡¯t bluffing and for once, she had to thank her brother for pestering her with his stories about crazy mutations and their effects. He often crafted theoretical scenarios in which two people were pitted against another, each having a different kind of rare mutation. Then followed hours of nonsensical discussions about what each of them could do to beat the other. Alena hated this stuff. Her mutation was quite basic, even if it helped her in way more fields than most other mutations did, in the end it was just a slight enhancement of her five senses. But some things she still remembered. As such she was not only sure that there wasn¡¯t a G-Anomaly for scrying, but even proper mind-reading was off the table. There were some rare cases in which an Ommih got the right mutation that worked well with their natural gift of empathy, leading to something like mind-reading but that¡¯s the limit. ¡°Even if he can¡¯t read my mind like a book, at least he is damn good at guessing. He probably catches glimpses of my intentions but isn¡¯t able to grasp complex ideas. I would have been long dead otherwise.¡± Alena mused after she blocked an attack and halted her advance. She observed her opponent¡¯s body to see if he reacted in any way to that trail of thoughts. He didn¡¯t and just attacked again. ¡°If it¡¯s like that, I know how I can beat him. But he wasn¡¯t wrong: the price will be heavy.¡± Not hesitating any longer, she switched from defense to offense again. Alan immediately noticed the change not just of the fight but of her mindset, too. ¡°Oh? You have decided to test the waters?¡± He asked while evading her incoming strikes. ¡°Just a small feint. I eat his counter directly and retaliate afterwards¡­¡± She thought, focusing her mind more on highlighting that one idea than the attack itself. When the opportunity came, Alena struck out and Alan happily took the bait. He knew that she was playing him, but he also understood that this could be his first real chance to land a proper hit. He trusted his abilities to evade her planned counter as he could already feel how she wanted to strike next. ¡°Going for the heart? Quite vicious of you he laughed as he deflected her vertical slash and stabbed at her. His eyes opened in shock however, when Alena didn¡¯t try to evade at all and literally jumped into his sword. Before he could even pull back his sword, Alena¡¯s blade slashed through the air, leaving nothing but a thin red line on his throat. ¡°What? But¡­¡± Alan Vernes didn¡¯t get any further. His eyes dimmed just before his head tilted and fell to the ground. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Alena groaned in pain as she pulled the sword out of her stomach and slumped down together with the rest of his body. She tried to crawl to the ship behind her to get a recovery stim, but before she even reached the entry, she lost consciousness and everything turned dark. Chapter 119 - You Won’t Like It Timothy intensely watched the cluster of holes in the ground a dozen meters in front of him and had a stun gun at the ready. Landom casually walked by the holes, seemingly oblivious to the dangers they concealed. The six holes were close together, the cluster stretching out for less than two meters. Even so, Timothy still missed his chance when suddenly a snake-like head poked out of one of the holes and shot a spike towards Landom. Before Timothy could even finish taking aim, the creature retreated and vanished from sight. ¡°Damn, what sneaky little critters!¡± He muttered and looked at Landom, ¡°How are you? Did you get hit again?¡± ¡°This job sucks! Without my mutation I would be done once more. Our suits aren¡¯t helping to stop these things at all.¡± Landom angrily cursed and pulled the long needle out of his palm, ¡°Have you watched the old movies with the lightsaber wielding magicians?¡± ¡°Uhm.. no.¡± Timothy hesitantly shook his head, ¡°I only know that the producers stopped after 20 movies before they had to admit that each one was worse than the one before and gave up the brand. While that was quite the significant event for the industry, I never had any interest in non-immersive movies from the old times.¡± ¡°You are missing out on at least a few good ones.¡± Landom said, ¡°Anyways, they trained some of their students by shooting at them while they were blindfolded to hone their reflexes and connection to the magic. I¡¯m feeling exactly like one of those students right now. Damn it.¡± Timothy looked incredulously, not knowing how to respond at first. ¡°That sounds like a very dangerous training method. Also, you aren¡¯t blindfolded¡­ and I could name you more than 100 reliable scientific papers that are proving that the nature of our G-Anomalies has nothing to do with what is commonly described as magic.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Forget it.¡± Landom sighed and stretched his back, ¡°Let¡¯s leave already. This thing won¡¯t come back any time soon.¡± Timothy, happy to change topic, hurried after him. They walked for about ten minutes through the forest, before stopping again. ¡°There is another nest.¡± Landom warned when he spotted the next cluster some distance away, ¡°Do you have any better ideas than using me as bait? No offense, but your skill with weapons isn¡¯t up for the task and I risk being infected every time.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Timothy mumbled but took out his datapad. ¡°I may have another idea. You probably won¡¯t like it, but it might help us to finally catch one of these little beasts.¡± ¡°Spit it out!¡± ¡°We already discussed the abnormal status of this forest.¡± ¡°Yes, everything is too tidy. As if someone with a big vacuum and too much time was on a cleaning mission. We noticed that on our first trip already.¡± Landom agreed. ¡°Right. I have a theory.¡± Timothy said and opened some of his notes, ¡°You see, not only is everything cleaned up on the ground, we also didn¡¯t stumble into any local fauna.¡± ¡°Except for these mole-things¡­¡± ¡°Correct. From what I¡¯ve learned, you met a Stalker last time that suicided in panic, right?¡± ¡°You think that these little buggers are killing everything that enters their territory? They aren¡¯t really persistent in their attacks though. We are only getting attacked once per nest.¡± ¡°These beasts are hunters. They shoot their prey to either kill it on the spot or poison it to ensure death later. They aren¡¯t used to intruders that can withstand their attacks.¡± ¡°That sounds plausible but isn¡¯t completely new to us. We assumed something like that from the beginning.¡± Landom said in confusion. ¡°Then let us look at it from another perspective. Where are all the dead bodies?¡± Timothy guided him along, ¡°I think we can safely assume that these beasts are the only remaining inhabitants of this area. While that isn¡¯t unheard of, it is still rare to find such one-sided ecosystems. They have to eat, feed on anything they can find. Because of these creature¡¯s small size, we have neglected this train of thoughts. But what if they are not only killing stuff, but also are responsible for deposing any dead beasts as well as any other biomatter they can find?¡± ¡°Like bushes, fallen branches from the trees and so on? They cannot take things the size of a Stalker into their small holes. They would have to feast above ground, but we never found anything hinting at that being the case. They would need time to clean up the bigger stuff, we would have found at least some partly eaten things by now.¡± ¡°Now you are on the right track!¡± Timothy cheered, ¡°But you¡¯re overseeing at least one ability that would allow them to clean up quickly enough to never stay on the surface for long.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°And that would be?¡± Landom asked skeptically. ¡°A surprise. First, we need you to get shot again but this time, you actually have to go down. Let them think they¡¯ve got you and sent someone to, uhm, clean up.¡± Landom carefully inspected the young researcher¡¯s face, looking for any trace of jesting. When he was sure that Timothy really meant it, he sighed once more. ¡°You were right: I really don¡¯t like it!¡± *** ¡°What to do? What to do?¡± Robin¡¯s mind raced and his thoughts erratically shifted from one useless idea to the next. ¡°Is it a metal affinity G-Anomaly like Jim had or is it something based on magnetism? Doesn¡¯t matter, first of all I need a better place to take cover.¡± He finally concluded, ¡°The storeroom!¡± At the end of the hallway, he passed the elevator that lacked energy and jumped onto the ladder embedded into the wall. As fast as possible he ascended the rungs and crawled through the hatch in the ceiling. After arriving in the hallway of the second level, he sprinted back towards the end of the Hubble, passing by the captain¡¯s quarters and into the cramped storeroom. The dim lights illuminated the big room that was stuffed with crates and technical equipment that mostly was brought by Timothy. Robin took cover in the middle, behind two big boxes full of refill canisters for the food-processor. He readied his weapon and observed the exit he came through. Behind him was another exit that would take him to the gym, but the door was closed; he would notice if the enemy opened it to attack his back. While he waited for his pursuer to arrive, Robin took stock of his status. ¡°Just a minor injury that isn¡¯t impeding my arm¡¯s mobility. Five shots left, two clips to go¡­¡± He mused and felt for the magazines at his belt. ¡°Shit, where are my other clips?¡± He cursed when his hand couldn¡¯t find them anywhere, ¡°I must have lost them while running away. Fuck!¡± He threw a quick glance around,but didn¡¯t know which crate might contain more ammunition. ¡°What else could I use?¡± He muttered and fired off an Echo Pulse to get a better idea of his surroundings. Immediately, blue lines formed all over the walls and the ceiling, highlighting the few things that were powered by what little energy the emergency generator could provide. ¡°Nothing¡­ great.¡± Robin angrily said and fired another Echo Pulse when the lines began to fade away. Then, he heard the steps of someone approaching from the open hallway and turned back to the room¡¯s exit. The blue lines of his second pulse were still there and as such he barely noticed something that may be of use, before a figure appeared in the door. ¡°Mr. Tulward, is this really necessary? You¡¯ve stood your ground and put up a much better fight than expected. But how about we both take a step back for now?¡± Mason said as he casually walked in. All around him, different kinds of metal plates were circling, from floor panels to the lids of some crates. Robin¡¯s answer were three well-aimed shots, fired in rapid succession. His enemy didn¡¯t flinch however and moved before Robin had even pulled the trigger. The swirling metal plates instantly formed a dense wall and blocked all projectiles. ¡°You are kidding me¡­¡± Robin cursed and jumped up to take cover behind another crate. While he managed to lure Mason deeper into the room, his next two shots also were blocked. His enemy retaliated by pushing aside the box in front of Robin. From another crate, the lid was lifted and a mixture of tools began to rise before they raced towards Robin like angry hornets. Most of them were blocked by his armor, but two screwdrivers still managed to penetrate his suit and sink into the flesh of his already injured arm. Robin suppressed a scream and stumbled back while looking for a new cover. Suddenly, the frame of the shelf behind him began to bend and Robin had to jump forwards to not get caught. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± He cursed angrily and hunkered down, ¡°Time to try something crazy!¡± Without hesitating any longer, he tapped into his mutation to manipulate the lights. As soon as the lights went out, he dropped the empty gun and took out a small knife, his last measure of defense. ¡°Interesting, how did you do that?¡± Mason asked with interest, not being disturbed by the sudden darkness at all, ¡°I¡¯ve read that your mutation is special somehow. But I thought that was only referring to your ability to interact with ?ther. We can learn so much from studying you. Wouldn¡¯t it be preferable if you were still alive while we conduct the tests? Maybe we can come to an agreement, I don¡¯t think you would like it otherwise.¡± While the man kept blabbering, Robin slowly circled around the crates in the darkness and closed in on him from the side. Just when he raised the knife to stab the man, something suddenly tugged at his weapon, nearly yanking it out of his hands. ¡°Pathetic!¡± Mason spat and stepped forward. With trained ease, he reached for Robin¡¯s hand and disarmed him. In the next moment, Robin felt his own knife being rammed into his thigh and pain flooded his mind. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Robin yelled and stumbled back. With clenched teeth and without touching the blade stuck in his flesh, he limped forward and out of the storeroom. ¡°This is just sad!¡± Mason mocked and slowly followed him. After just a few steps, Robin finally succumbed to the pain and fell to the floor. He looked up defiantly, not willing to give up. His enemy stood in the door, shaking his head in disappointment. ¡°You should have stopped when you had at least some dignity left.¡± Mason said but Robin didn¡¯t listen. He had the man exactly where he needed him to be and activated his mutation once more. Even while Mason continued his speech, Robin managed to find the sensor he was looking for and quickly bypassed the mechanism that otherwise would only be activated when a hull-breach was detected. The next moment, a loud bang echoed through the whole ship when little, directed explosions in the door''s frame catapulted the emergency shutter downwards to protect the rest of the ship from the assumed pressure loss. Mason, standing directly in its way, was blasted to pieces. What remained was just a red cloud drifting through the air and a heavy pressure-lock stained in blood. ¡°Huhhh¡­¡± Robin had to blink a few times until his mind caught up to the fact that he finally had won. Wearily, he let go of the breath he had held since forever and flopped his head on the floor to rest. Only when he noticed that his whole body was wet, drenched in blood and meat paste, did he fully grasp what just had happened. Ultimately, Robin rolled on his side and began to throw up without end. Chapter 120 - A Pact With The Devil By the time Alena began her fight with Alan Vernes and Robin vanished into the Hubble, Ang¡¯Tue found himself at a loss. His captivator had fallen unconscious and he was left alone, his whole body aching. The hole in his chest had stopped bleeding and by now the stim he got earlier had fixed him up enough to allow some movement. The pain still remained, though. Not just from his punctured flesh and bones but also from his swirling head. Before the enemy launched their attack he had managed to stabilize his condition enough to be able to participate in the upcoming fight, or so he had thought. He convinced the others to be the one who would initiate their ambush with the goal of taking out at least one of the attackers. That went¡­ not so well. The moment he used his stealth ability, the voice in his head exploded with full force, as if it had just waited for that moment. He had tried to complete his mission nonetheless, but wasn¡¯t able to get hold of even one straight thought. Like a drunkard he had stumbled forward with shaky feet, seeing everything through a haze, as if his mind had been dulled by drugs. In the end, that had led to him running into the open arms of his enemy and getting taken down like an idiot. ~This is our chance! ~Take the initiative and finish them all off in one fell swoop¡­ ¡°Just shut up.¡± Ang¡¯Tue cursed his inner demon, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have done enough already?¡± ~Enough? We haven¡¯t even started yet, right? ¡°You want me¡­ You want us to strive for bigger things? You believe that we deserve better than this?¡± He asked scornfully and panned his gaze over the battlefield. Alena seemed to have a hard time against her opponent and he saw Robin fleeing deeper into the Hubble after he hadn¡¯t been able to take out his enemy with the prepared explosive. ~We are born to rule! Together nothing would be able to stop us! ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡± Ang¡¯Tue spat, ¡°You nearly got us killed because of your unrelenting assault. If we actually had worked together, this would have gone very differently and we wouldn¡¯t be in such a bad state.¡± ~It is you who doesn¡¯t want to team up. Your resistance brought up this mess. Ang¡¯Tue slowly limped to the unconscious man next to him, crouched down and began to search his pockets for the key to his cuffs. ¡°You are an entity of pure destruction, that¡¯s not who I am. How could I team up with something like you, if you are dictating the rules?¡± ~So you are open for negotiations? Fine, I¡¯m listening. ~State your demands! ¡°No.¡± Ang¡¯Tue flatly declined, ¡°The fight is mostly done. Our role¡­ my role in this is over. I don¡¯t need you any longer. ~The woman doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s having a great time ~And do you really believe that this ¡®Captain¡¯ of yours is up to the task of taking out a trained soldier? Ang¡¯Tue looked over at Alena again and shook his head before he continued his search. ¡°She¡¯ll manage. I trust these people. They will do their part¡­ different from what we have accomplished.¡± ~Bullshit! They are nothing but baggage, dragging us down! ¡°You are one to talk!¡± He mocked his inner voice but then perked up, ¡°Ah, there it is!¡± He quickly used the key and unlocked his cuffs. Then he used one of the three stims he had found to further support the healing of his body and picked up his bracelets. Before he could put on his suppression shackles however, the voice once more spoke up. Less crazy and wild then normal, but strong and collected. ~This won¡¯t be your last fight. Especially if you really insist on staying with these lunatics. ~Let us at least make a deal now, so it may become the foundation of something greater in the future Ang¡¯Tue stopped his hands and tilted his head. After a short hesitation, he sat down cross legged. ¡°State your terms¡­¡± *** Over the next few minutes, Ang¡¯Tue remained sitting on the ground, eyes closed and lost in a discussion only he could hear. When Alena finally managed to defeat her opponent and nearly died herself, the Eltaran opened his eyes. Slowly he stood up and took the remaining recovery stims. Siller, the man who had shot him before, also woke up and began to look around disorientated. Ang¡¯Tue just threw him a quick glance, before he raised his hand and sent out a cloud of black mist that wrapped around the man. Moments later, the smoke receded back into his body, leaving behind nothing but a black puddle of goo on the ground. After he gave Alena a first aid emergency treatment and was sure her condition had stabilized, he headed towards the Hubble. When he was halfway there, he heard a deep rumbling coming from their ship and before he could wonder what that might have been, a second rumbling reached his ears. The latter however was more like an explosion and came from the Interceptor next to Alena. He turned around but couldn¡¯t spot anything amiss. Not letting himself get distracted, he hurried his steps and soon reached the Hubble. As he crossed the hangar, Robin entered from the hallway on the other side. He didn¡¯t look good at all, two screwdrivers were stuck in his arm and not only was his whole suit drenched in red, fresh blood still flooded out of a deep wound in his thigh. He wasn¡¯t wearing his helmet any more, which allowed Ang¡¯Tue to see his pale face. ¡°The enemy?¡± He asked and took out the last recovery stim. ¡°Dead.¡± The young man crooked with a raspy voice. ¡°Good, you did well. Sit down and recover for now. Alena also has won, she is heavily wounded but will survive.¡± Ang¡¯Tue said and guided him to a bench, ¡°Take your time, the fight is over!¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Robin looked a bit shaken and from his condition alone the Eltaran could deduce that his fight must have been quite the close call. ¡°He is heavily wounded, but that can¡¯t be just his own blood. What has happened here?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Intrigued, he left Robin to rest and followed the trail of blood deeper into the ship. After he reached the closed shutter outside of the storeroom, his eyes went wide. ¡°Seriously, what the hell has happened here?¡± He gaped at the bloody scene that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. Carefully he checked the airlock and when he got an idea where all the blood came from, he took a few steps back. ¡°Wow, that will haunt him in his dreams for more than one night.¡± Ang¡¯Tue muttered and generated another cloud of black smoke. ¡°There is no need for the others to create their own nightmares¡­¡± After a while he turned around and went back the way he had come. Behind him the ominous smoke had disappeared, along with the blood and gore, leaving the hallway in a pristine state. *** It was already deep into the night when the team finally sat together around a small campfire. The light threw long, ominous flickering shadows through the forest but no one felt uncomfortable. Timothy was back in his laboratory, already working on a cure for Patience. The others however listened to Robin and Alena as they took turns to recount how their fights played out. No one commented on Robin¡¯s reservations to kill the pilot, but everyone got wide eyes when Alena explained the G-Anomaly of Vernes and how she finally managed to defeat him. ¡°You are as crazy as ever, little sister!¡± Sevastian laughed heartily. ¡°Too reckless, way too reckless!¡± Happy chided her, but couldn¡¯t suppress a grin, ¡°Anyways, I would have loved to see that. Damn, fighting against someone who can read your mind and evade bullets¡­ that must have been awesome!¡± Then it was Ang¡¯Tue¡¯s turn to give a vague explanation why he was so stable right now. It told them he had come to some kind of agreement with his inner demon. The others became curious, but since he had every chance to betray Alena and Robin but instead made sure to keep them alive after their fights, no one pressed him to go into more detail or reveal the exact terms and nature of the pact they made. The time for such discussions will come at some point, when everything has calmed down somewhat. When Robin finished the story by going through the fight with Mason, which found its grand finale in quite a gruesome manner, silence fell over the campsite. ¡°How¡­ how are you?¡± Happy asked in a soft voice. ¡°Actually? Pretty good.¡± Robin said and really didn¡¯t seem too disturbed, ¡°I needed some time to process that I literally blasted someone apart and I''m sure that the images will haunt me for more than just a few restless nights. However, it was him or me at that point. There was no way around killing him and I was so outclassed, that I had to use every means possible. I think, at the end of the day it comes down to: It was the right decision.¡± The others remained silent for a long moment before Alena finally spoke up, ¡°Yes, Robin, it was the right decision and I¡¯m glad you did as you did.¡± The others all nodded in agreement and Robin gave them a weary smile. ¡°Ang¡¯Tue, thanks for the clean up by the way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. If I may ask - I heard a second explosion coming from the enemy¡¯s ship. Have you already inspected what that was about?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Robin said, ¡°Seems like the organization behind them really values their secrecy. Not only have the helmets of the crewmembers these kill-switches installed, but the ship also was bound to the crew. As soon as the last registered vital signature died, an emergency protocol was activated. It ignited a few small, but well placed explosives to blow up the ship¡¯s systems.¡± ¡°What? So the ship is completely done for?¡± Landom asked, ¡°I hoped we could use it as a backup plan if we don¡¯t get the Hubble back into the air.¡± ¡°Not completely, no. The damage is localized and concentrated on systems that had sensible data stored. Most hardware remained intact and we should be able to get some use out of the ship.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Landom said with relief. ¡°Hey, while we already know that you managed to catch one of these little beasts, you never told us how you did it.¡± Sevastian suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to infringe on your personal matters¡­ but I¡¯m pretty sure I saw you running around in your birthday suit when you returned to the camp. Care to tell what had happened?¡± The others had a hard time holding back their laughter and also threw curious glances at Landom who scoffed in annoyance. ¡°As we had assumed, Timothy doesn¡¯t have any talent with weapons. He didn¡¯t manage to hit the quick little beasts even on the third attempt.¡± He said and a collective chuckle went through the group. ¡°In the end, he came up with a theory based on the animal¡¯s behavior and the strange state of the forest. To validate that theory, I had to let myself get hit once more and play dead. After half an hour of waiting, during which I just lay on the floor and did nothing, a group of four beasts actually approached me. I noticed them only when they were nearly upon me and Timothy waited until he was sure that even he wouldn¡¯t miss. Unfortunately these damn critters didn¡¯t dally around and immediately began to vomit all over my suit. It turned out, they use some kind of acid to dissolve their prey to quickly get it away from the surface. I had to rip off my suit and return to the Melody butt naked while Timothy took his merry time to collect the beast he had stunned.¡± While everyone broke out in loud laughter, Timothy came out of the Hubble. ¡°How could I have known they would be so quick at their task?¡± He said defensively, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that¡­ well, okay maybe. But what counts is that we got the beast, right?¡± ¡°We will talk about this later!¡± Landom angrily scowled and Timothy flinched back. ¡°Did it help?¡± Robin asked, silencing the others, ¡°How is Patience?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Timothy said with a happy face, ¡°With the data we had and the beast at hand, I could create an antidote. Patience is sleeping right now and should be back on her feet in a few hours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you, man!¡± Sevastian cheered and took Timothy into a bear hug, not bothering his mangled arms. ¡°And you too, Landom.¡± He said after letting go, ¡°I¡­ uhm, appreciate your sacrifice.¡± ¡°Just shut up and go already!¡± Landom cursed and Sevastian immediately hurried to the Hubble. ¡°Thanks mate, great job.¡± Robin said and patted Timothy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do without you.¡± *** That night everyone was finally able to get proper rest, with Happy and Sevastian taking turns playing guard. It wasn¡¯t that they feared another attack but there were still enough wild animals and beasts out in the forest to not entirely drop their vigilance. Robin slept in the next day until loud banging on his door woke him up. ¡°Yeah¡­ coming¡­¡± He mumbled and rubbed his eyes. After opening the door, a blue haired flash rushed in and nearly knocked him over. ¡°Damn you little bastard!¡± Patience shouted after giving him a quick, nearly bone-breaking hug, ¡°I¡¯ve heard my training paid off! You really took out the captain from the other team? Nice!¡± ¡°Uhm.. yeah.¡± Robin said and awkwardly scratched his head. It wasn¡¯t that he had found much use for the close combat skills she had taught him, but the training probably helped to keep up the fight nonetheless. ¡°You are doing good?¡± He asked and gave her a scrutinizing look. ¡°Yeah, better than good.¡± She said, ¡°Well, a bit peeved that I missed the grand finale, but hey.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Robin said with relief. With all the tension due to the impending attack, he hadn¡¯t been able to worry as much about her as he would have otherwise. He assumed it was a closer call than he and everyone else was willing to admit. However, when his mind wandered back to the scene where he had to use the tranquilizer, he flinched. ¡°Have you talked to Landom yet?¡± He sheepishly asked and immediately her face sunk. ¡°No.¡± She sighed, ¡°No, I¡¯ve not. What should I even tell him? ¡®Sorry that I tried to kill you¡¯?¡± ¡°He had a few rough days.¡± Robin said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much of his strong, uncaring front is real, but I think he has a lot to go through. Go and talk to him. Just be yourself and it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Just be yourself?¡± She asked incredulously, ¡°That¡¯s your advice?¡± ¡°Yeah. You are great, you¡¯ll find the right words. What happened wasn¡¯t your fault, he knows that as well as everyone else. So, just be yourself¡­ well, don¡¯t beat him up, though. That might be a bit much ¡®you¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah fuck you!¡± She laughed and left his room. Later that morning, Robin checked on the generator and finally managed to get it back online. It was now on Happy to run all necessary tests to make sure to create a confident plan for their departure. She had allocated the whole day for that, giving the others some urgently needed free time. Since he had nothing else to do and half a day to spend, Robin soon found himself in Melody¡¯s front seat. Timothy sat behind him, his nose glued to a datapad. ¡°You think we¡¯ll get it open?¡± He asked. ¡°I made some advancements with my mutation.¡± Robin said, ¡°So I¡¯m confident to provide you with some solid data.¡± ¡°A Keeper ship¡­¡± Timothy marveled, ¡°You really didn¡¯t promise too much when you recruited me for this mission.¡± Chapter 121 - Star Atlas || End of Arc II ¡°Here it is!¡± Robin exclaimed and pointed at one of the legs belonging to the Keeper¡¯s mysterious spaceship. Timothy wasn¡¯t yet close enough to hear him, still standing stiff as a statue a few dozen meters from the ship. ¡°That is amazing¡­¡± He mumbled in wonder, ¡°Forget about the discovery of the Drel outpost on Ruca II. If this thing really comes from the Keeper, it is probably the most important finding of this millennial¡­ and not just for mankind.¡± While his friend was trying to grasp the magnitude of what they had discovered here, Robin slowly walked over to him. ¡°If there isn¡¯t anyone else using ?ther to power their ships, this is definitely made by the Keeper.¡± He said and put a reassuring hand on Timothy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Come one, let¡¯s check it out, shall we?¡± Still dazed, Timothy allowed himself to be led forward. ¡°I¡¯m peeking behind the curtain of one of the most protected secrets of the universe¡­¡± ¡°Yes, mate, you are. But don¡¯t dream about your head being printed on the next issue of Intergalactic Science just yet.¡± Robin tried to calm him down. ¡°What? Rob, don¡¯t you understand the implications of this?¡± ¡°No, of course not. How would I have an idea of the full picture? The only thing I¡¯m fairly certain about is that the UAS probably won¡¯t be happy about a ragtag group of wannabe-adventures being the first to poke this thing.¡± He explained, ¡°And don¡¯t forget that I may be the only asset they have that can actually interact with this piece of technology. I have no intentions to move from my apartment into some dark cellar a few dozen levels below the UAS headquarters.¡± Timothy stopped dead in his tracks and then nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Damn, you are right. This ship is like a hot piece of metal and we are the ones that are about to get burned. I agree, we shouldn¡¯t touch it at all and leave it for the UAS to research!¡± ¡°Are you crazy? I won¡¯t let this chance pass by. I didn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t touch it, I was just questioning if involving the UAS would be a wise move.¡± Robin scolded and looked at his friend as if he was an idiot. There was nothing on this planet or in this dying star system that could keep him from trying his hands on the ship. ¡°Now come and help me with opening it!¡± He said and returned to the leg where he sensed the node-system in the net of ?ther. Together they could quickly conclude that this was a spot where one could interact with the ship, similar to the authentication-mechanism at the monolith. The schematics were a bit different and had six instead of just four nodes but all in all it was comparable with what they had found earlier. After Robin extensively used his mutation to inspect the ?ther system and created a copy for Timothy, he left to relax his strained mind while his friend checked the schematics. Half an hour and one Mind-Refresh later, Robin gave the rest of the ship another round of scanning to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything with his earlier check during the storm. ¡°I hope you figured out something.¡± He said after he returned to Timothy, ¡°There isn¡¯t anything else that looks like an access- or interaction-point.¡± ¡°Yes, since it¡¯s not too different from how the monolith works, I could deduct a good working theory.¡± The researcher said and showed him his tablet, ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy actually. You see, there are two more nodes which will make the number of possible combinations grow massively, but at the end of the day, it¡¯s the same kind of authentication-mechanism. I used the time to look into the possible effects or repercussions of entering a wrong code.¡± ¡°Great, we don¡¯t wanna get washed away by another wave of death¡­¡± ¡°There is no such risk here, as far as I can tell. Seems pretty simple and straightforward¡­¡± Timothy said, ¡°However, I¡¯m working with so little knowledge, that it wouldn¡¯t surprise me at all if the whole ship suddenly blows up after entering the wrong code.¡± ¡°Very reassuring, thanks!¡± Robin scoffed, ¡°Shall I give it a go?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you some space¡­¡± Timothy said and hurried far away from the ship. Only after he was more than 100 meters away did he tell Robin the first combination to test and gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Really? Fuck you!¡± Robin scolded. ¡°I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s safe, no worries!¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± He cleared his mind and took a few deep breaths. Then Robin closed his eyes and activated his mutation. It didn¡¯t take him long to locate the first node but when he tried to grasp it with his new skill to lower the resistance and activate it, he felt like running against a wall. ¡°Shit¡­¡± He cursed after getting rudely rebuffed by the ship. He didn¡¯t give up and tried a second time, only to stop dead as soon as his senses reached the metal once again. ¡°This isn¡¯t working¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Timothy asked from his safe place away from the ship. ¡°I can¡¯t interact with the nodes.¡± Robin explained, ¡°It¡¯s as if I¡¯m running into a metal wall.¡± ¡°Uhm, isn¡¯t that exactly what you are doing?¡± Timothy asked, ¡°You said this ship was shielded passively? The only explanation would be a special metal. That it is resistant to outside interference is only normal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± Robin cursed and after a moment of thoughts, he took off his gloves and touched the cold metal with his bare hands. In his early days after getting his G-Anomaly he often had to touch things to get a better idea of what was happening inside. After getting used to his new senses, direct contact wasn¡¯t necessary any longer but maybe now was the right time to return to the basics. Slowly he stretched out his senses and felt for the node hidden behind the black metal. ¡°There you are!¡± He chuckled and activated the first network point. *** Roughly one hour later, Robin still stood in front of the big leg of the enormous alien ship. His head was throbbing and his stretched out arm was slowly getting numb. Timothy had been right that there weren¡¯t any defensive mechanisms in place to lash out at potential invaders that tried to hack the authentication system, only a short timer between the attempts. The Keeper simply had no need to invest in anything extensive if there wasn¡¯t anyone who could even interact with their ships. The need for authentication was probably only there as fail-safe in case of dissent in their own ranks. With the feedback Robin got from his senses, they could finally identify the right combination. ¡°So, that¡¯s the one? Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not nervous!¡± Robin mumbled before he successively activated the six nodes. As soon as the last point in the network lit up in bright red light to his senses, Robin took a step back and a high-pitched hissing could be heard. Timothy was still on his way to where Robin stood next to the ship¡¯s huge leg, as a number of the armor-plates began to fold over and retract, giving view to the black, gleaming metal surface below. The hissing continued until finally a small fissure appeared. As it grew, Robin realized that there was some kind of door sliding upwards, opening the way into the inside of the ship¡¯s huge leg. ¡°Burn in plasma¡­¡± Robin marveled as tension and excitement rose in him. ¡°We did it?¡± Timothy asked, gasping for air, when he arrived next to him. ¡°We did it!¡± Robin confirmed and looked into the small room. It was big enough for maybe four people and had a curved, smooth wall encompassing it. On the floor he spotted a round platform highlighted by a thin ring of white light. The room was dimly lit by a few small dots that were seemingly randomly integrated into the wall. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± Timothy said absentminded. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Robin asked in confusion. Sure, the ship was amazing, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was what his friend was referring to. ¡°The lighting?¡± Timothy said in a questioning tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the warm orange light is mixed quite harmoniously with the cold blue light? It feels like we are about to step into the deep void of space. If the ship¡¯s form didn¡¯t give it away already, the lighting of this room alone would reveal its alien origin. ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ sure.¡± Robin grumbled, not pointing out his inability to experience this wondrous color-play. ¡°This should be some kind of elevator, right?¡± Timothy said, not noticing Robin¡¯s discomfort. ¡°I think so, too. Shall we test it out?¡± Robin asked and stepped in without waiting for an answer. The clean design of the small room allowed Robin to quickly notice the only disrupting element on the wall. It was a small panel with three buttons, each engraved with a different, unknown symbol. ¡°I can¡¯t read shit.¡± He shrugged and looked expectantly at Timothy, ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°Ah come on, as if I would know. Just started to peek at the Keeper¡¯s language. But let me make an educated guess: up, down and open?¡± ¡°So, Up it is¡­¡± Robin said and pressed the button on the top. Immediately the door shut and more light-dots lit up in its place, now completely surrounding them. He had to acknowledge that Timothy was right, from the inside it really felt as if he was in space, surrounded by stars. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Before his amazement could give way to fear of being trapped in an alien spaceship, the platform beneath them slowly began to rise. For a short moment they passed by the many dots in the wall as if traveling through space, until the elevator stopped and the door opened again. Robin and Timothy soon found themselves standing at the end of a small hallway. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of black and silvery metal with a clean look. Different from the outside, the ship¡¯s design pattern on the inside leaned into straight lines and sharp edges. Robin couldn¡¯t find anything that reminded him of the curved form of the ship¡¯s body. It was dark, only dimly glowing strips on the ceiling provided little light - no windows could be found. They turned around as the door of the elevator closed with a low hiss. A small panel to its side lit up. To their left was another door with a glowing pad, as well as on the wall opposite of them. The latter however seemed to be in a different color and Robin squinted his eyes before ROMAS helped him out.
  • This panel¡¯s color is green (89%)
  • The color of the panel next to us is green (89%)
  • The color of the panel opposite of us is red (92%)
¡°Thanks.¡± Robin muttered under his breath and touched the panel to his side. The door slit open again. He walked to the red panel and also touched it. A low beep rang out but nothing else happened. Shrugging, he touched the other green pad and that door also opened, revealing a small room with another elevator. ¡°Seems like we can¡¯t enter every room.¡± Robin said while Timothy walked down the hallway. ¡°Hello? Someone at home?¡± He asked, sheepishly looking from left to right when he reached a crossroad. ¡°Really?¡± Robin chuckled and reached his side. To their left was another locked door and to their right, the hallway led deeper to the back of the ship. Red light¡¯s marked every door except one at the far end. ¡°There is only one open room. Let¡¯s check it out.¡± Timothy said and carefully stepped through the empty hallway. ¡°This really gives me the creeps¡­¡± Robin complained, taking in the eerie atmosphere. The stagnant air he could taste through the filter of his helmet, the dim light¡­ the silence broken only by their footsteps - it was as if the ship itself was telling a story about the loneliness one feels when stranded in the endless depths of the universe. ¡°What do you think has happened to them? I can¡¯t see any signs of a fight.¡± Timothy whispered, ¡°Not that I believe that anyone other than a Keeper would be able to enter this ship.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope our first guess proves right and they really just had a technical issue that forced them to land here.¡± Robin said. ¡°You think you could repair it?¡± ¡°Think? Hell no!¡± He laughed, ¡°But a man is allowed to dream, right?¡± The room at the end of the hallway, probably close to the end of the ship, turned out to be some kind of storage facility. It was mostly empty but they found some crates, neatly stacked up in rows of otherwise empty shelves. Since the boxes were locked with an electronic lock, they didn¡¯t even try to open them. Not daring to tempt fate more than necessary. Soon, they returned to the elevator Robin had opened before and found a pad with four buttons, one of which they had guessed to be Open. ¡°So the ship has three levels.¡± Timothy said, ¡°Since the ship¡¯s body is at least 20 meters high, I assumed it would be four but maybe the other levels have higher ceilings then this one.¡± When they reached the next level, Robin heard Timothy take in a sharp breath. ¡°Jackpot!¡± His friend muttered and quickly hurried to the door in the wall opposite of them. When the door slit open without delay, Robin realized what Timothy had meant: they stood on the crossroads of four long hallways and he could see nine door panels, all of them glowing in the same color: green. ¡°This must be a bunk!¡± Timothy shouted, his inner urge to research fighting off his former fear and hesitation. Robin followed him and also stepped through the open door. Calling the room a bunk was an understatement, it was bigger than his captain¡¯s quarters on the Hubble and was furnished not only with a bed, but he also spotted a couch, a desk, many shelves and cabinets to store stuff as well as a small but nice bathroom. Everything was empty though; either there never was a crewmember assigned to this bunk or they took everything before they left the ship. They looked around a bit more and soon realized that most of the other doors also led into empty bunks, six in total. Additionally they found a big community room with a kitchen and space to relax. ¡°I really like the clean design, a slight alien touch - but not so much to make me feel uncomfortable.¡± Robin said as they walked to the last door at the end of the ship, ¡°However, why don¡¯t they have any windows in here? Long travels must be depressing for anyone inside¡­¡± ¡°Most of the time, especially when traveling faster than light, the outside is dark anyways.¡± Timothy argued, ¡°Maybe they decided that it¡¯s worth trading a few moments of nice view for the safety of a fully armored ship.¡± ¡°Hm, I only traveled that much, but even then I have seen so many great things already¡­¡± Robin mused. ¡°Yeah, but most of the time-¡± Timothy said but stopped after they reached the final door and touched the panel to open it. ¡°Wow!¡± Robin gasped at the view. They entered an enormous room and considering the two huge turbine-like things that must be part of the ship¡¯s thrusters, it should be the technic- and engineering area. The ceiling was higher and at the left and right each a big machine was placed. Robin didn¡¯t recognize either of them, but they were so tall that the upper level¡¯s floor had been removed above them. ¡°Two thrusters, one power generator and one shield generator?¡± Timothy guessed. ¡°Maybe.¡± Robin said hesitantly, ¡°However, they have a passive shield already. Depending on its effect, they might not need an active shield. I¡¯ll take a closer look after we¡¯ve checked the bridge.¡± With a heavy heart, Robin left the engineering room behind and headed for the elevator. After Timothy also had entered, he pressed the topmost button and waited for the platform to bring them to the upper level. When the door opened again they didn¡¯t find another hallway but a wide open room with an elevated platform in the middle. It looked like some kind of table but Robin was sure that its real purpose would only be revealed after the ship was properly powered. Additionally there was a big conference table with comfy looking chairs on one side and a strange cube far on the other side of the room. The door leading to the back of the ship, above the engineering area, was locked but the one to the front had a green glowing panel. While Timothy didn¡¯t hesitate to rush to the door that must lead to the bridge, Robin slowly wandered to the cube. Its edges were about 1 meter long each and the whole thing looked like it was made of highly sophisticated electronic panels. A dull light glowed inside, spilling out between little gaps in the construct. ¡°Robin!¡± Timothy shouted excitedly, ¡°You have to see this! Damn, this is what I call a proper bridge.¡± ¡­ ¡°Robin?¡± ¡­ ¡°Rob? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Robin didn¡¯t even notice his friend¡¯s shouting. He could only stare at the cube with a blank face, reading the notification on his Interface.
  • Technological structure recognized
  • Analyzing cube¡­
  • Cube identified: Star Atlas
  • Status: Dormant
¡°What is¡­?¡±
  • ! WARNING !
  • Compatible vessel for unit 954.155.652.178.998 - Codename Guard - found.
  • Transfer-Protocol initiated¡­
  • Connection to Guard failed¡­
  • Connect the Star Atlas to the UAS network to continue¡­
¡°That damn door!¡± Robin said, a grin spreading across his face, ¡°It¡¯s been far too long since I last heard that little bastard nagging like a grandma!¡± Still smiling, Robin thought back to his meeting with the talking door on Ruca II. ¡°No worries, buddy, I¡¯ll go and get you! I just wonder where you were hiding all this time¡­¡± *** Far away, back in the Mereus Cluster, two men in white coats were standing in the technical room of a small UAS outpost. ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll work this time?¡± The man with a small beard on his chin asked. ¡°Who knows? They thought they had it the last two times as well but never even managed to come close to catching the hacker.¡± The other man answered. He was a bit smaller and absentmindedly padded his big belly. ¡°Yeah but after the last failure, the upper echelon kicked quite some asses in the IT department. That¡¯s why they now switched to the idea from this Timothy Reed guy.¡± ¡°Pah, do you really believe his crap? He thinks the hacker is a sophisticated AI created by the Starborn? The Starborn! Really?¡± ¡°The UAS is at least confident to a degree.¡± The bearded man defended. ¡°They just cling to straws. If this hacker really is an AI, we won¡¯t be able to catch it with such a simple plan. They must know this, too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It made some nasty mistakes before. I agree that this is a point that goes against the theory, but still¡­¡± The first man said, ¡°Also, Pally said they mobilized the UAS IGD Eschaton. You don¡¯t send a Cap-size destroyer on a whim, you know?¡± ¡°Uhhh, Pally told you. Well, then I¡¯m all in.¡± The second man scoffed. ¡°Ah come one, you kn-¡± Suddenly the small notepad on the table next to them began to beep a loud, penetrating warning and its display flashed a red message:
!! Warning !! System breach detected. Disconnect facility!
You are kidding me¡­!¡± ¡°Come one, hurry up!¡± The bearded man said and ran to a distribution box, ¡°You do it!¡± ¡°Me? Are you crazy? There have been dozens of outposts identified as possible targets, what if this is just a false alert? We would be doomed if we plug the cable in that- ¡­ Wait!¡± His shout came too late however, his colleague had already ripped out all the cables in the box, effectively cutting every connection their station had with the outer world, including the access to the UAS network that the hacker used to get in and out of the outposts¡¯ systems. For a moment nothing happened, then the lights went out and everything was plunged into darkness. ¡°Uh Oh¡­ What is happening?¡± ¡°I think they are here¡­¡± The chubby one whispered, ¡°The hacker took over the facility.¡± ¡°You think they are trapped?¡± ¡°Should be, right?¡± He said and motioned at the bulk of cables his colleague had ripped out. Suddenly, one of the displays at the control station turned back on. Its eerie light illuminated the room. Hesitantly the two men shuffled closer to check what was going on. However, when they read the message that was displayed, they just looked at each other in confusion. ¡°Who the hell is Robin Tulward?¡±
What kind of bullshit is this? Who dares to trap the great me? Damn, move your ass and get me Robin Tulward on the line!
End of Arc II - The Keeper Update 01/25: Awesome News Hey folks, great to see you all are still around to read this note! First of all, I wish you a happy new year and hope you had a nice holiday! As promised after finishing Book 2, I wanna keep you up to date with what is happening around Starborn. Oh boy and there are great news incoming for you! Before we dive into that however, I want to address a curiosity. I got surprisingly little activity on the final chapter of Arc II even though the number of active readers is still quite high. So, a small call to action: Please share your thoughts on the Starborn, the second Arc, predictions for the next book,... Getting feedback and knowing what you like/dislike helps me massively in optimizing my writing. Now, to the juicy parts and why you all came here: Updates and News! Well, I have finished the complete outline of Arc III and, more by accident and an uncharacteristic flash of genius, I even finalized the storybook for Arc IV, which will be the final Arc of Starborn. So: *yay* for finishing the planning of both books. Additionally I am back at the desk and happily writing away. Right now, I have finished the first five chapters and drafted the next 7. That''s the "Where are we right now?"-part. Hope you are happy with this - if not... well, too bad! The next topic I wanna address is the promised reveal of the Arc III-cover and without further chitchat:Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A new cover... *yay*! A new title... *yay*! I promised more great news, so more is coming: I have got to know Ana Hansen, a professional editor! Woohoo! She already has done a test-chapter and we do match really well. So after deciding on the terms, I formally signed the contract already. *Commitment* Yeahh! For you that doesn''t change that much however, at least for now. She starts with book 1 and book 2 is only scheduled for ~summer. So there is still some time before she catches up to book 3 and I don''t wanna let you wait that long. You''ll probably get the first half of the book in the usual quality before editing catches up. But, well, you came so far - I think you prefer to get the chapters a few months earlier instead of waiting for the editing to be done. Last but not least: My next update will be at the end of February. Right now I''m planning to hand out the first sub-arc of the third book to a few test-readers. So if you are interested in reading the first part of the book early on in exchange for your honest feedback, stay tuned and don''t miss the next Update on Starborn! That''s it for my part - I hope you like what you''ve heard. Let me know in the comments! Ah right: If you haven''t done so already, please give this book a rating or maybe even a short review. That really helps a small book like this to gain some attention. Have a great day, Dusky