ã€ŠVoidborn - A Sci-fi LitRPGã€‹


 1.1

    Malan stepped away from the cool grey metal of the Miotov and sighed deeply, the slightly stale air of his respirator mask filling his lungs. He had chosen this penance, but that didn¡¯t make it any less miserable. Beneath him, as the micro-thrusters of his suit took him out into the dark abyss of space, the gas giant R18-34C shone pearlescent blue and purple.

    It was otherwise unremarkable, but for the crimson swirl of lighting and stormwinds slowly roving its surface like a marble. A Celestial Storm, one of the most frequent celestial phenomenon in the galaxy, and yet one humanity knew almost nothing about. Malan could see the pulsing of blood-red energies, and even this far up in orbit felt the soft shiver of its power across his skin beneath his suit. The monitoring and study of the storm was the reason for the existence of the Miotov, and for the presence of the small team of technicians maintaining the research station in this dull backwater system.

    ¡°Staring¡¯s not gonna get the dish scrubbed any faster, shithead.¡±

    Beric¡¯s reedy sneer filled his helmet through its small speakers, breaking the grip the storm had on his focus. Malan blinked, surprised to realise he hadn¡¯t been breathing.

    ¡°Fuck off, Beric. You want it done faster, do it yourself¡ªif you can find a suit that fits you of course.¡±

    Big words, but not ones he could back up, and Beric knew it. ¡°Make your jokes while you''re safe out there all you like. You¡¯ll get what¡¯s coming.¡±

    There was an expectant pause as Malan manipulated his thrusters to take him around the outside of the station towards the enormous sensor array domes aimed towards the planet and its storm.

    He heard Beric scoff, the disdain in his voice deepening. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Spineless, worthless trash. See you back on board.¡±

    The comms crackled as they closed, and Malan could almost picture the sickening, smug superiority on Beric¡¯s face. He was a bully and a coward, as most bullies were. Had it been any of the others, Malan could have stood up to him easily enough, but Beric was different.

    Beric knew who he was.

    Trying to put the return journey out of his mind, he focused his attention on the Miotov and its sensor arrays. The vessel itself was an orbital research vessel, probably a few centuries old at this point, made up of a patchwork of cold grey and dirtied white metal panels, evidence of the multitude of repair work over its long service. Inside wasn¡¯t much better, and its continued operation was down entirely to the expertise of those on board, and their ability to continuously repair and restore old and outdated tech.

    Placed at its head, was the reason anybody even bothered to make the effort. A vast sensory array made up of a trio of dishes all angled towards the storm on the planets surface below. They were impressive bits of kit, able to collect data and readings from Celestial energies, like those of the storm below.

    Problem was, R18-34C came with a bastard of a debris field, with enough particulate to get caught and smother the dish. The heat the dish created caked it on, and if left, would ruin the sensors. On larger, better funded operations, remote-piloted skimmers would be able to periodically clean the surfaces with precision lasers. On the poorer funded ops, small cleaner crews would go out and clean them manually.

    On the Miotov, however, it was down to Malan alone.

    It was awful, back-breaking and dangerous work, and his willingness to do it alone and save the others the trouble was a large part of the reason this crew had taken him on board. For the last three years, this had been his life. Four days across a week cleaning the sensors tiny section by tiny section just to keep them functional, then another three doing whatever menial, shitty tasks the others could think of that they didn¡¯t want to do themselves.

    The work had him miserable and exhausted, bored and constantly demeaned and looked down upon, and he deserved nothing less.

    He reached the cool white of the first sensor dish with no issues, and his feet magnetically clamped to the surface. Two thirds of the dish had been cleaned by him over the past few weeks, leaving only a square of filth and grime still attached. With another small sigh he bent down onto one creaking knee to steady himself and took out his cleaning tool.

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    Malan found the rhythm quickly. The tool fired a soft white beam of low-powered energy in a fan pattern. It wasn¡¯t strong enough to damage the metal, but knocked away crusted on dirt and filth well enough. All he had to do was move it back and forth, gradually covering the entire surface area to be cleaned.

    It was physically tiring, and left his mind entirely unoccupied, with little to do but torture himself with the past.

    After the first hour, he was tired. By the third, he was desperate to find any distraction at all from his own thoughts. He found himself drawn once again to the Celestial Storm below, unable to peel his eyes away from its gentle pulse and swirl, and the feel of its energies reaching out into space. He¡¯d always felt them, but these last few days they¡¯d grown in strength, and Malan had been unable to stop himself from gazing out at the storm as it seemed to call out to him in return.

    After another four grueling hours, he dragged his heavy, aching body through the Miotov¡¯s airlock and decontamination chamber, before beginning the fiddly task of releasing himself from his suit¡¯s litany of zips and clasps and safety locks. By the end of what had already been a fourteen hour work shift, he was clumsy and fumbling, drawing out the already long process as his eyes swam and threatened to close on him.

    They nearly had when the blow to his stomach forcibly ejected the air from his lungs and left him sinking to his knees, gasping. A booted foot to the back sent sharp spasms of pain through his body, and sent him face first into the smooth metallic floor of the changing rooms.

    He felt a hand run its way through his hair before gripping tight and yanking him upright. Malan might have cried out had it not been for the lack of air in his lungs. He found himself staring, vision spotty, into Beric¡¯s cold, grey eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s for your back talk earlier, shithead. You talk to me like that again, and everyone will know exactly what you are, understand?¡±

    White hot shame washed over him, both at the humiliation of the situation, and of the reminder of what he had done. Beric¡¯s smug smile twisted into an expression of ugly fury, and his free hand backhanded Malan viciously, though the older man never let go of the tight grip on his hair.

    ¡°I expect an answer when I speak to you,¡± he hissed. ¡°Do. You. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Malan mumbled through a fat lip and a mouth sticky with the copper tang of blood.

    The smile slid back into place. ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    The shame burned hotter than ever, until it was something else entirely. He had talked back¡ªthat had been stupid. But he was nearing the limit of what he could take. Malan was better than this man. Stronger. Smarter. Better at his job. Better than this. Only, the thing that made him angriest of all was that he wasn¡¯t. Beric was a miserable, barely competent coward, but he hadn¡¯t made the kind of mistakes Malan had.

    He had never killed.

    Anger and pity and self loathing boiled over, and escaped Malan¡¯s mouth in the form of two words and a glob of bloody spit straight into Beric¡¯s face.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    Beric dropped him like a sack of potatoes and staggered back, disgusted groans muffled by the desperate wiping of blood and saliva from his face. Malan tried to scramble away on leaden hands and knees, but he already knew there would be no escape from the consequences this time.

    The first boot landed directly between the sixth and seventh rib on his left side, and the second caught him right on the hip bone. He cried out as pain lanced through him, and tried desperately to curl his body up as best he could.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, cower you waste of fucking oxygen,¡± Beric rasped, voice low and dangerous. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make you regret ever drawing breath before we¡¯re done here.¡±

    Blow after blow rained down, boot and fist, until Beric had worked off the anger and he finally left, panting and smug, spitting down at Malan¡¯s trembling from before he did so.

    It was a long time before Malan moved again, and when he did, it was inch by inch as each tiny movement brought fresh waves of agony. He could tell by the stabbing pain in his side each time he took a step towards his quarters that one of his ribs was broken. That was unfortunate. The bruises and cuts could be dealt with medical paste, but hiding a broken rib was going to be¡­ unpleasant.

    All of these however, were problems for tomorrow. He staggered through the deathly quiet halls of the station, the white walls all blurring together amidst the exhaustion and pain, only certain he was going the right way thanks to three years of muscle memory.

    The doors to his quarters slid open mercifully quickly, revealing sparse quarters with only a bed and a small cabinet that he kept meticulously clean. He sank into his bed with a hiss, and dimmed the lights to reduce the effect of their glare on his ringing head. He didn¡¯t turn them off completely, however.

    He left them just bright enough that he could shift painfully and stare at the lone picture on his desk. Him and his parents together with his sister, all happy and together at home. This single act hurt worse than any of the beatings and petty tortures Beric had inflicted upon him. It was not here as a comfort. It was a reminder of why he was here instead of aboard a Coalition starship pushing the boundaries of humanity, protecting people.

    A reminder of the family his actions had destroyed.

 1.2

    Malan pulled himself out of bed an hour before his next shift only by the virtue of considerable willpower. Dagger-sharp pain in his left side drew a hiss through his gritted teeth, and he had to focus on breathing just to get himself upright. Once he¡¯d made it there, the slow stagger to the bathroom adjoined to his quarters wasn¡¯t much better.

    Fortunately, several years of putting up with Beric¡¯s bullshit had taught him through painful experience to keep the med-salve within comfortable reaching distance, as reaching for the handles of his medicine cabinet felt rather beyond him.

    Sitting himself gingerly on the hard plastic of a small stool before the mirror, he began to painstakingly apply the translucent sapphire gel to anywhere injured by Beric¡¯s attentions. Cool relief shot through his body any place the gel made contact with him, followed by the curious tingle of his wounds beginning to heal at an accelerated pace.

    Sadly, the relief in his side was only skin deep¡ªthe salve wouldn¡¯t touch anything deeper, so his broken ribs were something he¡¯d simply have to struggle through. The reduction in general bruising, cuts, swelling and pain, however, were enough to allow him to pull on his blue uniform and neaten his messy mop of chestnut hair enough to be presentable to other humans.

    Injuries sufficiently hidden, Malan left his quarters rubbing the sleep from his eyes to begin the cycle of his life once more. Monotonous task after monotonous dull task, punctuated by short sharp instances of pain when he finally snapped from Beric¡¯s prodding.

    Malan liked to think he was too self-aware not to know how ridiculous his life might seem, knowing that he himself chose it. Five years ago, after all, he had been on track to become an engineer on board a UGC vessel, exploring the stars. He¡¯d thought he had the know-how, the ability. He¡¯d been excelling at the Academy, and captains had already begun vetting him for a spot on their crews.

    And then the Jauda had happened, and he had been shown for what he really was. How much all that potential was actually worth. He¡¯d left the Academy before he could be kicked out, and he¡¯d run from what was left of his home the moment an opportunity could present itself.

    He was also self-aware enough to know he was getting worse rather than better. His provocations of Beric were becoming more frequent, and more dramatic. Worse still, they felt like highlights, rather than rock bottoms. Brief moments of excitement and tensions that lit up the otherwise bleak grey abyss that had smothered his life.

    The gentle hiss of the automatic doors leading to the mess hall snapped him from his stupor, and he straightened himself before entering, trying to hide the deep throbbing in his side from the others.

    The mess hall was only really a hall in name. In reality, it was a fairly large, open communal area. An open kitchen lay on one side with a handful of group tables, and on the other, several worn black couches sat before a large monitor. His eyes swept across the room quickly, barely noticing the scattered, tatty posters hiding the dull white of the ship¡¯s walls, instead focusing on the occupants actually present.

    Immediately, he narrowed his eyes slightly. Normally there were two or three of the crew here when he arrived. There was almost never all of them. Today though, they were all present. He veered instinctively toward the kitchen space, where Talia leant back against one of the work surfaces with her usual coffee in hand, eyes locked on the monitor on the opposite side of the room.

    Thaddeus too, had abandoned his usual morning browse of the news on the data tablet that lay forgotten on the table before him. Instead, the older man peered at the monitor through rounded glasses running his hand thoughtfully through a thick, almost entirely white beard. Beric had ignored his entry completely from the couches, and the Captain, Elena, had regarded him only momentarily from her own couch about as far from Beric¡¯s as she could get, before returning her attention to the monitor at the centre of the room, playing the Coalition news.

    Malan shuffled up beside Talia, raising a quizzical eyebrow at her. ¡°Morning. Busy in here this morning. What¡¯s happened?¡±

    The slightest of smiles touched his lips as Talia slid a coffee towards him and ran a concerned eye over him. ¡°You look awful, Malan. Cleaning the sensors is no fun, but it doesn¡¯t leave you looking like that.¡±

    He grimaced. ¡°Just Beric being an asshole. Nothing to worry about. Now what have I missed?¡±

    ¡°Beric¡¯s an asshole to everybody. The rest of us don¡¯t end up looking like we lost a bar fight,¡± she looked expectantly at Malan for an answer, but when he refused to oblige she rolled her eyes and turned back to the monitor. ¡°Anyway. As for what you missed? Only a Syndicate raid being repelled by the Starbound on Eden IV.¡±

    Malan couldn¡¯t help it, his jaw dropped and his eyes immediately snapped towards the monitor playing security footage of the raid. Sure enough, there they were. What the newscaster said was two-dozen Syndicate battleships being carved apart by three spectacular vessels.

    They moved like no other ship Malan had ever seen, turning freely and weaving in and out of Syndicate fire like dancers. The smallest pair, Queco and Tiamat were slender craft that moved ahead of the larger third, their bows designed to resemble the jaws of great serpents. From within those jaws came jagged lances of golden light that carved the lighter Syndicate ships apart like paper, cleaving a path for the larger.

    Queco and Tiamat were Void Knight class Starbound, perfectly specialised for fast-paced space combat against other fighter class ships. However, the Syndicate force was helmed by a battle cruiser that could potentially out gun the two infinitely smaller craft. This is where the final member of the trio, Aeolus, came into play. The Aeolus was an Astroblade Vanguard, built for daring close quarters attacks that did devastating damage.

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    The smaller pair strafed the Syndicate vessel, twisting in and out of the way of its heavier guns and destroying several of them in the process as the Aeolus¡¯ wings lit with terrific golden energy. The hulking craft built to resemble a Gryphon of ancient Terran mythology swept towards the Syndicate craft at surprising speed.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Malan hissed as the light from the monitor flickered throughout the room from the explosion of the Syndicate craft, signaling the end of the attack and covering Malan¡¯s flinch from a sharp burst of pain behind his eyes.

    ¡°It is a rare privilege to catch a glimpse of the Starbound at work,¡± Thaddeus said solemnly, to a scoff from Beric.

    ¡°Funny that it only seems to be a privilege people on worlds that turn a decent profit get to enjoy, eh?¡± Beric sneered, as the faces of the three Starbound pilots flashed across the monitor.

    After seeing them in action, it was almost a surprise to be reminded that each was only a singular pilot.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Beric,¡± said Elena, arms crossed atop her well-pressed uniform and brown eyes hard.

    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re right,¡± Beric said, a sly edge to his tone. ¡°It would be remiss of me to ignore they also protect the Coalition Higher¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said enough.¡±

    This time, the ice in her voice was palpable, and even Beric realised he¡¯d gone too far, head dropping immediately. Malan¡¯s eyes slid to the service patches on the right arm of her uniform, and the faint scar beneath her right eye. Reminders that Elena Vasquez was the captain for a reason, and not to be trifled with.

    ¡°There are currently less than twenty Starbound¡ªbarely one for every three systems in the UGC,¡± she said, voice low, but laced with iron. ¡°Humanity owes them its survival, even stretched thin as they are, and I owe them mine. There will be no slander of them on a ship I captain.¡±

    Beric could only nod timidly as Elena¡¯s eyes surveyed the room, almost daring one of them to challenge her, before she finally seemed mollified. ¡°Talia, Beric. Meet me on the bridge for today¡¯s briefing in thirty minutes. Thaddeus, I¡¯ll need those personnel reports today. Malan, continue your progress on the sensor arrays. Once you¡¯re done, you¡¯ll need to perform a complete check of the waste outlet systems before the end of your shift today, they¡¯re overdue.¡±

    She gazed back around the crew as they each silently acknowledged their orders, Malan with a pained nod, before leaving them to finish their breakfast before the day¡¯s work.

    ¡°Malan, are you okay?¡±

    He jolted as he felt Talia¡¯s hand rest gently on his arm, and forced a smile onto his face to meet the dark-haired girls concerned frown. Of all the crew, she was the only one also in her early twenties, though far senior in position, and this seemed to be enough for her to decide that she needed to look after Malan somewhat.

    Malan liked her, but not for any of those reasons. Talia reminded him of his sister, something that made spending any time with her both a blessing and a curse.

    A response was on the tip of his tongue, when a snigger from Beric caught their attention.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t waste your time on him, Talia. Pride¡¯s probably smarting watching the news is all. After all, he was tested and failed. Isn¡¯t that right, shithead?¡±

    Malan froze, the blood in his veins like ice and panic threatened to overwhelm his more logical brain. Fuck. He¡¯d taken things too far with Beric last night. Let on too much how little Malan really feared him. The beating had just been the prelude¡ªnow that bastard was really letting him know how far he¡¯d crossed the line.

    Thaddeus had sat up straight and turned to stare, and Talia was looking at him through her striking blue eyes with barely disguised wonder.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Thaddeus asked, brows knotted. ¡°I hear to even be considered for testing, one must be extraordinarily capable. Even those who fail go on to have spectacular careers in the UGC. It begs the question of why are you here, dear boy?¡±

    ¡°Not to mention you have to be able to see Celestial Energy to be compatible with the Starbound, which is incredibly rare,¡± Talia added, and Malan couldn¡¯t help but notice an odd intensity in her voice, and in the slightly wide eyed stare she was sending his way.

    Malan took a step back, beginning to feel a little like a cornered rat, his mouth working silently as he tried to formulate a response that wouldn¡¯t give much away, or provoke too much interest. But deep down he knew that opportunity was already lost. People with the potential to be Starbound were unbelievably rare, and even failed applicants generated huge amounts of curiosity.

    One of Thaddeus or Talia would look up his records as soon as he was gone. Not out of malice of course, simply harmless curiosity. Then they would find out what he¡¯d done. And then his time on the Miotov would be over. He would have to run again. Once the rabbit was out of the hat, there was no other way things could pan out.

    Beric simply stood, fat fingers in pockets, grinning madly at Malan¡¯s panic. At his fear.

    Something in Malan shifted, a long suffering dam breaking at last under unimaginable strain. This was his fault. Beric was a thug, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯d known what he was doing when he spoke. And now he was just enjoying the pain and suffering he¡¯d caused. Enjoying Malan¡¯s fear and shame.

    The ice in his veins turned to roiling lava, and furious heat flushed through him. Fuck it. If he was going to have to leave anyway, it might as well be because he¡¯d ground Beric¡¯s face into bloody paste. His hands curled into fists, teeth gritted, and the smile slid away from Beric¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Try it shithead, I¡¯m three times the size of you.¡±

    Talia glanced between the two of them, concern writ large across her face. ¡°Malan, Beric please, you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    But blood was thundering in Malan¡¯s ears at the thought of finally giving Beric just what he deserved. He lunged forward, ignoring the sharp stabbing of his ribs as he hissed, ¡°three times my size, but not an ounce of it is muscle, you fat fu¡ª¡±

    He was cut off by an enormous shuddering that sent him stumbling to the side, the shrieking of grinding metal ringing through his ears followed immediately by the blaring of alarms.

    Elena¡¯s voice cut through it all on the comms, all steel and composure. ¡°All crew to evacuation positions, I repeat all crew to evacuation positions. Our sensors have picked up on an imminent Abyssal Rift forming upon R18-34C¡¯s moon. Distress signals have been sent. All crew to evacuate immediately.¡±

    The ship¡¯s comms channel clicked closed, and for a moment, the entire room was frozen together, united in abject horror. Then, Beric muttered a solitary curse, before he and Thaddeus burst into movement, scurrying for the doors. Talia for her part, began to run as well, but Malan only barely noticed.

    Instead, his mind kept replaying Elena¡¯s voice saying Abyssal Rift over and over again, alongside the sound of the Jauda¡¯s crew screaming themselves hoarse as they were torn apart. Malan fell to his knees, the pain in his head reaching a searing fever pitch as memories he fought for years to repress overwhelmed him. Bloody, dismembered bodies. That awful, inhuman shrieking.

    Tears streaming down his sisters face, and the unbearable, unspoken accusation in her eyes.

    ¡°Not again,¡± he mumbled, rocking as he sat on his knees. ¡°How can this be happening again?¡±

 1.3

    Three Years Earlier

    ¡°Six weeks of freedom from the Academy, and this is how you spend them?¡±

    Malan turned from the portion of the Jauda¡¯s walls he was studying and was met with the playful pout of his twin sister. Malan smiled and turned back to the wall, tracing the shimmering patterns of light slowly moving across the wall with a finger. Well, not exactly light, but it was the simplest way Malan could find to describe how it looked.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said simply. ¡°It¡¯s important, Isolde.¡±

    ¡°So important you couldn¡¯t take five minutes after arriving to unpack, or, I don¡¯t know, come and find the little sister you obviously missed so much.¡±

    He grinned. ¡°Maybe I just needed the quiet time to build up the strength to be able to cope with your, ah, winning personality.¡±

    ¡°When is it you leave again? I may have already had enough of you.¡±

    Malan snorted and turned back to his sister, smile wide. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Is.¡±

    Isolde¡¯s pout dissolved into a full-fledged smile and she moved next to him, peering curiously at the wall Malan himself had been staring at.

    ¡°Can you really see them here?¡± She asked, frowning.

    ¡°Of course. Studying the spikes of Celestial energy in this system is why the Jauda is here in the first place.¡±

    ¡°I know that. It¡¯s just, it¡¯s one thing learning about it in school and knowing its around,¡± she said, gesticulating wildly around herself with one hand. ¡°It¡¯s something else entirely to hear that you can see it, or that its right there on the wall. I mean, this stuff is the whole reason space exploration is possible. Hell, its what makes the Guardians what they¡ª¡±

    Isolde cut herself off, clamping her hands to her mouth and looking at him with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She said quickly, ¡°I know that must still be pretty raw. You didn¡¯t want to talk about it on our last video call with Mum and Dad.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Malan said, waving her off. ¡°I¡¯d have to be a special kind of dick to get mad at my little sister for something like that.¡±

    Isolde¡¯s anxious frown gave way to a sly grin. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to be the one to say it¡­¡±

    Malan chuckled. ¡°As if you¡¯d ever pass up the opportunity. Now, how about you let me get to my room and get showered, and we can go pull Mum and Dad away from whatever they¡¯re doing and get dinner together, eh?¡±

    <hr>

    Malan sat in darkness, head bowed. The steady rhythm of a heart monitor pulsed through the room, made unnaturally loud by the surrounding silence. Tear tracks stained his face, but he¡¯d long since given up trying to wipe them.

    He glanced across at his sister. She was sat upright in her hospital bed, sheets tucked to her waist, revealing the pale hospital gown on her upper half and a variety of devices and drips attached to her. Her mouth hung open slightly, and the slight light from the hallway illuminated what was already too-pale skin.

    She had woken yesterday, and had allowed herself to be sat up by the nurses, but had not consciously moved or spoken since. She just sat there, eyes vacant, staring into nothing, deathly still.

    Malan couldn¡¯t blame her after what she¡¯d seen, what she¡¯d lost.

    No, he corrected himself. What he¡¯d stolen from her.

    She was sick, and nobody was sure why. Her injuries from the incident had largely been superficial, yet her legs had simply stopped working. There was no movement, no nerve response at all, and no obvious cause. Something about that day on the Jauda had hurt her, and now they were all that was left of their family.

    A family broken and ruined by his own actions.

    Just as fresh tears threatened at the corner of his eyes, one of the several devices attached to her beeped, and Malan leaped to his feet. He was at her side in seconds, reaching out and taking one of her hands.

    ¡°Is¡¯?¡± He rasped, heart racing. ¡°Is¡¯, can you hear me?¡±

    One of her hands tightened around his, and just for a moment, he saw a hint of focus enter her eyes as she turned to him. She looked at him without really seeing, then, slowly her features shifted. Tightened. Her mouth closed and jaw clenched and Malan felt her hand in his begin to tremble.

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    ¡°Is¡¯?¡± There was a different kind of desperation in his voice now. Broken and pleading.

    Her hand slid out of his, and she turned her back on him.

    No words left her lips in the months before Malan finally left for the Miotov, but there didn¡¯t need to be any. She had managed to say everything she wanted to without them. Malan made arrangements to ensure she would be fully taken care of using the funds from their parents¡¯ will and Malan¡¯s own meagre savings, before leaving to make sure she always would be.

    <hr>

    Present Day

    ¡°Malan!¡±

    The voice barely penetrated the haze of pain and memory, but penetrate it did. Malan blinked, and everything came flooding back to him. The distress signal. The storm. The rift. Oh, fuck¡ªthe rift.

    ¡°Malan, you have to get up, now!¡±

    He felt the hands shaking him, and looked up to see Talia¡¯s determined frown as she tried to get him to get up and follow. There was an edge to her he¡¯d never seen, a fierceness that didn¡¯t seem to fit the situation, even as desperate as it was. She shook him again.

    The thought struck him that he could simply just ignore her. Talia would leave eventually, and he could just stay as the Rift formed on the moon below, rending a tear in the very fabric of reality. He knew from the Jauda that the creatures within wouldn¡¯t grant him a quick death. Maybe he didn¡¯t deserve¡ª

    The slap reverberated through his cheekbones, snapping his head back and sending him sprawling back to the floor.

    ¡°Motherfucker!¡± he hissed, rubbing his face as he lay flat on his back. ¡°That did not help this bastard headache.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what else to do,¡± Talia said meekly, the edge Malan had seen before vanished entirely. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave you all alone.¡±

    Malan grimaced and pulled himself to his feet. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry about that. This, ah, isn¡¯t my only experience with a Rift. That message was¡­ hard to hear. Lead the way¡ªI¡¯ll be right behind.¡±

    The look Talia shot him bled sympathy, but she quickly nodded and made for the door, Malan not far behind. Staying had sounded appealing for a moment. A chance to finally not feel the things he did. But the thought of Talia having to live with the decision to leave a person behind was not something Malan could inflict upon somebody else. He knew how deeply that pain cut far too well.

    He stumbled after her, booted footsteps against the cool metal of the ship echoing through the corridors of the Miotov, punctuated by the occasional blare of the evacuation alarm. Even in the depths of the station, he could have sworn he could feel the presence of the storm on the planet below, raging in entirely new patterns in response to the disturbance on its moon.

    What had once been faint, luminescent glows on the ship¡¯s walls¡ªeasy to ignore, to pretend he did not see¡ªnow thrummed with energy, drawing him towards them. Urging him to listen.

    He refused. He¡¯d always been able to see traces of the Celestial energies that weaved their way through everything, shifting and swirling with minds of their own. It was the force that allowed their ships to travel between systems, and powered their most advanced tech. The force that the Guardians wielded against their enemies, in a way that only they could do.

    His ability to interact with them was why he¡¯d been tested for potential membership with the Guardians, and his fascination with them was what had led to the events of the Jauda.

    Malan would not make the same mistake twice, not unless there was no other choice.

    Instead he ran, half staggering as the assault on his senses from things he was quite sure only he could see grew in intensity. Nausea took hold, and despite the short distance he¡¯d come, he could feel the sweat rolling down his face.

    I wait¡­

    The voice thundered through his mind, all encompassing. Sharp. Like the thunder of an ancient earth smith¡¯s hammer against an anvil. The energies that permeated the ship flared, sun bright, and he gasped as though he¡¯d been struck.

    Malan¡¯s face hitting the floor with a dull crack was the first he knew about him falling. Pain lanced through his head, and he felt a damp warmth trickling down the side of his face. The voice came again louder than before.

    Even through the sleep of fathomless aeons I felt you come. Knew your pain as my own. And still I wait.

    He moaned, only vaguely aware of Talia calling his name, consumed by the colossal force of the voice. He couldn¡¯t understand how she could stay upright, whilst he had been left clutching his head, desperately trying to stave off the rush of pain and energy run amok.

    Millenia have passed like grains of sand through my fingers, yet suddenly now time is short¡­ I can feel them, clawing and tearing. They come, and soon it will be too late. I wait, Voidborn.

    And as though it had never existed, suddenly the voice and the pain was gone, and only the violently swirling energies that Malan had been trying to ignore remained. He glanced at Talia, who crouched beside him once more.

    ¡°What the hell was that voice?¡± he said, rubbing his temples.

    There was a silence, and Talia¡¯s concern shifted to something alien to her face. Her eyes widened slightly, jaw and shoulders tensing. ¡°Voice?¡±

    Malan winced. She hadn¡¯t heard it, and now she was looking at him in a way she never had before. Shock and fear, most likely. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time a person had heard an incursion was happening and gone mad. She was probably trying to weigh up how far gone he was, how much danger he presented.

    He shook his head, trying to pass himself off as confused. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing,¡± he said, forcing a pained smile onto his lips. ¡°I hit my head real hard. Sorry¡ªturns out I¡¯m useless in a crisis¡ªlet¡¯s keep it moving.¡±

    They rose, but the concerned frown never returned to Talia¡¯s face, and each time she looked back at him, she wore that wide-eyed intense stare, pupils shining like the stars surrounding them. Malan could not tell exactly what emotion burned behind them, but he settled on suspicion, and fear. A reaction he¡¯d well and truly earned during his life.

    That, however, did not change quite how much it hurt, coming from her.

 1.4

    Malan heard the sounds of raised voices above his and Talia¡¯s own heavy breathing and pounding footsteps well before they turned towards the Miotov¡¯s humble docking bay. The station actually had two, one on either side of it¡¯s main body, but they¡¯d not used the other since their arrival at the station two years prior.

    Their own transport, a lightweight cruiser designed for shuttling small crew between systems in comfort and little else, was mag-locked to the Miotov¡¯s docking arm and accessible via a small airlock and decontamination chamber on the side of the bay. He and Talia entered the bay at a jog. It was a simple room, with several lockers and a few monitoring stations next to the airlock.

    It was directly before one of these monitor¡¯s flickering screens that Thaddeus and Beric stood, faces flush from both the run, and flourishing anger.

    ¡°It was your job, Beric¡ªyou are our Maintenance Officer!¡± Thaddeus ground out, jabbing a pointed finger into Beric¡¯s chest, which Beric slapped away with the back of his hand, nostrils flaring.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s wrong yet, give me a chance to have a look at the diagnostics before¡ª¡±

    ¡°Have a look?¡± Thaddeus roared, throwing his hands up in mock despair. ¡°Have a look? Beric, keeping the Sparrow operational in case of emergencies is one of your main responsibilities. You should already bloody well know.¡±

    ¡°Christ, Thad, there¡¯s only so many hours in a day and there¡¯s only one me to keep everything up to scratch. Besides, you know how run down I¡¯ve been¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that will certainly make me feel better when I¡¯m being torn apart by cosmic abominations. ¡®Could have seen my grandchildren again, but poor Beric was run down. Oh well, he did his best!¡¯¡±

    Beric opened his mouth to retort, but he finally spotted them out of the corner of his eye, and the edges of his mouth previously twisted into a furious snarl twitched. Malan could almost see the plan fall into place by the relaxation of the muscles in his face. He needed a scapegoat, and Malan fit the bill perfectly.

    ¡°I get you''re frustrated, Thad, but it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t arrange cover. I assigned Malan to watch over it whilst I caught up¡ªI just didn¡¯t expect him to not ever bother.¡±

    Malan narrowed his eyes, but Beric¡¯s steady gaze kept his mouth closed. This wasn¡¯t the first time Beric had thrown Malan under the bus, and it likely wouldn¡¯t be the last if Malan wanted to keep the older man¡¯s mouth shut. Of course, Beric had asked him to do no such thing, but that hardly mattered at this point. If nothing else, the bickering needed to stop long enough to get the Sparrow operational again.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered through gritted teeth. ¡°This round of sensor cleaning took longer than¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry for what?¡±

    The sharp, clipped tone of Elena Vasquez stopped each of them in their tracks and they snapped towards their captain as she entered the docking bay. Her crisply pressed captain¡¯s uniform had been hastily replaced, or rather, obscured by steel grey battle-plate. It was, much like everything she owned, meticulously maintained, yet bore the pocks and scars of years in combat. In her right hand, she held a metallic case by its black leather handle.

    He had known, of course, Elena had begun adult life in the UGC military wing, and had spent years operating in fringe space. They all had. He had not ever really considered what that had meant. Now it was impossible to ignore. Their captain kept all her usual brusque sharpness in her expression, but now here eyes were cold and hard. There was an odd stillness to her¡ªnot calm, but instead, taut. A viper coiled and ready to strike at any moment.

    ¡°Well?¡± She repeated, and Malan shook his head free of his momentary surprise.

    ¡°I ran behind on my tasks. Didn¡¯t get to diagnostics on the Sparrow and now it¡¯s not functional.¡±

    To his surprise, Elena¡¯s piercing gaze cut not to him, but to Beric. ¡°You passed off your responsibilities to our scrubber.¡±

    Beric blinked owlishly for a moment, slight smirk falling away. ¡°Malan is hardly a normal¡ª¡±

    ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Elena hissed. ¡°The responsibility is yours. Malan isn¡¯t qualified, or paid to do your job for you, Beric, regardless of whatever ability he may or may not have. Now, what is the status of our bird?¡±

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    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not sure yet. I haven¡¯t started the diagnostics yet.¡±

    Elena¡¯s nostrils flared, and Malan thought he could see her literally swallow a barrage of furious expletives before letting out a long, unsteady breath. ¡°Get to it, Beric. Talia, you support him with going through the ship¡¯s main systems. Thaddeus, assume the ship will be flight ready and perform all the other standard checks. The rift is widening still, but our sensors are yet to pick up any movement. We have time but not much. Malan,¡± she said, turning to him with an unreadable expression as the others scrambled to obey.

    ¡°I know you requested to be kept away from engineering and tech, but I need someone with the know-how to check the non-critical systems. There¡¯s probably nothing there, but we can¡¯t afford to get through all the critical diagnostics finding nothing and not even having started anything else.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Malan. But that¡¯s not all. Here,¡± she said, holding out a small tablet about the size of a book for him. He took it, and peered down at the display with its litany of fluctuating readings, and his stomach lurched as he realised what it was.

    ¡°Are you sure? Surely one of the others¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of all of us, you¡¯re the only one with any first-hand experience with the Abyss. Tell me truly, how many times have you gone back over the readings the Jauda took the day of the attack? Tell me you haven¡¯t memorised each and every second from the moment the rift formed to when the first abominations clawed free from its depths?¡±

    Malan said nothing, and Elena nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Just keep an eye while you work. Keep me up to date with your best time estimate.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can do that accurately with only one example to go on.¡±

    Elena placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I know, Malan. But its better than having nothing to go on at all. Every slight advantage we can get, we take. We need to be away before they start getting through,¡± she said, hand tightening around the leather handle of her case. ¡°There won¡¯t be a fight if we don¡¯t. Now move.¡±

    Malan swallowed thickly, but nodded and followed the others through the momentarily acrid spray of the decontamination chamber and into the Sparrow proper. He clambered through the docking port only slightly awkwardly and forced himself to maintain a swift stride through the central mess and rec room that made up the bulk of the centre of the small cruiser.

    The Sparrow was a modular craft, rather than built to specifications. It was a popular way of building ships, enabling captains to swap out modules and repurpose ships to specific tasks depending on what was required. If they were being honest, the Sparrow hadn¡¯t been required to do much. It¡¯s only job was to ferry them between jobs and systems at a reasonable speed, and jump fast enough to flee the scant threats that might pop up in the relatively secure systems at the heart of the UGC.

    It¡¯s main strengths were its reliability and the lack of upkeep it required, which made it all the stranger it was non-functional now of all times.

    The portside corridor led him around the bulk of the rec room and captain¡¯s quarters on his right, and directly onto the bridge. The Sparrow¡¯s bridge was a compact affair. A pilot¡¯s seat sat dead centre, protruding from the front of the ship with a panel of monitors and controls in front of it. Talia, Beric and Elena could pilot the ship, but the seat was usually occupied by Elena.

    Flanking the pilot¡¯s station but a few feet behind, were two more crew positions, each with their own series of flat-panel monitors suspended from the ceiling and reclined, black leather seats. Talia and Beric held these positions in flight most often, and they sat there now, fingers frantically moving across keys as they ran diagnostic after diagnostic.

    It was a sign of how serious things were that Beric didn¡¯t bother to register his arrival on the bridge, and Talia only paused enough to shoot him a strained half-smile before her eyes returned their full attention to the monitor¡¯s above.

    Malan wasted no time. At the rear of the bridge was a seldom used panel built into the back wall. It was rarely used¡ªmost of the important functions could be completed at the other stations¡ªso there was no chair. He moistened his lips and took a sharp breath. It had been some time since he¡¯d last had this kind of work to do. It reminded him too much of his old life, and the path that had led him here in the first place.

    Unfortunately, there was no time for being caught up in his issues. Malan flicked the power switch, and his own fingers began to move¡ªa little uncertainly at first, but in moments muscle memory and bloody-minded expertise took over. He found an old rhythm he¡¯d not fallen into in years and he began to run diagnostics and interpret the data it fired back at him at a pace that surprised even him.

    He¡¯d expected to be rusty, to need time they didn¡¯t have, but it was like slipping into well-worn boots. Malan knew this work, better than he ever could any of the things he¡¯d done since the Jauda. He did not have an intimate knowledge of the Sparrow specifically¡ªthough he knew many of its modular components well¡ªbut his understanding of the science and technology that lay at the foundation was such that he didn¡¯t need to.

    Malan had once described it to his father as feeling the craft. He saw subtle shifts in the data readouts and heard the ship breathe, felt the thrumming heartbeat of it¡¯s engines. Even delving through the Sparrow¡¯s non-critical subsystems told him things about the more important parts of its function.

    A shift in the pressure powering the ship¡¯s hydraulic doors. Fluctuations in the cooling system¡¯s efficiency. There was nothing that would show up on the ship¡¯s diagnostics, but there was no doubting his instincts, nor the bigger picture what he was seeing was building up towards. This was not some small malfunction because of a corroded or degraded part, or even some glitch in the operating software. The subtle changes were in too many places, and across too many different systems for that.

    The Sparrow was sick, and they had almost run out of time to find out why.

 1.5

    ¡°Talia, did you run a diagnostic on the coolant systems?¡±

    Malan''s voice cut through the low hum of flickering ship screens and finger tapping filling the bridge, and drew the attention of both Beric and Talia. Beric simply frowned and returned to his work, too fuelled by his own fear to allow any distraction from his work even to insult Malan. Talia, however, did hesitate. Her fingers froze mid¨Ckeystroke, and her eyes slid over to him, illuminated by the computer back light.

    She chewed her bottom lip. ¡°I did. The report turned up no anomalies. The system is fully functional¡ªwhy? Do you think you found something?¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Malan''s voice trailed off. His mind was a storm of emotions and thoughts, and he was struggling to arrange them logically. The twisting tension in the stomach and the near constant assault from his own memories made it almost impossible to concentrate, and he had no confidence that his suspicions were not founded on much more than trauma induced paranoia.

    Then again, the data didn''t lie. The problems and anomalous readings he had seen were not unusual when taken individually, but together? They painted a picture anybody with the expertise to see.

    ¡°It would be easier to just check and rule out a problem though,¡± Malan said, a little defensively.

    Talia''s hands fell away from her screen and she turned her head fully to meet his eyes. ¡°Are you sure that''s wise, Malan? Elena would be upset if she found he had left your post without a really good reason.¡± She leaned toward him, a concerned frown upon her face. ¡°I know you''re find this hard¡ªare you sure you have really seen something, and it''s not just the stress of the situation?¡±

    Malan ground his teeth, though whether it was because Talia was choosing now to doubt him or if it was because her concerns mirrored his own insecurities, he wasn''t sure.

    ¡°She would be even more mad if I had the suspicions and we all end up getting torn apart because I didn¡¯t investigate them,¡± Malan said shortly, and rose to head toward the ship''s engine room.

    It was only when he looked back for the briefest of moments, and saw Talia''s eyes wide with both concern and hurt at his tone, that he realised just how snappy his voice had been. Either way, it was a problem for another time. With any luck, a time after their narrow escape from the forming rift and creatures that dwelt within.

    The thought of those creatures drove him to the engine bay in record time. Dual thrusters at the rear of the ship powered the Sparrow, with a small maintenance hub that lay between them. Inside, was a maintenance panel and a matrix of synthetic cooling pipes that wound their way around both the room and the thrusters themselves, in order to regulate the temperature of the engine and allow them to run and there are enough maximum capacity with no danger of overheating.

    This cooling system was a closed, pressurised circuit of coolant, however the ship¡¯s wider hydraulic mechanisms were connected to this system. The same cooling fluid that ran through these tubes, ran through the hydraulic door systems of the whole ship, as well as dozens of other smaller hydraulic functions. A leak in this system could severely impact the output of the ship''s engines, and a larger malfunction could prevent the ship''s engines from powering up completely.

    Talia''s checks had shown the current system was functioning as intended, however Malan''s had shown a raft of inefficiencies, some small and some large, in the ship¡¯s wider hydraulic functions. None of these things are critical, and none of them could stop the ship working, or it engines from powering the wave in the space of full speed. But it could indicate a problem that for whatever reason the scans were not showing.

    Malan entered the engine room and nearing a full speed, despite the automatic door practically crawling open. Slightly breathlessly, he gazed around the room, intending to begin a search for one of the many innumerable small defects or mechanical hitches that could indicate a problem with the coolant system that the scans had not revealed.

    What he saw instead, made his jaw drop and heart sink.

    ¡°H-how this is possible¡­¡±

    There was no small problem. It''s just that there was simply no coolant liquid in the system at all.

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    He staggered forward towards the network of pipes running around the room, looking for signs that will tell you how this was possible, but even that answer was obvious. The black metal floors were slick and shiny in patches, and above those patches the coolant pipes dripped with the very dregs of the liquid left in the system.

    A dozen half¨Cdry wet patches on the floor, laying beneath four almost identical punctures at roughly five foot intervals in the pipework.

    Questions raced through his mind and speed the sparrow couldn''t match even when it was brand new. What could cause this? How on earth had the ship''s computer not flagged this immediately? And, how had Talia''s system¨Cspecific scans not picked up on this problem?

    ¡°Malan, you''d better have a good bloody reason being away from your assigned task,¡± came Elena¡¯s voice, sharp as the blade, over the ships communication system.

    Malan shuffled, still have days from what he found, to the maintenance panel and hit the vox button to respond. ¡°I, ah, found the fault.¡±

    ¡°Report. Tell me it''s a problem you can solve Malan.¡±

    Malan let out a breath. ¡°Give me 30 minutes and some sealant and I can do enough to get the ship into space,¡± Malan said, heart pounding against his rib cage.

    ¡°It sounds like there''s a however coming, Malan.¡±

    ¡°It''s just¡ªI don''t see how this damage wasn''t done intentionally.¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°We have leaks in the coolant system. Dozens of them. There in sets of four, and those sets are evenly spaced out. I can''t think of a single way that this could happen by accident. And if this wasn''t by accident¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then there would be no reason for them not to have a backup plan. And if there is a backup plan in place that we are yet to even find, we are fucked. Would that be an accurate assessment Malan?¡± Elena asked through what was clearly, even over the comms, gritted teeth.

    ¡°It''s what I would do,¡± Malan said.

    He heard Elena sigh. ¡°Me too. Still, we have to act in the same way regardless, just with more caution. Sabotage or not, we need those pipes sealed, and the system refilled. Everything else we can deal with after. Time estimate?¡±

    ¡°I wasn''t lying when I said thirty minutes. Sealant will do the job for at least one jump to get away from the rift, I can fix it up properly whenever we end up once were safe.¡±

    ¡°Make it happen Malan. I would send down another pair of hands, but yours are my own and the only ones I''m confident in being trustworthy right now.¡±

    There was a crack of static, the sound of the communication channel being closed off, and Malan was once again alone with his thoughts.

    The twisting in his stomach had evolved into full-blown nausea. The rift together with a potential traitor in their midst was almost too much to countenance at once. For the life of him Malan could not imagine why any of them would sabotage the Sparrow. It was their only way off the Miotov without waiting an age for a rescue shuttle, when their treachery would soon be discovered.

    Malan pushed aside his questions for only just long enough to get himself moving to retrieve the sealant from an alcove in the corner of the room. Keeping enough for emergencies was standard procedure, and he grabbed the applicator and got to work smoothing the off-white gel across the holes in the pipework, even as his mind continued to race.

    Who could it possibly be? Beric was the first name that came to mind, but Malan had a hard time imagining it, if only for the fact he didn¡¯t think the man had enough brains to think of something like this. The longer he spent sealing the cooling system, the more he was able to appreciate the precision of the damage done, and the cleverness of the plot.

    The pipes had sensors intermittently placed throughout the system, to detect coolant levels and warn of just such faults. Closer examination showed Malan that somebody had performed a subtle rewiring job of the entire system. A clever way to fool the diagnostics programs, and checking hardware outside of standard maintenance had become so rare as technology became advanced enough to self-diagnose issues that almost nobody had the inclination, let alone the knowledge required to perform repairs.

    Hell, if Malan hadn¡¯t been so stubborn, it might have taken hours for one of the others to think to check here, if they even managed it at all before the rift opened fully.

    Twenty-four minutes later, Malan threw an nearly empty sealant applicator to the ground, and punched the commands into the console to instruct the system to pump reserve coolant through the pipes. Ice-blue liquid surged through the pipework, and Malan allowed himself a satisfied grin as only the slightest drabbles of liquid seeped from a few of the sealed holes.

    Moments later, the Sparrow juddered, before roaring to life around him.

    ¡°Excellent work, Malan! Now get yourself up here in case there are any other problems.¡±

    Malan let out a breath and made for the door, before a slight buzzing in his pocket brought him up short. He wasn¡¯t carrying a communicator or data slate, which meant¡ª

    His hands darted for the device Elena had gave him, and nearly dropped it almost immediately. The screen blared red, and data flew across the screens manically. Malan knew these readings. He¡¯d seen them before.

    The rift was open.

    Before he could respond the voice from before returned, louder than ever, reverberating through his mind in a rich baritone, as though speakers were pumping the sound directly into his ears.

    They have come, Voidborn. And now you must too. Find me, as I have found you, for I can wait no longer. Come, else all will be put to flame and claw and tooth. I have seen it, Voidborn. Come!

 1.6

    ¡°Mal¡­¡±

    ¡°Malan! Malan, come in!¡±

    Malan opened his eyes to the feel of cold steel against his cheeks and the grey of the Sparrow¡¯s walls spinning around him. He pushed himself up on shaky arms and immediately regretted it as his stomach turned, then emptied across the metal grate floors.

    ¡°Malan, do you read?¡±

    Wincing, he dragged himself upright and staggered back to the communication panel in the engine bay. Everything was wrong. His skin swam like ants swarmed beneath it, and his insides felt as though they were covered in a thin film of putrid oil. Concentrating on the feeling in any way pushed himself close to throwing up again, so he focused his attention on pushing the button to open communications with the bridge.

    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he said, voice a strained rasp.

    There was a pause before Elena responded. ¡°Are you good? You¡¯ve not answered for a good two minutes. We¡¯re getting strange readings, and need an update on the rift before we launch. I want to know what we¡¯re flying into.¡±

    Malan pinched the bridge of his nose and delivered the news none of them wanted to hear. ¡°It¡¯s open. Sorry, I passed out or something trying to bring get back to the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Shit. Time to haul ass then. Get back to bridge Malan, Thad will check you over then you can carry on running checks for that glitch we spoke about.¡±

    It took a moment for his spiralling mind to register what she meant by glitch. Sabotage. She wanted him to keep looking for signs of sabotage. Did the others not know? That was the only reason to refer to it as a glitch rather than what it was. He frowned. That would mean she must not have been on the bridge whilst she was talking with him, which was odd. She was the Captain, and they were trying to launch. Her place was on the bridge, and it was incredibly unlike Elena to be breaking protocol.

    Malan bit back his suspicion and stumbled his way back up toward the bridge, the awful sensations running through him never ceasing even for a moment. The walls and ceilings swam with white celestial energy like swirling cloud, and he had to fight to keep his attention away from its drifting currents.

    He had, after all, fallen into that trap before.

    The Sparrow jolted as he entered the bridge, the tell-tale hiss of the docking mechanism separating indicating they had been let loose from the Miotov, and it was only Thaddeus¡¯ steady hand that stopped the force of it knocking him back to his feet.

    ¡°Easy,¡± the older man said calmly into his ear. ¡°Let¡¯s have a seat together, shall we?¡±

    Thaddeus guided him gently to the ground as Malan stared at the three at the front of the bridge. Beric had a navigational display up, helping Elena plot a course whilst she piloted the initial break from the Miotov. Through his hands Malan could feel the intensifying vibrations of the ship¡¯s engines as they prepared for the system jump that would take them well away from this place.

    A faint electronic ringing caught his attention, and with a start he realised Thaddeus had been waving his medical scanner up and down his body.

    ¡°How long have you been presenting these symptoms, Malan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he tried to start, and Thaddeus rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Like hell,¡± he snorted. ¡°You know damn well what this device does. You¡¯re running a fever, and your oesophageal contraction rate is telling me you¡¯ve thrown up at least once in the last hour. More than that though, your nervous system is running wild. It¡¯s like every single one of your nerves is overstimulated¡ªI¡¯ve not seen readings like this before. Why haven¡¯t you said something?¡±

    ¡°It only started when the rift did, we¡¯ve sort of had more pressing concerns,¡± Malan said, a wan smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

    Thaddeus grimaced before nodding, whilst reaching to rummage in his medical bag and beginning to bring out vial of brightly coloured liquid. ¡°Unfortunately, I would have to agree. I will administer nausea reductions and general painkillers, as well as something to calm the fever. Temporary measures, but it should keep you on your feet until we¡¯re safe enough to examine you properly.¡±

    ¡°Appreciate it, Doc,¡± Malan said, as he heard the tell-tale whir of the engines as the Sparrow reached jump-ready status.

    What he appreciated a little less was Thaddeus using his momentary distraction to press his hypodermic device against his neck and administer a sharp shot of whatever cocktail of drugs he¡¯d concocted to deal with Malan¡¯s symptoms.

    He opened his mouth to complain, but all that left it was a relieved sigh as the near constant rolling in his stomach fell away, and the crawling under his skin subsided by a significant amount. Both sensations were still there, but distant. Mere echoes of the consciousness-consuming distraction they had been.

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    Malan glanced back towards Elena as he felt the ship¡¯s whirring reach a climax, ready to jump and licked his lips in anticipation of the sudden lurch that would signal their successful escape. Elena¡¯s fingers tightened around the throttle controls and, now they were on the verge of getting away, Malan couldn¡¯t help the slight pang of jealousy as he watched her ready to pilot the ship away from the system.

    Had things turned out differently, that could have been him. Should have been him.

    ¡°Prepare for system jump,¡± Elena said, voice firm but clear, with out a single trace of nerves or worry.

    She flipped up the clear casing that shielded the jump controls, and flicked the three release levers downwards before pressing the activation key. The engine¡¯s noises reached a fever pitch as the jump drive corralled the ambient celestial energy around it to tear their own hole in the fabric of the universe¡ªa pocket dimension they could navigate between systems.

    Then, it stopped. The sound of the engines running at maximum capacity fell away like a deflated balloon, and the Sparrow juddered violently before stilling again. Malan saw luminescent blue energy crackle across the empty space ahead of them through the viewing windows¡ªthe ship¡¯s jump drive trying and failing to open a portal.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± This time, even Elena¡¯s professional veneer couldn¡¯t hide her frustration and fear. ¡°Talia, Beric. Report!¡±

    Talia worried the bottom of her lip with her teeth, vibrant eyes glittering with unshed tears. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not certain, Captain. The diagnostics are clear.¡±

    ¡°Shit, mine too,¡± Beric hissed, face flushed red as he frantically input commands. ¡°The shith¡ªI mean, Malan found a mechanical fault that the scans didn¡¯t pick up before, right? Maybe the thing is happening with the jump drive, though I can¡¯t see how¡­ Should I go and see what I can do, Cap?¡±

    Elena¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Beric looked taken aback for a moment, before her sharp eyes slid away from him and landed on Malan. She wanted to ask him to go, he knew. To make sure Beric wasn¡¯t in on the sabotage, or even to go instead. The thought of standing again and having to race through the ship for another repair had his heart thumping again, but Thaddeus had seemed to pick up on at least some of what Elena was thinking. His hand landed gently on Malan¡¯s shoulder, and he met Elena¡¯s stare with a firm gaze of his own.

    Their captain hesitated for only a moment before sighing. ¡°Do it, Beric, and make it fast.¡±

    Beric nodded and scrambled up from his chair, before setting off into the depths of the ship at a pace Malan quite frankly hadn¡¯t thought him capable of. A few seconds passed once the sound of Beric¡¯s footsteps had disappeared, before Talia¡¯s hesitant voice broke the short-lived silence.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Captain?¡±

    The attention of everyone left in the room snapped back towards the demure girl, who was peering, with a slightly embarrassed tinge of red colouring her cheeks, at her monitor.

    ¡°What have you found, Talia?¡±

    ¡°Um, nothing, exactly. It¡¯s just,¡± she paused, her hands fidgeting nervously away from her monitor as she tried to find the right words. ¡°Well, have you set a course for us to follow whilst we await word from Beric?¡±

    Elena blinked and turned back to her own station. ¡°No, why?¡±

    ¡°Because, well, we¡¯re following one. And it¡¯s taking us directly toward R18-34C¡¯s moon.¡±

    Her words prompted a flurry of movement on the bridge. Elena snapped her attention towards her station, stabbing at her monitor with growing panic on her face. Thaddeus shot to his feet, followed¡ªalbeit slowly¡ªby Malan.

    He watched through the viewing window, with open-mouthed horror, as the Sparrow slowly rounded the research station currently hiding the rift from sight. His heart pounded against his chest, unable to tear his eyes away from the point where he knew the rift would appear from behind the Miotov.

    So captivated he was, that he didn¡¯t notice the intercom click on right away.

    ¡°Cap?¡±

    Beric¡¯s voice crackled through the bridge speakers, jolting them all from their stunned silence.

    ¡°What have you found, Beric?¡± Elena hissed, her fingers continuing to desperately input commands.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even really know how to describe it. The jump drive has been¡­dismantled.¡±

    That stopped Elena cold, and she and Malan shared a glance as cold sweat rolled down his face.

    ¡°Fixable?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the odd thing, Cap. This is intentional for sure, but it¡¯s been left in perfect condition, just taken apart. If whoever it was wanted to keep us here, they could have easily fucked us by getting rid of a few of these components. They just¡­haven¡¯t. Give me an hour, and I can have us out of here.¡±

    Elena lifted her finger from the intercom button, and looked back at her screen, pensive frown upon her face, before she pressed the button down.

    ¡°You need to be faster than that, Beric. Our traitor has set a course right at the rift¡ªwe¡¯re on autopilot and I haven¡¯t figured out how to take back control yet. If I can¡¯t and we¡¯re not ready to jump, we¡¯re dead.¡±

    Malan¡¯s eyes widened. The possibility that somebody had planned all of this was utterly insane. There was no way someone could have predicted the formation of the rift and still had time to set all of this up, and even if they had¡ªwhy? The creatures that spilled out of the rifts were horrors beyond reckoning. No human had ever successfully communicated with one, and any who tried died horribly.

    But on the other hand, if the rift wasn¡¯t part of the plan, surely you try and surreptitiously let them out of the trap to save yourself a horrible death? Trapping a crew on an isolated moon to rob them and hold the crew for ransom wasn¡¯t unheard of by any means. Thaddeus and Talia had families that loved them, and Elena was a decorated captain¡ªany one of them would earn a decent ransom.

    Not enough of one, however, to risk getting caught up in the Abyss.

    As if on cue, a vivid lashing of red and purple caught his eyes, and dragged his concentration back to the ship¡¯s window. There, no longer obscured by the Miotov was the planet and its moon, vivid silver against the black. And just beside it, raging against the barren expanse of space, was the rift.

    Torrents of crimson like blood and crackling violet light swirled into a gaping wound in reality that made him queasy just to look at. It squirmed and crawled in place as though it were alive, contracting and expanding the lung of some great God. In its centre, the tear swallowed everything. All light, all movement, leaving nothing at all. A gaping maw that seemed to pull in all surrounding it, including Malan and his gaze.

    He barely noticed Talia collapsing to her knees to his left, nor Thaddeus¡¯ whispered prayers to his right. The only thing he was truly aware of was that hungering chasm, and the malicious whispers of the thirsting demons that lay within.

 1.7

    Several minutes passed with the crew of the Sparrow watching in mute horror as their ship trundled leisurely toward the yawning chasm in reality controlled by a hand not their own. For Malan, he knew his experience was a little different from what the others were experiencing. Horrific as it may be, this was not his first encounter with a rift.

    He knew, for example, the others would be feeling a sickening wrongness, like reality itself was nauseous. Teeth would grind, sweat would begin rolling down foreheads, and fists would clench and unclench as people fought against the instinct to claw at their own skin to tear out the wrongness they felt within themselves.

    On the Jauda, things had got so bad before rescue arrived that a few had started to actually try to do just that.

    On the Sparrow, it was still early. Thaddeus fidgeted with the lapels of his medical coat. Elena fiddled anxiously with some loose component or other under her pilot¡¯s station as she looked out at the rift. Malan simply stared, mouth dry, and tried not to think about how he could put a familiar face to each of the screams in his memory of the last time he¡¯d encountered a rift, nor about how, by the pitch and ferocity of the screams, he could tell which were in terror and which were a response to the sensation of being torn into bloody chunks.

    The thing that really set him apart, however, was what he could see. The white gleam of celestial energy swarmed all around them, almost as though it, too, was deathly afraid. Beyond the viewing screen, the energies that usually drifted and danced through the emptiness of space, flinched and squirmed away from the rift, and any that drew too close was sucked in, never to be seen again.

    That, perhaps, was scarier than any other part of this. Celestial energy was widely regarded as the fundamental force in the galaxy. It existed, invisible to almost everyone, throughout every atom in existence. Seeing something so pervasive, so essential to existence, be consumed  absolutely terrified him to the core.

    Only Talia had redirected that nervous energy into something positive. Instead of fidgeting, her hands raced to input commands into her station. Running diagnostics, hunting for some bug, some flaw that would override the autopilot they¡¯d been locked into. In the end, it was her voice that shook them from their stupor.

    ¡°Captain?¡± She half-whispered, voice shaking. ¡°I have found a way to override the autopilot, it¡¯s just¡ªWell, look for yourselves.¡±

    Malan leaned forward to look at her monitor and sucked a sharp breath through his teeth as Elena swore.

    ¡°That motherfucker! Whoever did this is fucking messing with us, even now, heading towards a Goddamn rift!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, but for those of us who don¡¯t understand what it is you¡¯re looking at,¡± Thaddeus asked, eyebrows knitted.

    Malan exhaled, scratching his chin. ¡°It¡¯s a randomised password puzzle. Twelve separate passwords need to be input, selected randomly from a bank of passwords of an unknown number. The real head scratcher is that once you start breaking, you have a set time to solve all twelve before they¡¯re replaced by another set from the bank.¡±

    The older man blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that. Sounds like something that could be circumvented with advanced enough software, however?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the curious thing about it, Thad¡ªyou¡¯re exactly right. Given enough time, we can even get the outdated systems on the Sparrow to help crack it.¡±

    ¡°And time is exactly what we don¡¯t have,¡± Elena bit out, an ugly scowl marring her face. ¡°Malan, you feeling up to it? You and Talia are the only ones on the bridge right now with the know-how to circumvent this.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really seem like there¡¯s much choice, Captain,¡± Malan said, his weak smile an attempt to hide just how fucking terrified he really was.

    She clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there. Get to it, you two. Myself and Thaddeus will go and see if Beric¡¯s work can be sped up with an extra pair of hands, and, to be safe¡ª¡±

    Elena paused, and reached under her station for the object she had been fidgeting with earlier, withdrawing it with two hands and slinging its black polyester strap over her shoulder in a motion that appeared more natural to her than breathing.

    For the first time since Malan had known her, their Captain appeared truly at ease. All it had taken was the familiar weight and cold metallic touch of a deep crimson battle rifle. She angled it towards herself, and ran discerning eyes across its bulky body, checking for any sign of fault or defect.

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    Malan recognised it as a repurposed UGC military model, well-used and battle-tested, but like her plate armour, it was clearly flawlessly and rigorously maintained. She ran her fingers across the rounded power-cell beneath the trigger, checking the thumb-width connecting power cables that ran between it and the main body of the weapon. Satisfied, she flicked a switch on the power cell, and the weapon whirred to life, with four small bars lighting up yellow across the power cell, showing it was fully charged.

    ¡°Stay on your toes you two,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think that any of you has betrayed us, but someone has, and unless we¡¯ve had a stowaway stay unnoticed for our entire stay here, it is one of us. Eventually, they¡¯re going to have to reveal themselves. Make sure you¡¯re ready for anything and use the comms to keep us in the loop. Let¡¯s move, Thad.¡±

    Even with those ominous words looming over them, Malan settled into Beric¡¯s station and he and Talia got to work on reclaiming control of their own ship¡¯s autopilot.

    It was oddly comforting. Setting the Sparrows limited processing power to task automatically cracking the passwords was a fairly quick job, especially with someone as competent of Talia to share the work with. Once that was done, all the pair of them could do was add their own attempts to the password cracking process.

    Entering a slew of random keystrokes, using the computer¡¯s software to check if any were correct, before going again. Monotonous, but easy, and the perfect distraction from the crimson storm outside, and the reality of what awaited them as they failed. He frowned as his fingers flew, as a thought struck him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why our traitor chose this method of locking us out,¡± he started, and Talia blinked, surprised he¡¯d even spoke.

    ¡°It does seem overly complicated,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°Not just that. Overly complicated and imperfect. Why not just permanently lock our course? This is breakable, so what¡¯s the point? What benefit could be gained by consigning us all, including the traitor, to death?¡±

    Talia frowned, then her eyes widened as Malan cracked one of the passwords. In rapid succession, the Sparrow¡¯s computer cracked two more before an alert rang out and the passwords reset, giving them a fresh set of twelve to solve. Immediately, Malan saw her belief waver as she remembered exactly what they were up against, and tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°How can we possibly solve this, Malan? We¡¯re right back to square one¡ª¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s exactly my point, Talia¡ªWe aren¡¯t back to square one. Randomised passwords are time-consuming to crack, but that¡¯s all. It¡¯s why they¡¯re not used for serious security anymore.¡±

    The computer solved another password, before Talia solved her first despite her tears and Malan solved another almost at the same time.

    ¡°That and the fact that every password in the bank has to be memorised. It means the bank can never be that big, because they have to be remembered. We don¡¯t lose our progress when the passwords reset¡ªthe Sparrow will keep track of our solved passwords. All we have to do is solve enough that already solved passwords get rotated back into the puzzle. Eventually, there¡¯ll be enough solved that we¡¯ll be presented with a set of passwords that are mostly already cracked.¡±

    Talia¡¯s eyes widened in recognition. ¡°Then all we have to do is solve the remaining passwords within the time limit.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s why this is so weird. None of these sabotages are meant to trap us permanently. They¡¯re meant to stall us. Hold us for just long enough.¡±

    ¡°Long enough for what, though?¡± Talia asked, biting her lip.

    ¡°That,¡± Malan said, grinning slightly in grim satisfaction as another slew of passwords were solved between him, Talia and the computer. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Though, now that I think about it, one of the biggest weaknesses of this system is that people had to remember the passwords. Most people just aren¡¯t able to memorise two or three, let alone dozens¡­¡±

    He stood, eyes wide and roaming the bridge as a bolt of pure inspiration hit him. If he was right, they didn¡¯t need to crack these passwords at all.

    ¡°What are you doing, Malan?¡± Talia said, the worry clear as a bell in her voice.

    ¡°Looking for something,¡± he said, adrenaline flooding his veins as he finally saw a way out. ¡°Think about it, Talia. Memorising dozens of passwords is crazy. Any more than that is flat out impossible. So, what people used to do, was store them on a data stick. Like an old-school physical key.

    ¡°If they were your passwords, all you had to do was connect your data stick. I¡¯d forgotten¡ªit¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve even seen this system on anything, let alone had to use it. There¡¯s no way our traitor has memorised all these passwords, or has any intention of typing out twelve passwords with the Abyss bearing down on them. No, there¡¯s a data stick to unlock this thing, all we need to do is find it.¡±

    Malan was tearing through every cupboard and storage nook, desperately looking to confirm his suspicions, and he heard Talia stand up from her station behind him to help.

    ¡°Should I let the Captain and the others know, we could start searching pockets and find out who the traitor really is?¡±

    Malan shook his head without turning around, and half-answered Talia¡¯s question, half-thought aloud. ¡°No. This person is clever. Meticulous. Even if I don¡¯t understand the logic, it¡¯s clear everything that¡¯s happened has been fully intentional. Keeping it on your person introduces too many ways to get caught. It¡¯s hidden on the ship somewhere. Almost certainly on the bridge to allow for a quick escape. Hell, maybe even hidden right in plain sight. Who the hell looks twice at a¡ª¡±

    He paused, eyes focusing in on the pilot¡¯s station, where Elena had a series of papers and desk tidies across the top related to work, and his heart soared. There, tucked neatly in a desk tidy, was a thin black data stick. Malan scrambled across to it, snatching it up triumphantly, movements so clumsy he almost didn¡¯t hear the whir of an energy weapon charging up behind him.

    ¡°Such a clever boy,¡± Talia¡¯s voice rang across the otherwise silent room like an explosion, unrecognisably cold and without emotion. ¡°But I¡¯ll be taking that back, thank you.¡±

 1.8

    ¡°Turn. Slowly. Hands right where I can see them.¡±

    Malan felt his fists clench and unclench, fighting desperately to process what he was hearing. Talia. It was Talia. How could that possibly be the case? Sweet, kind Talia, who¡¯d always had a positive word for him when he needed it most. Talia who had cared when nobody else had.

    Talia was the traitor on the verge of killing them all.

    He looked out across the stars, trying to delay as much as possible. The rift still hung in space, a gaping crimson and violet wound in the sky, swirling with violent, crackling energy. Oddly, that wound now appeared to be bleeding. Far away as he was, Malan could only make out obsidian objects oozing from the hole like tears. The distance was still enormous, but Malan took an instinctive step back, regardless.

    He knew exactly what those shapes were.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The feel of Talia¡¯s warm breath on his neck almost had him jumping out of his skin. He span, and backed up immediately, pressing his back as far up against the pilot¡¯s console as he possibly could. Talia had crept up on him in near-perfect silence, and, with a start he realised that she now held the data stick that would give them back control of the autopilot.

    She held herself like a stalking tiger, confidence in her control of the situation supreme. A small smile played on her face, and she held a small, grey pistol with its barrel aimed directly between Malan¡¯s eyes.

    That should have scared him more than it did. What really had ice flooding through his veins were her eyes. Cerulean orbs that once swam with emotion looked straight past him, wide and wild. He could see the rift reflected in their depths, and could see the different emotions that it stirred in her. Curiosity and fear were there, but over everything else was adoration.

    That frightened him more than any weapon ever could.

    ¡°W¡ªWhat?¡± He mumbled finally, still desperately grasping around in his mind for solid ground to build some sort of rational plan upon.

    ¡°The Abyss? Isn¡¯t it incredible? Creation itself consumed and unmade and given life again¡ªthe power of the Gods themselves,¡± she shuddered, before turning to him and using her free hand to tilt his head towards her, so she could look directly into his eyes. ¡°But you of all people know exactly what I¡¯m talking about. You¡¯ve seen the Abyss in all it¡¯s majesty before.¡±

    Malan¡¯s teeth were grinding before she¡¯d even finished speaking, and when she said her last, he had to consciously hold himself back from doing something stupid. Elena knew about the Jauda of course¡ªas captain, she¡¯d vetted him thoroughly before allowing him to join the crew. Beric had known through associates who¡¯d been on board the Jauda when it happened, but he¡¯d kept it quiet, if only to ensure Malan¡¯s silence. Or at least, he¡¯d believed that to be the case.

    ¡°Does everybody on this damn crew know about the Jauda?¡± he bit out, and Talia laughed.

    ¡°Did you really think you could keep something like that a secret? An Abyssal rift forming within a ship is the kind of nightmare fuel that the UGC news can¡¯t help but shovel into everyone¡¯s faces. But, for what it¡¯s worth, I believe Thaddeus is still unaware. Now, sit yourself down at Beric¡¯s station, Malan.¡±

    He narrowed his eyes, glancing into the black abyss of the barrel of Talia¡¯s weapon, and hesitating only a moment before doing as instructed. Talia got to work immediately, deftly binding each hand to the chair with fixture cable, keeping her weapon affixed onto him with her off-hand until she was sure he was secure.

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s your plan here, Talia? What could you possibly gain from forcing us to fly towards a rift and getting torn apart?¡±

    ¡°Gain? Me?¡± She laughed again, before turning her eyes back towards the rift. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for me. This is all for them. Everything I do is for them. And if you all do as you¡¯re told, you are the only one that will die today, Malan.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Malan blurted out, no longer able to hold back his bewilderment. ¡°How do you figure that? They¡¯ll kill everyone once we get close enough, just like they did on the Jauda! You being crazy enough to voluntarily get close enough for the Abyss to tear out your eyes, doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t!¡±

    Her laughter grew in intensity, and she returned to his side, head cocked back until her laughter died away. Talia crouched next to him, all traces of mirth entirely absent and cupped his cheek with her hand.

    ¡°Poor, sweet, na?ve Malan. Who do you think sent me?¡±

    Malan¡¯s mouth worked to speak, but no words came out, the full weight of her insanity crashing down upon him like a blow to the stomach

    ¡°I see the full understanding of the Abyss still eludes you,¡± her smile came back, dreamy and distant, as though she was no longer really talking to him at all. ¡°The Abyss are no mindless beasts, they are simply the equal and opposite reaction to a corrupted, out-of-balance reality. They were here before creation itself, and they shall exist long after creation¡¯s last, rattling breaths fade from memory.

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    ¡°They are the Elder Ones, and their thirst knows no bounds. They have shown me the end of creation, and they have shown me how they will build it again from scratch. Free from corruption. Free from suffering. Do you understand, Malan? They did not just promise, they showed me. Each step along the path, and it¡¯s end. What they envisage for us¡ªI wept at it¡¯s beauty. From that day, I swore I would give my life to see it come to pass, no matter the cost.¡±

    Malan had given up trying to engage directly with Talia¡¯s words. She had devolved fully into the mad ramblings of a zealot, and the idea of a sentient, even benevolent entity being behind what he¡¯d seen on the Jauda almost had him laughing in incredulity.

    What he couldn¡¯t doubt, however, was that Talia believed, and that belief was horrifying to behold.

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said, mind trying to focus on the current situation. ¡°But why me? Why am I the only one that has to die?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Malan. It¡¯s because you¡¯re special. You can see,¡± she tilted his head towards her again, allowing her to look into his eyes as she had before with that intense mixture of wonder and fear. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it must be like. To see the energies of creation. To watch them flee from the Abyss and be consumed. Glorious, to be sure. Someone like you being born hasn¡¯t happened in hundreds of years. But someone like you being born who is also compatible with the Starbound? This is the first time. The Abyss had marked you as its own right from your very birth, Malan. It is your destiny.¡±

    The word Starbound rang out through Malan¡¯s mind clearer than any other, regardless of how twisted the rest of what Talia had to say was. Beric had been wrong of course, he hadn¡¯t failed out of the Starbound testing program. It had been his dream to pilot one of those ships¡ªto explore the reaches of space, and defended those that needed defending like the heros he¡¯d watched growing up on the news. He¡¯d spent his entire life working himself to the bone, pushing himself towards exactly that goal.

    He¡¯d been offered his opportunity to test for compatibility with a Starbound ship just before the Jauda had happened. It had been the happiest moment of his life. Then came the Jauda, and he and his dreams had fallen apart beneath the crushing weight of the guilt.

    ¡°I never took the test,¡± he muttered. ¡°There¡¯s no way to know if I¡¯m compatible or not.¡±

    Talia patted his cheek condescendingly. ¡°You still don¡¯t understand the power you¡¯re dealing with, do you Malan? The Elder Ones can see it upon you, just as easily as the Nexus can. You are compatible. The Jauda may have been a failure in the end, but it at least confirmed that you are the one.¡±

    Malan froze. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®the Jauda was a failure¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I said. Our first attempt at taking you aboard the Jauda failed,¡± she said. ¡°For a time, I believed I had failed the Abyss entirely. All my efforts in vain as you became Starbound. But then,¡± she continued, giggling as she did. ¡°You didn¡¯t even go! Too racked with guilt and loss. I couldn¡¯t believe my luck. From there it was easy to manipulate Vasquez into hiring you¡ªshe always liked down on her luck strays, all it took was a data-slate left conveniently open, and I had you again. Alone. Isolated. Easy prey.¡±

    The sound of his own heartbeat thundered in his ears, and Malan could feel the telltale rush of hot blood surging through him. The fear had gone, replaced by all-consuming anger.

    ¡°You were behind the Jauda.¡± His words were short. Clipped. His arms strained instinctively against his bindings, and they dug into his wrists, drawing blood. It hadn¡¯t been a question, but Talia responded as if it were.

    ¡°But of course. Low-paid technicians are so easy to bribe, especially when they can¡¯t tell how what was asked of them would be helpful. Adjust a setting here. Manipulate the energy flow there. Tearing a rift in empty space is difficult, but around the celestial anomaly your father was poking around at, it took next to no effort at all. All it needed was somebody with your eyes to get a little too curious and poke around where they shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    His anger wavered, and Talia tutted and stood, stretching out her arms as she sauntered back to her station. ¡°Oh, come now. You must know if you hadn¡¯t fallen for our trap, we simply would have opened a rift another way, and everyone would have died, regardless. It was your fault, but your sin wasn¡¯t your curiosity. It was simply existing.¡±

    A crackle of sound burst from the comms system, and Elena¡¯s voice stopped the both of them dead. ¡°Malan. Talia. Report¡ªhow is progress? We¡¯ll be squared away within the hour.¡±

    Talia smiled and pressed her intercom button. ¡°Good. We predict we¡¯ll have access to the autopilot just before then.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Elena said. ¡°Malan, do you concur?¡±

    It was clever. Elena was ensuring that they were both still in place and working, and that one of them hadn¡¯t turned on the other. However, the message on the screen in front of him destroyed any hope of summoning help from his captain and her rifle.

    I have control of the door seals and airlocks. Report you are well. Create no suspicion. Failure to comply will leave me with no option but to seal this room and open up the rest of the ship. Three more will die horribly.

    Thanks to you.

    Malan swallowed. He could see the airlock controls on her monitor, even as Talia walked across to him and pressed his own intercom button. He bit back a curse before complying.

    ¡°We¡¯re nearly there with the passwords¡ªjust under an hour is a solid estimate.¡±

    Silence, then, ¡°Good. Fantastic work you two, we might just make it out of this yet.¡±

    The intercom clicked off, and Talia returned to her station, laughing louder than ever before. All Malan could do was strain fruitlessly against his restraints and stare at the approaching rift. Small ripples of movement had become black, leathery-winged shadows, pouring forth from the wound in the sky like demons, surging towards the nearby moons.

    To his horror, deep in the shadowed depths of the portal, he saw something he didn¡¯t recognise from the Jauda. A shape he could neither name nor describe, shifting and twisting so often it appeared to writhe, formless and vast enough that were it ever to take a step within their reality it would dwarf the planet below. Amongst all the movement, a single, bulbous eye came into view within the rift, oozing red and violet. It¡¯s pupil swivelled, and in a heartbeat found Malan¡¯s own, even from across the vastness of space.

    Talia¡¯s laughter took on a strange tone and rhythm, and it was only by the hot, tearing pain in his own throat that Malan realised he was screaming.

 1.9

    The slow trundle towards the planet¡¯s moon and subsequent death by Abyss trundled ever closer, with minutes stretching out to feel like hours. Malan was trapped, forced to sit and watch as more clawed creatures left the void and made for the moon they would be landing upon. Every so often, he caught another glimpse of that monstrosity mercifully still on the other side of the rift and had to fight back a wave of nausea.

    Every so often, it caught a glimpse of him.

    Still, there was only so long you could sit in existential terror before your brain adjusted to the situation, and before long Malan had calmed himself down enough to think. Well, enough to attempt to, anyway. His bindings had not cut into his wrists enough that the pain was sharp and constant, and blood smeared all the way around each wrist, with several drops escaping to the floors.

    Added to that was the absolute mountain of new information Talia had thrown at him. He was almost positive he¡¯d misheard or misunderstood her about the Jauda. It had been planned. They had caused it. Not him. Them. Of everything, even with all the talk of the Elder Ones, that Talia was somehow working for them, or even the fact he was almost certainly going to die¡ªit was that solitary part that kept overtaking everything else.

    It hadn¡¯t been him. All of those people dead. His mother and father. The friends he¡¯d made on that station. The people that had taken the time to teach him because they¡¯d recognised something in him. His sister lying broken and alone in a hospital bed.

    Not him. Them.

    The pulsing waves of volcanic anger were unlike anything he¡¯d ever felt before. His muscles tensed impotently and his teeth ground. Talia responded to glares that by all rights should have shredded her on the spot with faint condescending smiles. He could do nothing, and she knew it. Took pleasure in it, even.

    All those years spent making himself suffer for what happened¡ªtorturing himself for a crime it turns out hadn¡¯t even been his. Yesterday, the only thing keeping him from ending it had been his obligation to provide for his sister¡ªmost of his wage transferred automatically to her hospital to pay for her care. Without that, he wouldn¡¯t have persisted for two weeks, let alone the two years he¡¯d managed.

    Today, he was going to die, and he wanted nothing more than to live.

    He stewed in that thought for a good twenty minutes before the buzz of the comms had him sitting up ramrod straight, and eyes wide with hope. Talia smirked, and languidly stretched closer to her monitor ready to respond whilst looking him dead in the eyes and pressing a finger to her lips.

    ¡°Attention bridge,¡± Elena said, slightly out of breath from the work. ¡°That¡¯s the jump drive operational again. Returning shortly. Status?¡±

    Talia pushed the intercom button, and her smirk disappeared, replaced in an instant with the Talia he thought he¡¯d known.

    ¡°Great news, Captain! Malan is about to crack the final few passwords. I don¡¯t know what I would have done without him.¡±

    ¡°Excellent work, both of you. Begin powering up the jump drive again, we¡¯ll be with you in a moment.¡±

    The intercom clicked off, and Talia¡¯s smirk returned full force as she turned to him. Behind her, Malan could see through the viewing windows they were close enough to the rift that the creatures emerging from the rift had finally noticed them. They flew towards the ship in a rolling mass on shadowed flesh and tattered wings. In moments, they had surrounded the lone Sparrow, like opportunistic ravens who had happened upon an unexpected meal.

    Oddly, though, they did not attack. Malan braced for the ripping and tearing of metal he remembered from the Jauda, but nothing came. They simply swarmed around them, a seething mass escorting them to their fate, only made more unsettling to behold by their deathly silence.

    ¡°Now,¡± Talia began, having moved behind Malan in his moment of distraction. She spoke directly into his hear, her cool breath on his neck making his skin crawl. ¡°When the others arrive, you will give no warning. You see the situation we are in. If I am killed¡ªif there is any resistance at all¡ªthe ship will be torn apart, and the butchered remains of its crew will be cast to the stars.¡±

    ¡°And if I co-operate?¡±

    ¡°They will be given a choice. If they choose correctly, they may take the ship and leave unharassed.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± he spat. ¡°Those things will tear apart everyone the moment we land. I¡¯ve seen how they operate. What they do.¡±

    Talia sighed next to him, then hissed something in a strange, unintelligible language. A rush of vile wrongness swept across the entire room, as though sea-sickness had gained a physical presence. Malan jerked violently away from her, but froze when he saw the black masses outside swarm before the window, and align themselves in the perfect rows on either side of the Sparrow.

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    For a moment, the ship moved between the creatures arrayed like a guard of honour. Then Talia spoke again, and they scattered, keeping themselves distant from the ship as it travelled, never coming closer than some imagined boundary they all seemed to share.

    ¡°Our mission is more important than anything, and I am the one it has been entrusted t¡ª¡±

    Talia froze mid-sentence and frowned, before hurrying back to her own station. The bridge doors slid open and the considerably sweatier and more grimy trio of Beric, Thaddeus and Elena ambled in. The three took a few steps, unaware more of their attention was needed, before Elena stopped cold, her eyes locked upon Malan.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    There was a scramble for her weapon, but Talia was faster. An ocean blue bolt of light burst from her already ready pistol, and hit Elena square in the chest. For one horrifying moment Malan thought he¡¯d just watched his captain die, but then the energy dispersed across her body and she shook as she fell as violent pulses of energy wracked her body. She had been stunned, not killed.

    She hit the floor with a limp thud, and continued to shake for a moment before stilling. Thaddeus and Beric looked between her and Talia, ashen-faced before raising their own hands in surrender.

    ¡°Smart boys. Now kick her weapon across to me.¡± The pair complied quickly, and Talia slung the rifle across her own shoulders. She took out a handful of extra cable ties, and threw them at the pair. ¡°Now, between you, bind the good captain to her chair and take a seat at the back of the room whilst we wait for her to rouse. No funny ideas¡ªthe stun setting is a flick of the switch away from becoming lethal. I¡¯d rather not kill any of you, but I won¡¯t hesitate if you force my hand.¡±

    The two men complied shakily, and with only a minimal amount of grunting and laboured breathing gingerly lifted the captain and placed her in her seat. Beric hesitated before applying his half of her bindings, prompted only, Malan suspected, by a pointed look from Talia.

    They sat on the floor at the back of the bridge, exactly where they had been told, Talia shutting down any attempt at talking with her they tried. After a minute or two of trying, they accepted their fate and waited for the Captain to wake. Though they were sat behind him, Malan saw out of the corner of his eyes the moment they noticed how close to the rift and moon they were, and saw when they noticed the creatures surrounding them.

    Then he saw the moment that each came to accept their own deaths.

    Elena woke, groggy and weak-limbed almost as soon as the ship began to shudder as its landing gear moved into place, the moon looming behind her in the window like a pale halo. She slurred a confused noise, before beginning to strain against her restraints, until Talia spoke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. They¡¯re well-tied.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Elena hissed, clearly thunderstruck. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡ªwhat¡¯s the point in any of this?¡±

    Talia sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve already explained myself once. Things for you at this point are very simple.¡±

    At that moment, the rumbling grew to a climax as the Sparrow lowered itself towards the surface of the moon, ready to touch down.

    ¡°The ship¡¯s autopilot is locked by password to this moon. Option one is I have the datastick that will give you access, and the ability to turn off the passwords remotely. I will take Malan onto the moon¡¯s surface, unlock the ship¡¯s navigation and you fly away entirely unimpeded. You ask no questions, you never look back, and you never see me or the Abyss ever again. Option two? Well, I think you know option two.¡±

    She hissed again in that strange language, and the creatures surged towards the ship as it tried to land. Beric screamed as one dove straight for the viewing glass, only to turn away at the last minute and continue to swirl around them, claw and tooth gleaming in the low light of the distant sun. The Sparrow finally touched down with one last lurch, and the creatures landed upon the surface of the moon, awaiting their exit.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Elena spat. ¡°This is my ship. My crew. I won¡¯t abandon any of them to the Abyss. I¡¯ll die first.¡±

    Talia chuckled. ¡°Very brave. And you probably would. Fortunately, it¡¯s not really up to you. A Captain doesn¡¯t really have much authority when she¡¯s allowed herself to be tied up.¡± She turned, raising an eyebrow at Beric and Thaddeus. ¡°What about you two? More brains than our Captain here, I hope. Willing to die horribly on principle for poor, little Malan, Beric?¡±

    Malan nearly laughed at the idea of Beric doing anything for him, principle or not, but it died in his throat when Beric didn¡¯t say a word. His cold grey eyes simply glared at Talia with a hatred that caught Malan off-guard. Nothing he¡¯d ever sent Malan¡¯s way had ever come close to that look.

    Surprised as he was, this whole affair was ridiculous. He opened his mouth to volunteer and put an end to it, when Thaddeus spoke.

    ¡°I will accept your offer,¡± he said, eyes glistening. He turned to Malan. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so very sorry. But I can¡¯t die here. I won¡¯t. My granddaughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Malan cut in, doing his best to force a shaky smile onto his face. ¡°It makes no sense for us all to die here. You should all get away, if you can. Better one of us than all of us. Just¡ª¡± he hesitated, before allowing the words to tumble out. ¡°I have a sister, she¡¯s sick and we have no other family¡­¡±

    ¡°If it''s the last thing I do, I will ensure she is cared for, Malan. I swear it.¡±

    Malan nodded at Thaddeus and smiled. ¡°Thank you. Now, Talia, if I¡¯m to die today, let¡¯s get to it, so these people can get themselves away.¡±

    Talia simply smiled, always having been supremely confident that they would accede, and cut him loose. ¡°Remember, nothing stupid. You act out, fight, anything, and the Abyss will rip this entire ship apart. For the rest of you, no movement until we¡¯re off, after that just be on your way, and you¡¯ll be able to leave unaccosted.¡±

    She walked him off of the bridge at gunpoint, but Malan allowed himself a deep breath, and a small smile found its way to his face, despite the abject terror clawing at his insides. This felt right. He had dreamed of being a hero. Of sailing the stars, rescuing people and risking his on daring missions to keep the galaxy safe.

    They arrived at the on-foot exit of the Sparrow, and Malan hardly heard Talia¡¯s order to put on his environmental suit. Nor did he pay particular attention to the exit ramp of the ship lowering, and kicking up a cloud of silver dust as it hit the surface of the small moon.

    He took his first step on the ramp and felt two years of self doubt and blame and guilt wash away as he walked down it to his own death. His story might have been one of terrible circumstance and wasted potential, but at least at the very end, he would die with some meaning. He would die, so that three people could live and that, in the end, was a good thing.

    His foot touched solid rock, and he scoffed.

    Even if one of those people was bloody Beric.

 1.10

    It was an embarrassingly short period of time that Malan managed to maintain his positive feelings about any kind of heroic sacrifice. Exactly twelve steps from the bottom of the exit ramp, plus another six before he heard that same ramp snap shut behind him, and along with it any hope of him escaping with his life.

    The moment he heard that noise, muffled and distant in the thin atmosphere of this planet¡¯s moon, he legs nearly gave way beneath him, fear pulsing through his body like arctic tides. Every nerve was alight with a single, unifying desire: run. Get away. Anywhere. Whatever it took. It was only Talia¡¯s firm had upon his shoulder that kept him walking, along with the pistol she held in her other hand.

    She still wore a soft, peaceful smile, and that terrified Malan more than the pistol in her hands. After all, how could somebody smile like that, when walking in the very vision of Hell itself?

    The moon itself was entirely uninteresting. Pale rock and jet black skies pockmarked with stars and the few distant planets close enough to see. But the rift had finally stopped spewing its denizens forth, and they crawled and flew and slithered before them in a great tide of flesh and claw.

    He knew them. Had watched creatures just like these tear through the halls of the Jauda tearing the steel walls and infrastructure apart as easily as they did the meat and bone of the people living and working there. But, in truth, his memory had not done them justice. Night after night of nightmares so horrific he¡¯d grown fearful of sleep itself hadn¡¯t been able to reforge the true horror of the Abyss.

    There were some recognisable shapes. Twisted, malformed bats with great leathery wings and long beak-like snouts ridged with rows of serrated teeth. Reptilian beings with plated scales and rounded claws, each bearing great crests around their necks, spike-tipped and smothered in a confusing mash of colour that never seemed to stay the same tone long enough for the eye to recognise which colour it had just seen.

    That was as far as familiarity stretched. Sweat rolled down Malan¡¯s face as Talia marched through the seething mass, barely able to breathe for the fear. Beings that defied logic parted for them with a reverence that made the hair on his arms stand on end.

    Human-like creatures that scrambled on all fours with tentacles that bloomed and writhed where their necks should have been. Insectoid creatures like millipedes that stood upright, whose upper torsos split and bloomed into flower-like arms lined with a mass of serrated needle-like teeth.

    Every possible warping and combination of natural life appeared present among them, with some even that seemed to be seething masses of flesh given form. These creatures shifted and changed from moment to moment, their half-melted forms sprouting seeping, bulbous eyes and circular mouths anywhere there was space, and in amounts that could only have been random.

    For him, the worst could be found when he looked down. The floor was coated in a tide of skin and bone¡ªfloods of tiny, gibbering creatures that surged between legs and spiked tails. He consciously had to watch his footing not to step on them, a precaution none of the other creatures seemed willing to take. All too often he caught glimpses of a shift of movement, then an explosion of offal lifted into the low-gravity air of the moon, suspended at knee height.

    Looking between them, searching for reason or logic¡ªsome sign of the laws of nature and evolution at play¡ªto soothe his scientific mind, only pushed him further into the same pit of madness that surely must have spawned these creatures when he found none.

    Aboard the Jauda, his encounter with the Abyss had been a brief, desperate affair. Breathless sprinting towards safety, punctuated by moments of indescribable horror that had stained his psyche forever.

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    There was no running here. No way to avoid the insanity inherent in these creature¡¯s existence. He¡¯d received Talia¡¯s statements of an Elder One¡ªOld Gods from beyond¡ªwith all the scepticism of a humanity that had conquered the stars and found no sign of any God at all. A cult, surely. Some kind of brainwashing, perhaps. Rational explanations.

    He believed her fully, now. He didn¡¯t know about the Elder Ones being deities, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt, as he walked amongst its spawn, that it was as real as any force science had discovered amongst the stars.

    The creatures continued to part, and Malan had to fight to keep his any of his attention upon the direction they were walking. Unbelievably, they had only been walking for a few minutes, the Sparrow still incredibly close behind them, when a black shadow, triangular and looming, seemed to fade into view at the edges of his vision.

    The image of it shimmered, difficult to focus on fully, until he took a few more steps and it solidified out of nowhere.

    A pyramid, constructed from a gleaming white stone like marble towered in front of them. Malan blinked, trying to focus on the building. It appeared simultaneously gargantuan in size and yet no larger than a small house, changing between the two every time he looked.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Talia breathed. ¡°Our true calling can begin. Everything changes from this day, Malan. And it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±

    She hissed again, and before Malan could speak he felt something thick and impossibly strong latch onto his left leg. He stumbled, and instinctively kicked out to fight, only for a mass of black to reach up from the floor and latch on to his right wrist. With a start, he realised the mass of small creatures had coalesced, conjoining into one being.

    His other limbs were taken before he could do anything else to fight, and he was hoisted up painfully, his face still level with Talia¡¯s. She placed a hand, ever so gently, upon the glass of his mask.

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I am truly sorry. You will give our Master the galaxy¡ªyou do not deserve how much this is going to hurt.¡±

    The appendages bearing him aloft lurched, and turned him to face the pyramid, before slowly inching him towards it, arms spread wide in a cross pose. He had no time to think on the symbolism, or on what Talia had said. A small vibration had started to reverberate through the fleshy arms holding him, one that grew louder and more aggressive the closer they moved toward the strange building.

    Malan frowned, despite the horrific circumstances. A few minutes ago, the walls of the pyramid had been flawlessly smooth, as though it had been carved in one, single and impossibly perfect piece. Now, the lines of the brickwork were clearly visible and¡­.growing.

    Sure enough, with each step, the black lines separating each stone block grew, and, a few metres from being able to touch it were he free, they began to slide away. The entire pyramid folded back on itself in a cacophony of grinding stone and shaking earth. If Malan paused to think, this was equally as unnatural and otherworldly as any of the monsters at his back. But, as the pyramid slid away, he felt oddly at peace.

    His heart slowed, and he rediscovered his ability to breathe at a regular pace. This was right. This was meant to be.

    But of course, Voidborn. The stories always told of the best partnerships being forged in the fires of adversity. Oh, how we shall forge them this day. But fate balances upon the edge of a blade. I am sorry, Voidborn, but you must make ready. He comes.

    The voice didn¡¯t even register as unusual. His eyes held their focus, locked upon the rapidly unveiling central area of the pyramid. Malan felt himself gasp soundlessly as enough stones finally shifted aside to reveal a metallic sphere, hovering in space at the exact centre point of the pyramid.

    His mouth worked as he tried to find the words to express what he was feeling as he looked at the glimmering orb just large enough for a man to step inside. It spun slowly on its axis, its silver surface reflecting the madness and horror arrayed before it as perfectly as the mirror-sheen surface of a placid lake.

    Confusion warred with recognition within him. He''d never seen anything like the pyramid before, but this? He knew exactly what this was. After all, he''d spent most of his life working to get himself standing before one. Despite himself, Malan felt the tiniest ember of hope kindle within him.

    It was surely a trap. A part of whatever twisted plan Talia was helping the Abyss to complete. But that didn''t matter. They had brought him right to a weapon that could turn the odds in his favour. They had accounted for that, surely. But, as he glanced behind him and watched the Sparrow¡ªthe only thing keeping him compliant¡ªbegin the rise off of the moon''s surface in the distance, he couldn''t help but wonder: Had they accounted for him?

 1.11

    The limbs holding Malan aloft stilled. He barely noticed, still captivated by the silver sphere rotating languidly in mid-air in front of him. Only he could see the cascading ocean of brilliant white that twisted around it like stardust, only he could feel the thrum of the celestial energies power.

    It made sense. What lay before them was an object that interacted with that energy in ways nothing else in the galaxy did. All it was waiting for was a touch. The right touch.

    ¡°It takes your breath away, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Talia asked from beside him, placing a too-gentle hand on his arm. ¡°Only one with the genetic coding of the Voidborn could have parted the stonework on this place. A protection even the Elder Beings could not break¡ªat least not without significant consequences.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m just built different,¡± Malan muttered, and Talia laughed.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. Only you could have got us here, before this particular Starbound.¡±

    Malan winced. So they knew exactly what this was then. The Starbound were not just powerful ships; they were so much more. Only certain people could pilot them in the first place¡ªthat was what the compatibility testing was for. Once a compatible pilot was found they would bond with them. The Starbound would shape itself to match the person flying it, and as they flew together, it would change. Grow.

    Nobody knew how. Nobody knew why. The general public assumed the ships were simply periodically upgraded. Malan, however, had been born to parents who had dedicated their lives to studying the various celestial anomalies that humanity shared the stars with, and they had known the truth.

    Humanity hadn¡¯t built the Starbound, they had found them.

    It wasn¡¯t a secret explicitly¡ªthe UGC didn¡¯t like to admit it had those, and the Starbound were too public-facing for it to work¡ªbut they certainly didn¡¯t like the information being talked about and spread freely.

    Telling others was legal, but Malan¡¯s father had talked about people who had talked openly about it suddenly finding themselves without a job, and for some reason finding it exceptionally hard to get another. Soon there were rumours from no clear source, and suddenly, you were the crazy guy people crossed the street to avoid.

    To an extent, Malan understood it. The knowledge that humanity¡¯s most effective defence was based on alien technology in a galaxy where no evidence sentient aliens had ever been found that we still had very little idea about how it worked would not be great PR.

    What he was witnessing now, was exactly how all of the Starbound came to be. The datafiles he¡¯d seen were limited in scope, but almost all described a similar sphere found on some previously uninhabited moon or planet, which the UGC would squirrel away until they could find someone able to pilot it. In any other scenario, witnessing the discovery of an untouched Starbound would have been scientifically momentous. It still happened every so often, but was a rarer and rarer thing.

    ¡°What could your plan possibly be, here, Talia? Even if I¡¯ve opened the way for you, I¡¯m still the only one here that could maybe fly that thing, and I don¡¯t think I need to spell out what would happen if you let me try.¡±

    ¡°But of course,¡± she said, smiling at him. ¡°Did you know there are different kinds of Starbound, Malan?¡±

    He blinked at the apparent non sequitur. ¡°I¡ªno?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t believe even your quaint UGC fully comprehends it. This one is a Starbound Prime. One of the very oldest. They are the only kind that require their pilot be of Voidborn blood¡ªone who can touch the celestial energy as you can. Their capabilities are¡­limitless.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s even less likely you¡¯ll be able to use it any meaningful way, right? I¡¯m still struggling to see the plan here, Talia.¡±

    ¡°I know. You are exactly right¡ªif we allowed you to touch the Starbound, you would almost certainly attempt to turn it on us. But, you¡¯ll notice I did not say they require the pilot to be Voidborn. Simply of their blood. We do not need you, Malan,¡± she said, and her small smile grew to one of ecstatic joy. ¡°We simply need your body.¡±

    ¡°What the fu¡ª¡±

    But his words died in his throat. The tendrils holding him had started to turn before he spoke, and the moment he saw what lay behind them, all rational thought was shattered upon the anvil of pure, primal instinct.

    He started to thrash, wild, animal impulses driving his muscles to their limit. The creatures holding him hissed, tightening their grip, jagged-edged tentacles tearing a thousand tiny cuts into his skin as he struggled madly. Useless. They did not give him an inch. His teeth mashed so hard he tasted the sweet copper tang of blood on his tongue, and he was suddenly supremely aware of his own manically wide eyes, straining this way and that to avoid looking at what was directly ahead.

    No.

    Nononono. Please.

    ¡°Please!¡±

    The word tore out of him like vomited shards of glass, the scream barely audible over the gibbering of the abominations gathered around them.

    Talia heard. She crouched beside him, and shushed him as though he were a crying baby, placing what was meant to be a soothing mask upon his helmet. ¡°Hush now, Malan. I told you before¡ªI am sorry. This will hurt you.¡±

    She was not even looking at him as she spoke. Talia¡¯s gaze fixated upon the one place his own eyes were too frightened to look, reverent and full of worship. There was no longer any choice. He had to look. Had to know what was coming.

    Above, the gargantuan creature he¡¯d glimpsed before on the other side of the Rift, was coming through. Even now, with what was surely half of it¡¯s body having passed through, Malan could not identify one consistent feature that made up its body. Meat, he supposed. A writhing, ever-changing mass of meat, that somehow made form. He¡¯d seen one solitary eye, but now there were dozens¡ªeven hundreds¡ªbunched across it body, red and bulbous.

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    One moment there were tentacles, dripping with ooze and reaching out, then in another there were none¡ªonly mouths and sharp teeth like rows of daggers. It was an impossibility, yet it made complete and total sense as the culmination of all the creatures that had come through before it.

    Malan was half aware that he was babbling incomprehensible nonsense, tears streaming down his face, as the creature broke effortlessly into the moon¡¯s upper orbit. Oddly, the closer it came, the more rational its size seemed to appear¡ªnow roughly the same size as a UGC warship. Admittedly, that was still something that would have dwarfed the Sparrow, but it was miniscule compared to what his eyes had initially seen.

    The thought sparked another in him, and he allowed himself one, final glance towards the shape of the Sparrow in the distance, finally having been able to take off and escape.

    He wasn¡¯t given the chance to be glad. The abomination descended from above, oozing the same wrongness the evoked by that strange language Talia spoke, only on another scale. It roiled through him, every cell in his body responding as though a billion nails were being scraped across a million blackboards.

    It spoke, then, in sounds his ears had never before heard, and he his stomach lurched, then emptied as reality itself seemed to warp and flinch away from the noise. A glance to the left revealed Talia had done the same, though her head was pressed to the dirt in a reverent bow. He could see the delirious ecstasy on her face, so powerful she either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care that her own vomit pooled around her.

    Movement caught his eye. The monstrous¡­thing had sprouted tentacles once more, and now they reached out, a half dozen oozing appendages, grasping and putrid. He tried squirming again, but his bonds simply lifted him further up, closer and closer until it was too late.

    It¡¯s touch was like ice. The creature¡¯s touch effortlessly burned away the textiles of his spacesuit, though oddly, did not outright harm him.

    Too-liquid limbs reached and curled around his own, the feel of them on his skin too close to the sensation of being draped in offal. These arms were nothing like the now-retreating appendages that had been holding him before. Those had been living things. Twisted and warped living things, but still just that. Skin and flesh, bone and organ.

    This was simply meat. Rancid and foul. Tiny tendrils of it reached out from the larger, and with growing horror, Malan realised they were exploring. Hunting for something. The tendrils roved across his upper arms and torso, seeping beneath his clothes and roving across bare skin. Some down his chest, some beginning to crawl around and up his neck.

    He couldn¡¯t move. Couldn¡¯t breathe. He was no longer being pinned in position, but still he stood, paralysed, as he felt the icy chill spread onto his cheeks. Beneath his eyes. Belatedly, Malan realised it must have been drawn naturally to the heat of his breath, and he tried to force his mouth closed even as the creature found what it was looking for, the tiny tendrils squirming into the space between his lips.

    There was a surge of flesh, now the target was found. Malan fought with everything to keep his mouth closed, anything to keep it away¡ªbefore a sharp, blinding white pain in his left ear drew a gasp from him, and the battle was lost.

    Putrid ooze surged into his mouth and down his throat faster than he could react, and immediately agony like nothing he¡¯d ever felt before wracked his entire body. He convulsed, twitching and spasming as the creature found his other ear, and nostrils, and continued its violation.

    The world started to fade, despite the devastating sharpness of the pain. It was unrelenting, even as Malan¡¯s thoughts grew fuzzy and distant, until he was nobody. Nothing. Just a mass of flesh and agony. Him and the pain, alone, for the last agonising moments of his life.

    Not alone, Voidborn. Never alone. Even if this is to be the extent of our reunion, know that you have never, and never will be alone. I will stand by you in this, as I would have in the thousand battles that never were. Although¡­

    There was a hesitation in the voice, an emotion Malan could no longer recognise.

    Perhaps there is still salvation. Even from here. The window will be short, Voidborn. I know it hurts, but you must be ready. You must fight through it, or everything will truly be lost.

    Malan blinked. Pain was all there was. Only pain. Pain, and the sounds of screaming. Wait, he couldn¡¯t scream. Who was screaming then? And what was that synthetic noise in his ears? He tried to open his eyes, and was met with blinding light, and the booming, rapid pulses of an energy rifle.

    He tried to move, and his body was drowned in the pain all over again. Suit integrit¡­ God, there was so much of it. Compromised. What? He tried to take deep breaths, only to find breathing required him to take enormous, rasping gasps. Slowly, groggily, things began to come together. His suit was damaged. It would have sealed off his helmet, but if he didn¡¯t sort that problem out in a few minutes he¡¯d be¡ª

    The creature¡¯s hold on him wavered as more pulses boomed out around him, and finally the blinding light faded, and his eyes could follow the noise. A shape dove from above, drifting in the low gravity more than falling, raining orbs of light down upon the abomination¡¯s tentacles still holding him. In the distance, he saw the Sparrow, making another hasty retreat.

    Light had already blasted away the appendages that had entered him, and were now working their way through the ones holding him up, tearing its way through the flesh like paper. The creature hissed, and its appendages flinched back in reaction to the pain, instinctively loosening their hold on Malan.

    He fell, tumbling to the floor, and hitting rock with a painful thud, despite the lessened gravity. The figure beside landed beside him an awful lot more gracefully, supported by the suits in-built booster pack. Malan¡¯s mind still span, half-dazed, but he was aware enough of his surroundings to notice his rescuer turn and start firing pulse rounds into the horde of abominations behind them.

    Elena¡¯s pulse rifle, he realised.

    He tried to speak, to thank her. Ask for a plan. Say something but he gulped vainly for the air to do so, and came up short. Fuck. The alert. Suit integrity compromised. The creatures drew in, too many for just one pulse rifle to possible hold back. The figure turned.

    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for, shithead? Go!¡±

    Beric¡¯s furious, grey eyes looked back at him, still firing even as he did so. Malan looked at him, bewildered. Then past him, where the abomination was drawing itself up in anger, even as its minions closed in around them.

    Beric hissed, and halted in his firing, twisting his body just enough to kick Malan solidly in the ribs. He groaned, lungs reaching for air that was no longer there, and Beric turned back, rifle blazing to life.

    ¡°Fucking go! Don¡¯t waste it!¡±

    There were a million things he could have said, but for the lack of air or time to say them. Instead, he settled for a nod, pouring every ounce of gratitude he could into the motion, and scrambled away across the moon¡¯s rocky surface. He was barely upright, vision growing spotty when he heard Beric¡¯s rifle falter, and he ran faster, eyes locked on that spinning sphere of silver.

    He heard Beric¡¯s screams, and glanced back in time to see a gaggle of the creatures tear him in half, entrails drifting down and staining the moon¡¯s pale surface. Malan sank to his knees, the lack of oxygen finally bringing him to the edge. No other option left to him, Malan reached out and touched the surface of the sphere, and let blackness take him just as a distant voice sounded.

    ¡­Integrating Pilot¡­

    *****

    Integration Successful.

    Nexus Matrix Active.

    ****************

    Pilot Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Human, Voidborn

    ****************

    Starbound Compatibility Confirmed

    Welcome to the System, Pilot.

 1.12

    Malan groaned, a strangely synthetic voice lingering in his ears from deep in the blackness of unconsciousness. He was warm. Joyously so. Gentle heat seeped into his very bones, warming him at his core. It reminded him of waking up on his birthday as a child. One of the several planets he¡¯d grown up on had a winter that reached its height on his birthday.

    They¡¯d spent several years there. Mornings of waking up in thick blankets to a lit fire¡ªalbeit an artificial one¡ªand hot cocoa. Snowball fights with Isolde, and coming back to the fire, freezing and damp from melted snow.

    The heat warming him now felt like that, and he was reluctant to open his eyes, or stir even a little bit, for fear of dispelling the dream. That, after all, was what he had to be doing now. There was no other possibility. Malan remembered everything¡ªhow could he ever forget? But here he felt none of the pain that wracked him out there. Hell, just being able to breathe was a privilege he only realised now he¡¯d been underappreciating.

    Which in itself proved this was a dream. His suit was torn. He had no oxygen. Yet he was breathing air now, clean and crisp and wonderful. That thought made him freeze a little. It was all too perfect. Perhaps he¡¯d already died?

    ¡°It was a close run thing, but not yet, boy.¡±

    The gossamer thin voice should have scared him. As should the dry, rattly breathing he could could hear nearby. Instead, he felt a sense of peace wash over him, and his muscles relaxed rather than tensed.

    ¡°Well, if you are him, stop your lazing about on the floor¡ªlet¡¯s get a proper look at you.¡±

    Malan frowned, opening his eyes slowly, expecting to see any number of things, and finding none of them.

    Instead, his eyes found a dusty stone fireplace, stood amongst the field of broken and crumbling rock. At first he wondered if that was the source of the heat, but clearly no fire had been lit there in a very long time. He was lying amongst the rubble of some long ruined castle, going by the shape of the shattered stonework and mostly crumbled walls. However, when he tried to look to the sky to get his bearings, all he saw was the purest of white, unending in every direction.

    Swallowing, he clambered to his feet, and focused his attention on the only other thing present. A dais still stood untouched, polished stone standing in stark contrast to the ruins surrounding it, and in the very centre, a throne sat with great stone wings that stretched out behind it, the carved feathers that lined every inch curved like flame.

    It was not empty.

    The source of the voice sat, leant back as though too tired to lift itself even an inch from its seat. It was wrapped in bundles of loose cloth, tattered and patched, so only it¡¯s face and hands were visible outside of it. Malan sucked in a breath. This was the first thing to give Malan pause since he¡¯d woken.

    The shape was, or had once been, a man. His skin was a leathery grey, as tattered and pocked as his clothes were, and deep cracks ran across its surface, stodgy blood seeping from between them. He was skeletal thin, skin taut over bone, revealing too much gum around his teeth, and what was left of his hair lay across his head in blackened wisps. It was as though this man had been burned alive, and somehow survived.

    A glint of light caught his eye, and he looked to the throne¡¯s armrests. Beneath the man¡¯s decaying fingers was a golden crown that swam with a light all of its own. Three iridescent jewels shone in the very centre. They had no colour, yet shone more vividly than any Malan had ever seen in his life. Malan¡¯s mouth opened slightly, awestruck for a moment by the sight of it.

    The old man chuckled, a terrible, throaty sound, like he was grinding rocks together in the back of his mouth.

    ¡°A beautiful thing,¡± he said, blackened fingers running across the crown¡¯s surface. ¡°My neck has grown too weak to bear it¡¯s weight. I¡¯m not accustomed to repeating myself, boy. Come!¡±

    Malan blinked, and moved to comply before he was fully aware of what he was doing. That same strange impulse guided him to just in front of the right arm of the throne, and he found himself dropping to one knee.

    ¡°So you are the one, eh?¡± The man said, reaching out to touch him. ¡°Frail. Frailer than I could have imagined¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s fingers brushed his temple, and immediately fell away to dust, leaving him with a pair of crumbling stumps.

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Malan snorted, before he could stop himself.

    ¡°Ha! But there is spirit! Good, good. You will need that aplenty. I am glad I could see you before the burning was done. It is a shame. A few hundred years earlier, and I could have¡ª¡±

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    The man hesitated, and held up his hand as it crumbled away into ash. It didn¡¯t stop, and soon his entire arm was beginning to disintegrate, and a gentle breeze swept through the ruins to carry away the dust. Malan didn¡¯t know what to say or do, or how to react, but the man simply smiled.

    ¡°All things come to ash, boy, and I have lit this world¡¯s darkness for too long. The flame is yours to keep now. Do not fail.¡±

    ¡°Fail at what?¡± Malan asked. ¡°What light?!¡±

    But it was too late, the man let out a long sigh and a peaceful smile bloomed on his decrepit face.

    The burning accelerated, and within another few moments, the man was gone, and the white light that surrounded the ruins began to overpower everything, until it was all that Malan could see. For a second, he lay adrift in nothing, before¡ª

    He gasped, taking painful, desperate breaths. The burning in his lungs was back, and the torn suit. Malan hissed, and his arms gave way beneath him, depositing him onto cool metal. The pain had come back, too. Every nerve in his body screamed at him, and he trembled under the assault of it, even as the Abyss howled from outside of¡­.wherever he was.

    Extracting himself from a pile on the floor was considerably more difficult this time. He managed it though, albeit slowly and with an awful lot of swearing as his body let him know in no uncertain terms that he should be staying on the ground.

    ¡°It is good you have risen. The shields will not hold for long.¡±

    A synthetic voice echoed around the empty room he¡¯d found himself in. He glanced around the gloom, looking for any sign that the room was anything more than the inside of the sphere. There was very little, besides in the centre, where two white pillars stood at a little over waist height, with crystalline domed tops.

    ¡°You¡¯re the voice from my head,¡± Malan said, looking for some hint of what to do next. ¡°From the Miotov. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re this Starbound?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ªam I compatible? Will this work? Talia seemed pretty sure I would be, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You should already have the notifications in your status window, Voidborn. Simply think about accessing the status panel, and the system will show you.¡±

    Malan blinked, but thought better of asking any of the thousand questions racing through his mind, given the hideous abominations doing their level best to get in here and kill him and what not. Instead, he focused on exactly what the voice was telling him to do. Focus on the status panel.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± He staggered back as a panel fizzled into existence right before his eyes. He narrowed his eyes, and read.

    Status

    Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Voidborn [1]

    Alignment: N/A

    Profession: Pilot Lv. 1

    Class: N/A

    Stats

    Energetics: 50

    Synergetics: 50

    Cognizance: 50

    Quite honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with all of that information, but two options at the bottom of the menu drew his eye: Notifications, and Skills. Based on what the Starbound had said, he was looking for his notifications. To his delight, the menu shifted immediately to that panel in response to his thoughts.

    Last Notification:

    ¡­Integrating Pilot¡­

    *****

    Integration Successful.

    Nexus Matrix Active.

    ****************

    Pilot Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Human, Voidborn

    ****************

    Starbound Compatibility Confirmed

    Welcome to the System, Pilot.

    He licked his lips. That confirmed it. A lifetime of dreaming, and despite his life going to shit twice in the worst imaginable way, he¡¯d still wound up here. Starbound.

    A buzzing in his head alerted him a moment before alerted him to the arrival of another notification.

    New Mission: Survive!

    Escape this system with your life. Mission Rewards will be performance dependent.

    1. Complete bonding with your Starbound. Place either hand on each control rod, and take command of your ship.

    Malan only hesitated for a moment at the strangeness of these notification windows. So little was known about the Starbound and their pilots, so heavy was the security around them. But they were so unlike anything else out there that Malan wasn¡¯t surprised that there was weirdness involved, and he was prepared to roll with any amount of it if it would get him out of here alive.

    The hows and whys were for when you weren¡¯t about to get your face ripped into pieces by cosmic horrors. He strode, as best he could with his screaming muscles, to the central platform and stood between the pillars¡ªcontrol rods, apparently¡ªand placed the palms of each hand upon the crystal atop each one.

    He took a breath, and the Starbounds voice rang out once more.

    ¡°It is good to finally meet you, Malan,¡± it said, and light began to pulse from Malan¡¯s hands and into the crystals, flowing through the rods and arching out through the walls of the sphere like bolts of white lightning. The energy reverberated through him, and his vision shifted, and another presence flickered across his awareness like dancing flame.

    ¡°Your spirit has joined with mine, and reforged and renamed me in its fire. I am Tanwen. Shall we fly?¡±

 1.13

    The vivid flowing of light around the inside of the sphere exploded in intensity at the sound of Tanwen¡¯s question. The floor and walls shook with a force that nearly took Malan off his feet, and he had to grip the pillars on either side of him to keep his already weak legs beneath him.

    Malan barely had time to mumble out a surprised grunt as he fought to stay upright, before another sleek panel faded into view in the top right of his vision.

    Starbound Modifications Applying

    Mod Type: Bonding [1]

    Mod Name: Tanwen, Phoenix Spirit

    The shaking heightened, and around him the walls began to shift. Like the pyramid had done, they rolled aside small piece by small piece like the pieces of a puzzle. Shards of metal danced and rearranged themselves around him, some forming new walls, others twisting and changing from metal to altogether new materials, forming computer panels and chairs.

    A bridge blossomed around him like an opening flower, the shifting of matter stopping first at the very front tip of the ship and stilling further back as its final form was reached. The bridge itself was a fairly simple hexagonal affair, clearly intended for a single pilot. A trio of large, curved panels formed a vast viewing area, before which a raft of sleek silver monitors surrounded a black leather pilot¡¯s chair.

    Malan himself still stood upon a raised dais in the centre of the room just behind that chair, in between the two control pillars he¡¯d been accessing earlier. Strangely, he found he grew aware of the intended function of each object he saw without having to investigate or even particularly think about it.

    The front set of monitors and chair were for more hands off control. He could set courses, access the ship¡¯s main functions and perform just about any task the captain of the Starbound needed. The control pillars, however, were for when he needed to take closer control of the craft.

    Things like dogfighting his way off of a moon crawling with creatures from an Abyssal Rift, for example.

    Warning: Shields at 65%.

    Malan swore softly to himself and glanced at the viewing panels, but they were tinted so deeply black he could not see the Abyss outside through them. However, as his ships transformation rumbled on through the back of his ship, he could hear the furious clawing and scratching and pounding of the enemy once more. Now though, they were punctuated by a small pulse of energy as flesh and claw met the energy field of Tanwen¡¯s shields.

    Warning: Shields at 62%.

    ¡°What the hell are they doing that¡¯s bringing our shields down so much?¡± he hissed to himself, only to flinch in surprise when Tanwen answered.

    ¡°They are pressing against our shields in groups, trying to overload our relatively limited capabilities. The larger Abomination has thus far refrained from adding its strength to that end. When it does, our shields will not last long.¡±

    ¡°Is there any way to accelerate the bonding process?¡±

    ¡°No, though the first stage is almost¡ª¡±

    Starbound Modifications Application Complete

    Mod Type: Bonding [1]

    Mod Name: Tanwen, Phoenix Spirit

    ***Warning***

    Forming Pilot Link

    Do not interrupt

    Do not attempt to leave.

    ***Warning***

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s ominous,¡± Malan muttered.

    ¡°Remain still, Malan. This process might induce some discomfort.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ª¡±

    Malan¡¯s sucked in a breath as a pulse of white hot energy seared through his arms from the control pillars his palms still rested upon. He tried to wrench them back from it, bubbling, boiling pain travelling up his arms as he struggled, only to realise he couldn¡¯t. He cried out, the burning reaching his chest and coalescing at his very core. It remained there, a swirling vortex of burning and pain, until slowly, the sensation faded, and was replaced with something else entirely.

    The presence he¡¯d first felt when he touched the control rods joined with his own consciousness. For a moment, he feared its presence would somehow change him as it melded with his own, but instead, it settled on a peculiar oneness. They were one being, but two individuals.

    His awareness grew, and he realised he could feel the entire craft. The low hum of idling engines, the gradual wicking away of the shields, even the barren space inside the modest cargo bay. Malan couldn¡¯t simply see the information, he could feel it, in much the same way you could feel you were tired, hungry or in pain.

    Pilot Link Complete

    Warning: Shields at 42%

    It was interesting to have a number to attach to the feeling, even if that number was going down at an alarming rate. He tried to dull his awareness of the sensation of the thrumming engines, and the violent pulsing of the shields as the creatures outside threw themselves against it. Malan felt all these things as though they were happening to him and not his ship, and almost by instinct he knew that if he willed it, he could control this vessel much as he could his own arms and legs.

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    Warning: Shields at 37%

    He took a steadying breath. There was only so much he could focus on at once. Only so much he could adjust to, and he was on a rapidly ticking clock.

    Warning: Shields at 34%

    Focus. Compartmentalise. He could only afford to think about the most pressing issues. The Abyss all around them. Taking off. Getting away. Working our everything else could come after.

    Warning: Shields at 31%

    Another breath. How to take off? Hell, how to see what was going on outside?

    ¡°You could start by opening your eyes, Pilot.¡±

    Malan started at Tanwen¡¯s voice surging through his mind, momentarily forgetting the other presence within him had its own voice. Then, the words themselves registered, and a hot flush of embarrassment ran through him as he realised he¡¯d clenched his eyes closed in response to the pain of bonding, and had been so focused on how the process felt, they¡¯d been squeezed tightly shut since.

    He opened them, slowly at first, then sucked in a breath at what he saw. The bridge, the almost jet-black viewing glass was simply gone. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he simply saw. It wasn¡¯t quite as though he was the ship, but it was some facsimile of that. Once again an ocean of pale rock stretched out before him, the Abyss scattered across it like debris after a shipwreck. Once again, he was confronted with the sheer horror of the creatures¡ªslathering monsters each, pressing in against his flickering blue shields, gnashing tooth and claw to break through and reach the hull.

    To his delight, he was also somehow aware of the entire periphery of the ship, just as he would be with the raft of monitor¡¯s in a regular craft¡¯s bridge. His eyes were drawn towards the sky, and the writhing monster that had so very nearly killed him. It hung suspended in the air as though on strings, a seething mass of tentacle and flesh. Malan could see no engine or thruster, biological or otherwise. What he could see, however, were the bloodied stumps where Beric¡¯s pulse rifle fire had severed its hold on him.

    He blinked. Another flickering display notice materialising beside the creature.

    Abyssal Fiend [Lv. 15]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Malan almost grinned as the name and level of the creature sunk in. He assumed the level was an approximation of strength, and though it was much higher than his own, the implication that he could grow strong enough to bring this thing down was surprisingly comforting.

    The next logical assumption was that he would eventually be able to categorise these creatures. Gather information on them. Learn their weaknesses. The scientist in him could have danced a jig. He knew from experience that the more you knew about a thing, the less sway fear of it held on you. Even just knowing its name had done some amount of work in that regard. It was no longer an unknowable monstrosity, almost supernatural in being.

    Something like that might just be impossible to kill.

    No, these things were just animals. Horrifying, and malevolent, sure. But animals. And animals could be hunted. He couldn¡¯t help but slide his eyes back to the creatures pounding at his shields, and watch as dozens of small notifications slid across his screen, all reading slight variations on a similar theme.

    Abyssal Crawler [Lv. 3]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Some read as a little under, some over, but level three definitely seemed to be the average. The bug like creatures that had swarmed together to restrain him all read as level one, and the notifications referred to them as Abyssal Feythids, whereas the winged creatures that had assaulted the Sparrow were Abyssal Viphics, and generally appeared to be higher in level.

    Warning: Shields below 25%. Danger. Take Evasive Action Imminently.

    Warning: Shields at 23%

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Malan muttered, too caught up in this latest wave of discovery. ¡°Tanwen, how do we take off?¡±

    ¡°How does one breathe? We are one, Pilot. There is no need for thought or action. It will come as naturally as walking.¡±

    Malan fought the urge to direct some of the more colourful curses he knew in the direction of his new ally. There was a part of him that understood what Tanwen meant. He could feel the low rumble of the engines like his own pulse. The Starbound being an extension of his own body now was not simply a metaphor. They were one. But as his mind raced, urging himself to lift off of the ground, or trying to divert power to his thrusters¡ªanything that would help him take off¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but think about the fact that humans took months upon months to learn to walk upright.

    Warning: Shields at 19%

    Shit. Even as he tried everything he could to force the ship to do something, Malan could not help but notice the way the Fiend had recovered its bearings, and was slowly descending back towards the planet. Towards him. Shit. Shitshitshit. Shit! Blind panic took over, as he fought to will any of the ship¡¯s systems to start the take-off process and get them airborne.

    Nothing worked. They sat, and Malan watched the Fiend descend, the phantom pain of their last encounter running through him.

    Warning: Shields at 15%

    Suddenly, knowing the creature¡¯s level was no comfort whatsoever. How long would it take something at level fifteen to destroy his level one shields? Malan saw it happening in his mind, fleshy tentacles piercing the ship¡¯s hull like paper.

    ¡°Stop panicking, pilot,¡± Tanwen¡¯s voice cut through the panic like a spear. ¡°When you walk, do you need to tell your arms to move? Inform each muscle tendon of when to contract and expand? Just act. We are one, my systems will respond.¡±

    Maybe, with time, Malan could have found some value in that. Now though, watching the fleshy tendrils reach out for him as the Fiend reached the moon¡¯s surface once more, it meant less than nothing.

    Foals are born standing, already knowing how to run so that they might have a chance at avoiding lurking predators. In the end, it was no logic or cunning that saved his life, but that same instinct. The Fiend lunged for him, its grasping limbs looking to wrap themselves around his ship¡ªaround him¡ªlike a Kraken from Earth¡¯s ancient legends.

    Malan watched them surround him, ready to splinter the ship and drag him to his death, and did the only thing he could do. He jumped.

    Tanwen¡¯s engines blazed to life, the low rumble escalating to a lion¡¯s roar as he surged skyward. Malan¡¯s stomach lurched at the initial burst of speed, before an unwilling burble of laughter escaped his lips that grew into a full-blown laugh at the rush of it. That was all it took. One moment of simply acting. Removing all thought and logic and doing, and he was off, instinct fully in the driver¡¯s seat.

    He rocketed through the moon¡¯s sky, twisting and turning, finding immense joy in the pure freedom of it. Then, another feeling took him. Rage. The dead faces from the Miotov flickered through his mind, his father and mother, all of his friends. His sister, traumatised and hospital bound. All of it burned through him, and he arced around and bringing the raging mass of creatures back into his path.

    This time, he needed no guidance. No discovery. Tanwen¡¯s weapons systems surged with power and let loose at his whim. Orbs of pale blue rifled free from beneath each of his wings in a slow and steady rhythm, and crashed into the hordes, and Malan grinned madly as the energy tore the creatures in their path to shreds.

    Abyssal Crawler [Lv. 3] Killed

    Celestial Energy Harvested

    ***

    Abyssal Crawler [Lv. 2] Killed

    Celestial Energy Harvested

    ***

    Abyssal Feythid [Lv. 1] Killed

    Celestial Energy Harvested

    Grim satisfaction grew as more and more notifications piled up to match the bodies, before he took a closer look at the text itself. Malan barely had time to quirk an eyebrow at the Celestial Energy Harvested portion of the notifications, when another faded in at the top of his screen.

    Alert: Pilot Level Increased

    Stat Point Available

 1.14

    Malan tried to ignore the surge in curiosity as the notification informing him of an increased level faded away from the corner of his vision. Questions about that, about the gathering of Celestial Energy and all the changes and impossible things that had happened since the bonding could wait. Had to wait.

    All he could focus his mind to at this moment, was the relentless thundering of his weapons as he strafed the moon¡¯s surface, and the howling of the dying beneath him. His heart thundered in his ears, and the constant stream of fire that rained down upon the planet¡¯s surface tore most of the creatures they met apart in front of him, severely wounding those it did not.

    Every shot knocked loose a little more of the weight he¡¯d spent the last two years carrying, and each notification of an Abyssal creature dead by his hand felt like a personal demon literally slain by his own hand.

    The felt Tanwen¡¯s concern in the back of his mind, a mix of worry that control of him had been given to someone so obviously revelling in bloodshed and pain¡ªeven if upon the richly deserving¡ªand also worry for Malan as a person. Another day, another enemy, and either feeling might have stopped him. But not today. Not after all he¡¯d been through. And not this enemy. Not after all they had taken from him.

    So caught up was he in catharsis and revenge, that he didn¡¯t notice the one thing that could stop him in that moment.

    The Abyssal Fiend¡¯s gangly appendage almost caught him completely off guard halfway through another strafing run, crashing down from above into his port-side shield¡¯s like a war hammer. A burst of panic from Tanwen gave him just enough warning to veer violently away from the attack, and the monstrous arm only grazed them.

    From something so high level, however, that was enough. Alarms blared in his ears, and the world span, the impact send him spiralling away through space. He managed to right them in mid-air and threw all of his effort into surging away from the creature as his weakened shields pulsed and flickered flame-red around them. He glanced down at a flashing red notification at the bottom of his vision and swore softly to himself.

    Warning: Shields at 7%. Take immediate emergency precautions.

    Their shields had been creeping up since take-off as the damage they were taking stopped, but when that blow hit, they had gotten back up in the high forties. One strike that barely grazed them had nearly shattered their shields completely. Another like that, and it would most likely be curtains.

    A bead of sweat rolled down his face, and Malan gritted his teeth. Almost by instinct he felt for the Celestial Energy powering the ship¡¯s systems and gently guided as much of it as they could spare toward the engines, trying to open up some distance between himself and the creature. He glanced back, his connection to Tanwen allowing him to see the Ship¡¯s surroundings through his own eyes.

    Despite his efforts, they had only created a slight gap between themselves and the Fiend. Malan suspected their only saving grace was how much smaller and more nimble they were than it. Otherwise, the writhing tentacles still reaching out ahead of the Fiend to take them would have quickly torn them to shreds.

    Warning: Shields at 11%.

    Malan grimaced. Not nearly enough to survive another hit, and he could feel the energy supplies of the ship beginning to wane the harder he pushed its systems. The feeling was very much akin to the beginnings of exhaustion setting in, which fit in with everything else that had happened so far. Tanwen¡ªall the Starbound¡ªdid not operate as ships in the traditional sense. They were extensions of the Pilot.

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    And, unlike regular ships, fuel did not power them. Instead, they appeared to draw in the ambient Celestial Energy around them and use that to power themselves. No human scientist had ever found a way to harness it for power as far as Malan knew, which even further proved they were not human in origin.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± he muttered, as another notification flickered across his vision.

    Optional Quest Available: Flight of The Sparrow

    Ensure the remaining crew of the Sparrow escape alive. Mission Rewards are available.

    It took him a moment to pick out the form of the Sparrow in the distance, especially knowing they shouldn¡¯t even be here. Fortunately, his displays responded to his needs, highlighting the location of the ship carrying Elena and Thaddeus within his vision.

    ¡°Why the hell are they still here?¡± Malan hissed, before dropping into a steep, twisting dive.

    His distraction had given the Fiend the chance to catch up, and a mass of grasping limbs surged toward him, forcing him to weave through them, and redouble his focus on keeping power to his engines. The downsides to his and Tanwen¡¯s somewhat symbiotic relationship were growing clearer the more danger he got himself into. In any other craft, maintaining top speed was as simple as not shifting the controls.

    However, as Tanwen responded to his thoughts, if he broke concentration, it would affect his results.

    ¡°Apologies, Malan,¡± came Tanwen¡¯s voice from what felt like all around him. ¡°At such an early time in our partnership, our Synergetics skill is still at a baseline. The more we invest in that stat, the more I will be able to respond to your will without your direct input¡ªamong other benefits.¡±

    It was good to know that this was a weakness that could be remedied with time, but there were more pressing matters to deal with, and he didn¡¯t have the mental bandwidth remaining to work out how for himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re both new at this. More importantly, can we open communications with the Sparrow?¡±

    ¡°I can. At this distance, however, it will draw a small amount of power away from our engines.¡±

    ¡°How about we drop our shields instead?¡±

    ¡°That will leave us vulnerable. Our shields systems cannot be restarted immediately from zero.¡±

    Malan nodded. ¡°Do it anyway. We need to prioritise keeping our distance from the Fiend¡ªI¡¯m not sure how long I can keep out of its reach if it catches us.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Hailing the Sparrow.¡±

    There was a soft fizzle of energy that pulsed around them as his shields disappeared, and a small bar in the bottom left of his vision emptied entirely. A clicking sound echoed around the bridge, followed immediately by static-ridden shuddering and metallic tearing.

    ¡°Malan?! Holy shit, Malan¡ªis that you?¡± Elena¡¯s hoarse voice cut through the background noise and static, exhausted and firm in equal measure.

    Malan grinned. ¡°Alive¡ªfor at least another few minutes at least. How come you haven¡¯t jumped yet?¡±

    There was so much more he wanted to say and ask. About their situation. About Beric. About how damned happy he was it was more than just himself still breathing, but the importance of keeping them all doing that overrode it all.

    ¡°Jump drive is stalling again¡ªwon¡¯t open the portals fully. We¡¯d try to fix it, but Thad is piloting whilst I¡¯m keeping these gargoyle looking bastards from ripping us to shreds.¡±

    Another large metallic clattering pierced the static, and Malan was able to make out the grinding sound of the Sparrow¡¯s refurbished mining laser¡ªthe only thing they had that passed for a weapon. He narrowed his eyes, making sure he had created enough distance between him and the chasing Fiend before focusing his attention upon the distant Sparrow.

    In response, a series of red squares appeared around it. Half a dozen of them in total, kept at bay by the crimson beam of the mining laser.

    ¡°Ranged scanners show hostiles surrounding the Sparrow, attaching themselves to its hull,¡± Tanwen said. ¡°That is the reason the Celestial Nexus is not allowing them to System Jump.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Malan said, a plan forming in his mind. They could not dislodge the creatures without destroying the ship, so they¡¯d have to force them another way. ¡°Elena. I¡¯m coming in fast and hard with company. Your jump drive isn¡¯t broken¡ªyou just need to get rid of your hitchhikers. I¡¯ll take care of it, but you need to be ready to jump the second they¡¯re clear.¡±

    ¡°Roger that. What the hell are you planning?¡±

    Malan grinned. ¡°Something incredibly stupid¡ªbut I can¡¯t think of another way to get you out of here before those creatures tear their way through your hull. Now power up those jump drives and be ready to get out of here.¡±

 1.15

    Flying had never felt like this before. Malan had always loved it, of course. When they had lived planetside, he¡¯d taken his father¡¯s skimmer out across the plains. With the top down, the wind would whip around him like a tempest, battering against watering eyes and rushing through his hair like glacier water.

    Back then, he¡¯d weave between trees and rock formations as fast as it would take him, heart soaring as he narrowly avoided the terrain. The faster he could go, the further he could push his luck, the better. As he¡¯d grown into his late teens, he¡¯d moved on somewhat from having to push things quite so far for thrills. However, he¡¯d never moved on from the sheer joy of piloting a ship, and even on the Jauda, he¡¯d taken every opportunity to pilot the small transport and supply shuttles that made daily trips to and from the station.

    Nothing had ever come close, however, to that wind-through-the-hair exhilaration of flying his Dad¡¯s skimmer, pushing the absolute limits of his abilities.

    Nothing¡ªuntil now.

    Malan leant forward as the force of acceleration within his relatively small craft tried to force him back. It was odd to be so aware of his own body with one part of his consciousness, whilst another felt as though he were experiencing things from the ship¡¯s perspective. One part of his mind stood on Tanwen¡¯s bridge, clutching the control pillars, and another hurtled through deep space.

    It was the second part that had sweat rolling down his face, however, and it was this same part that had evoked those memories of flying as a boy. Even in the grimmest imaginable circumstances, he hadn¡¯t been able to hold back the joyous grin plastered on his face. He urged Tanwen on, directly at the Sparrow, almost able to feel the wind rushing through his messy, matted black hair once more.

    Elena¡¯s ship was now clearly visible ahead, its short range laser beating back a crowd of a good dozen Abyssal Viphics. The broad-winged creatures swarmed the helpless vessel, its laser only strong enough to push back the Viphics, not actually kill them. Elena would knock one back whilst others swooped across to the other side of her vessel, and clawed and ripped at the shields, clinging to the hull with jet-black talons.

    Malan knew from his experience on the Jauda that as soon as the Sparrow¡¯s shields failed, those talons would tear apart its hull like a fresh-killed carcass¡ªand tear apart those inside even easier.

    He glanced back, and his grin grew as he spotted the reaching limbs of the Fiend still chasing close behind him. They were finally close enough, and neither the Fiend nor the Viphics had realised the situation they were in.

    ¡°Tanwen, its time to make some noise, start targeting the Viphics around the Sparrow. We want to pull as many of them away as possible, but I can¡¯t do that and maintain this speed.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative, Pilot. I believe I have ascertained your plan. Clever, but risky. Are you certain Captain Vasquez is capable of making the jump in time?¡±

    Malan nodded. ¡°She¡¯s experienced as all hell. And as much as Thaddeus is a doctor not a pilot, Elena had all of us drilled before she was willing to fly with us just in case of emergencies. He¡¯s capable of seconding her.¡±

    Tanwen didn¡¯t respond with anything but the subtle hum of their weapons system powering up. There was a slight pull on the engine power, followed by a slight loss of speed, and Malan ground his teeth as he fought to keep them ahead of the reaching tentacles of their pursuer.

    The pounding of their weapons shook them slightly as they exploded into life, firing bursts of Celestial Energy at the distant Viphics with the precise rhythm of a blacksmith¡¯s hammer. They had plenty of time to notice¡ªthey would have had to get far closer for guaranteed kill shots¡ªbut that was the point. Heads turned, and those not already attached to the hull of the Sparrow scattered.

    Now the abominations had a choice: new prey or old, stay and risk being picked off or leave and be an easy target? There was no cohesion in their response. A smaller pair broke off immediately, and opted to flee altogether, whilst the largest group opted to rush the new enemy.

    Malan¡¯s grin grew at the sight. They were bearing down on the Sparrow now, and he could clearly see the remaining few Viphics still attacking his old ship were too prey-frenzied to have noticed him, but their reduced numbers were making for an easier fight for Elena to manage.

    The reduction in shield pressure should give him time to reach the Sparrow before they breached it, leaving him with only one thing to focus on.

    ¡°Captain?¡± he said, communications opening in response to his thoughts.

    ¡°Loud and clear, Malan,¡± came Elena¡¯s now ragged voice, alongside the sounds of their laser firing almost constantly.

    ¡°We¡¯re coming in at full speed, right at you. Be ready to jump the moment the Abyss are clear.¡±

    He heard her start to speak then hesitate, and her next words were laced in a strange mix of horror, awe and respect. ¡°Are you playing chicken with these things, you crazy bastard?¡±

    ¡°If you can come up with a better plan to keep these things off your hull in the next 45 seconds, I¡¯m all ears?¡±

    ¡°Nope. If it¡¯s a choice between dying in a catastrophic explosion, or being torn apart by those things, I¡¯m choosing the boom every time. Whatever happens, it was a privilege. Do your thing, Starbound.¡±

    The communicator clicked off, and Malan¡¯s jaw hung as Elena¡¯s sign off rang around in his ears. Starbound. A title he¡¯d worked his entire life for. It was one thing to know you were one; it was quite another to hear somebody else¡ªsomebody you respected¡ªacknowledge it. He, Malan, the scrubber of sensor arrays. Taster of Beric¡¯s boot. A person who¡¯d spent his last two years wallowing in grief and pain¡ªwho had given up on everything¡ªwas one of the Starbound.

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    The words rang around in his ears even as he turned his attention towards the Viphics surging towards him, teeth bared and snarling. Tanwen¡¯s guns let loose, shredding the closest beast¡¯s right wing, sending it spiralling away through space as it lost control of its directional movement.

    He turned his attention to the next, and this time the burst of Celestial energy tore into its torso, blowing bloody chunks away from its body until the third shot tore separated its top half from the lower.

    Abyssal Vephid [Lv. 5] Killed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    The next two came at him as a pair, and his shots spilt the difference between them until he picked a single target to focus on, clipping it as it flew past him. Gritting his teeth, Malan launched the ship into a desperate swerve to avoid the second, only for it to graze one of its vicious talons down their flank.

    The scream tore free from his throat before he became aware of the searing pain that exploded across his own side, sending him to his knees and clutching at his stomach. He was dimly aware of Tanwen taking control of the ship¡¯s controls as his hands left the pillars, and of the guns stopping.

    He felt moisture on his hands, hot and tacky, and raised his hands.

    ¡°Oh, fuck,¡± he groaned, and his hands¡ªnow slick with crimson liquid¡ªshook as the reality of what he was seeing set in.

    Around him, alarms blared once again, and notifications flooded the viewscreens at the front of the bridge, but Malan only half saw them, his eyes locked on his bloodstained hands. Hesitantly, he shifted and pawed at his side, dizzying pain lancing through him as his fingers met a deep laceration along his side.

    ¡°It¡ªit wounded my actual body?¡±

    Tanwen¡¯s voice was strained, as though he too, was in pain. ¡°I apologise. I should have warned you when you ordered the shields powered down. We are one, Pilot. Damage to our hull, is damage to us. They are wheeling back around for another round of attacks, Pilot.¡±

    All the euphoria of flight had burned away to ashes, as though all the adrenaline keeping him going had flooded out of his system¡ªwashed out by the flow of blood. All the exhaustion, all the horror seeped back into him like winter. Standing suddenly seemed like too much. His legs were like jelly, and arms leaden.

    On the screens, he could see a trio of Viphics hurtling at them, and the Fiend still close behind, a deadly pincer, and all he could think was at least he could finally rest when it closed on them.

    ¡°Hull integrity is still intact at seventy-two per cent, Pilot. Your pain, your exhaustion, is also my own. However, I cannot perform the evasive manoeuvres required without both of our input. If you do not stand, we will not survive long enough to reach the Sparrow.¡±

    Malan wanted to cry. Scream. Sleep. Anything but stand again and keep fighting. Do your thing, Starbound. It wasn¡¯t fair. Why him? He¡¯d lost everything. Suffered plenty. Suffered more than his fair share. Why did it have to be him? Starbound. Do your thing, Starbound.

    He curled his right fingers into a fist, and threw a right hook into the cold metal of the floor. Pain rocketed through him again, but this pain was his. His choice. Not done to him, but by him. He didn¡¯t try and hold back the guttural roar of pain this time, he let it loose and poured all of his fear and pain and frustration into it, before hauling himself to his feet in one movement.

    Malan gripped the control pillars tight to keep himself upright, and tried to ignore the warmth of the blood now seeping through his clothes as he once again become one with Tanwen.

    The Viphics were already launching into their stooping dives toward him, and Malan immediately launched into a fierce twisting dive, allowing the first two to pass on either side of him, just out of reach, whilst Tanwen let loose their guns on the final enemy. Behind them, he saw one of the creature¡¯s he¡¯d avoided escape, but the other drew the attention of the Fiend bearing down on him, and was torn apart viciously without the creature slowing even a little.

    Malan hissed in pain as the Fiends roving tentacles forced him to swerve violently after his dive, before he surged right at the Sparrow once more.

    The flow of blood now seeped into his trouser leg, trickling down the outside of his thigh and dripping from the side of his shirt onto the cold metallic floor, but Malan forced himself to ignore the black spots now swimming across his vision, his eyes locked tight to the Sparrow.

    The Viphics still on its hull had broken through the shields and had started to strip sheets of metal off of the outside of the Sparrows hull. However, they had now also noticed him, and had paused to stare in their direction. Malan tried to think what it looked like from their perspective¡ªseeing his craft hurtling towards them, followed too close behind by the monstrous Fiend and what few Viphics had stayed with them.

    They stayed stock still for too long, almost disbelieving, refusing to accept that Malan would actually crash into them and the Sparrow, so he did the only thing he could think of to prove his seriousness.

    ¡°Kill the weapons, Tanwen. Everything to the engines¡ªnow!¡±

    The extra power nearly took his breath away, and Malan immediately put everything he had into one, final sprint. He saw the surprise, close enough now to make out facial features. Too close. He grit his teeth, and committed, surging past the point of no return. They still hesitated. Far too close. Malan could see the bent and torn hull panels where they¡¯d tried to break through. Seconds.

    Fuck. Now or never. Malan clenched his eyes shut and braced for the impact that would end everything and¡ªnothing.

    He took deep, ragged breaths, eyes still clenched shut.

    ¡°The Sparrow has made its jump, Pilot. They have left the System.¡±

    The faint ring of notifications had him opening his eyes, and his heart soared at the sight of open space in front of him, even with the Abyssal creatures still giving chase from behind. He smiled, disbelieving, as he glanced over the notifications to be certain.

    Optional Quest Completed: Flight of the Sparrow

    Rewards Earned

    ***

    Alert: Pilot Level Increased

    Stat Point(s) Available

    He chuckled, half delirious. ¡°Are we able to jump, Tanwen?¡±

    ¡°Destination?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere but here.¡±

    ¡°Course plotted, Pilot. Jumping in 3¡­¡±

    Malan finally allowed himself a relieved breath as he saw a vivid, star-white slice open in space in front of them, and he felt the familiar lurch of a system jump beginning.

    ¡°..2..1.¡±

    A final glance behind him showed the Fiend bringing its tentacles around for one last, futile attack, before fading away into brilliant white light as they left the system. But Malan had already sunk to his knees, exhaustion finally winning over his will to survive, and he slumped across the metal floor, the kiss of cold steel on his cheek bringing more comfort than he¡¯d ever have believed possible.

    ¡°System Jump complete, Pilot.¡±

    Malan couldn¡¯t help himself. He laughed.

 1.16

    Talia watched from her rocky perch upon the moon, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, as the blazing crimson maw in space flickered and frayed at its edges, and its denizens drifted back into its embrace before it disappeared entirely. Malan had escaped. A setback, to be sure, but that which was worthwhile was rarely simple to achieve. Talia had known Malan escaping was a possibility, however unlikely. He had no idea how potently Voidborn he was, but Talia had been able to see it all the way back on the Jauda, though he had never seen her.

    It was why she had been so careful to weave so many threads around his neck. He believed himself to have escaped, and for now, he had. But he still hadn''t noticed some of her more subtle threads sill held, and all she had to do was pull them tight at just the right moment and he would be theirs. Gods, taking him after he''d had the chance to come into his strength might even benefit her Master''s designs in the long run.

    She leaned back, casually resting against the angled stone behind her, crossing one leg over other. There was a bubbling gurgle of discontent from beside her, and her smile grew. The creature beside her hissed at her lack of immediate response, baring half a dozen rows of stubby teeth that reached back all the way down its throat.

    It had drooping, greyish green skin that seemed to hang loose from its bones, and a small, round body supporting by a mess of twitching and squirming tentacle-like limbs. Talia supposed, if she had to find a close comparison for the form He had taken this time, it would be an octopus with a deformed human body for a head.

    The creature gurgled again, and this time Talia reached out a comforting hand and placed it almost reverently on his head¡ªonly half managing to suppress the euphoric shiver that ran up her arm as she did.

    ¡°Patience,¡± she cooed softly, beginning to slowly move her palm. ¡°This was a planned for occurrence. We knew Malan to be competent enough to wield the Starbound, and whilst I¡¯d never thought it would be Beric to make the sacrificial play, we had known it might come from one of them.¡±

    A series of burbles and wet, throaty noises followed, and she giggled. ¡°Yes, he was rather magnificent, wasn¡¯t he? With the right planning, we might still take him. But if not, there is an alternative.¡±

    A curious grunt replied, and Talia smirked.

    ¡°I said it to Malan¡ªa mistake on my part, but I think he will be far too busy with his new powers to think on it. We don¡¯t need him specifically. There is another. I was careful, after all, to ensure it was not just Malan to survive the Jauda. His twin does not come by the power naturally, but on the Jauda I saw she possesses its embers--I suspect from sharing a womb with Malan. She will serve our purposes, even without the power of a full Voidborn. You will have the power of the Nexus, and the seals will be broken, and your brothers and sisters will be woken from their long slumber.¡±

    Talia paused, her breathing heavy as she imagined the sheer rapture of it. The creature beside her gibbered happily, quivering in agreement. She smiled, warmth filling her at the sight of her Master¡¯s joy and reached out a hand.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Tentacles reached out, curling around her fingers before shifting, their form becoming a viscous liquid. It slithered up her arm, its touch cool and damp, before a short, sharp pain had her gasping, followed immediately by the ecstasy of joining. She stood, taking a few leisurely steps before a small rift opened at the wave of her hand, and she stepped inside.

    A defeat, today, but one that had set the foundations for her Master''s eventual triumph nevertheless. Malan. Isolde. One was better than the other, but either one would get them what they needed in the end.

    And then her master would finally be free.

    <hr>

    ¡°So, I take it there¡¯s no medical supplies here?¡± Malan asked, sat propped up against one of the control pillars, clutching the still bleeding wounds in his side.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Pilot. The nature of my stasis prohibited perishable supplies being kept on board.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Malan said, trying to ignore the additional questions raised by Tanwen talking about his stasis¡ªor the fact the ship was talking to him at all.

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    ¡°I have an alternate suggestion, however, Pilot.¡±

    Malan shifted, sending fresh waves of pain through him. ¡°I¡¯m all ears. Would be a shame to survive all that and end up dying from blood loss.¡±

    ¡°During the fight, you acquired enough celestial energy to level up twice. I was interred with only limited knowledge of my¡ªour¡ªcapabilities, but the levelling process was emphasised. When you level, the influx celestial energy to our systems should heal the damage to both of our forms.¡±

    Malan blinked, trying to work out how any of that could be possible, but quickly concluded it was pointless. Tanwen was talking about something completely outside of the realms of his knowledge, and even if it weren¡¯t, what he assumed was the loss of blood was making his head spin too much to think entirely straight. It was time to just roll with it.

    ¡°What do I do to¡­level?¡±

    ¡°Bring up your status screen as you did before. As you are not in direct control, they will simply appear on the ship¡¯s monitors. The menu options should guide you through the rest.¡±

    Malan closed his eyes, trying to muster the memory of what he¡¯d done before to bring up the status windows, but the ship responded to his thoughts intuitively, and he heard the subtle sound of the menus appearing on the monitors.

    Status

    Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Voidborn [1]

    Alignment: N/A

    Profession: Pilot Lv. 1

    Class: N/A

    Stats

    Energetics: 50

    Synergetics: 50

    Cognizance: 50

    Notifications Available [View Notifications?]

    Levels Earned, Free Stat Points Available [Initiate Levelling Process?]

    There were so many questions he had about the things on this screen. His name was obvious enough¡ªbut his race being Voidborn? Talia had called him that, Tanwen, too. But what that meant he had no idea. Profession, too, was obvious. Pilot. But why would that need to be stated? Surely all the people who gained access to this are pilots too?

    Levelling had to take priority over his curiosity, at least for now. He focused in on the option to initiate the process, and the displays flickered, transitioning from one screen to another.

    A rush of white energy exploded outwards from his chest and spread across his skin like wildfire. He hissed, and frantically tried rubbing at it, before realising it was causing no pain, only a soothing tingle that lasted for a moment, before moving on to the next part of him. In its wake, the wounds and abrasions that littered his skin from the battle dissolved away, leaving no trace¡ªeven the larger gashes he¡¯d sustained during his escape. He glanced at the screen.

    Level 3 Achieved. All Damage repaired and shields restored.

    The gathered Celestial energy has converged to form:

    +2 Stat Point(s), +2 Skill Point(s)

    Allocate Stat Point(s) now?

    Malan took a steadying breath. He felt fantastic. Not exactly fully refreshed, but close enough to it that it still seemed miraculous. All the pain had been washed away, alongside the weariness in his muscles and mind. All that remained was a lingering tiredness, like the kind you get after a sleepless night and still have to go about your day. Considering his clothes were still torn and soaked with blood from injuries he¡¯d had seconds prior, Malan thought that quite the win.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± he murmured.

    ¡°Celestial energy,¡± Tanwen replied simply. ¡°It is the energy of creation, and when channelled properly, it can be turned to most ends. Now we are bonded, the celestial energy we gather is stored and used as we direct, more or less.¡±

    Malan frowned. ¡°Stored where¡ªon the ship? I can feel the whole thing, and I can¡¯t find any place that might be able to do that.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± said Tanwen, and for the first time, the voice seemed a little unsure of itself. ¡°So you haven¡¯t noticed. There has been a lot going on, and from what I was told before my sleep, the process was designed to be painless.¡±

    ¡°What he hell are you talking about?¡± Malan said, black dread beginning to build inside him.

    ¡°I apologise. I understand this can be¡­unsettling to discover. Our bonding was not some metaphysical or spiritual concept. We are, literally, one. Your chest, Pilot¡­¡±

    Malan blinked slowly as the pit in his stomach swelled. Literally one. Instantly he knew what Tanwen was referring to. It was something he¡¯d been ignoring since this entire time, pushing to the back of his mind so that he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with it. He¡¯d had to. If he hadn¡¯t, the shock of it may have stopped him from acting to escape at all.

    He lifted a trembling hand, and reached hesitantly for the centre of his chest, where the healing feeling from earlier had come from. He already knew what he¡¯d find there, but his hand still jerked back as though burned when it felt something hard beneath the tattered remains of his shirt.

    ¡°Oh God,¡± he hissed and scrambled to his feet, backing up as though he could put some distance between himself and his own body.

    Breathing was suddenly hard, as though there wasn¡¯t quite enough oxygen in the room. Swallowing, he gingerly lifted his shirt over his head, and forced himself to examine his own chest.

    In the very centre, just above the solar plexus was a diamond shaped, amaranthine jewel, embedded in his own skin. Careful examination with his fingers revealed the joining to be smooth, as though the jewel had always been there¡ªas though it was meant to be there. It wasn¡¯t uncomfortable in any way, which surprised Malan.

    Even more surprising, was that the deeper he looked into its depths, the more he could make out dancing trails of pearlescent colour within. Celestial energy. It flowed from the jewel through him, and then into the wider ship around him.

    ¡°Well,¡± Malan started, searching for the right words to describe how he was feeling about everything that had happened to him, everything he¡¯d learned in the last twenty-four hours. In the end, he chose the simplest way to sum it all up as possible.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

 1.17

    ¡°I confess, I was briefed to expect a more dramatic reaction.¡±

    Malan let out a long breath and took one last look at the crystal now embedded in his chest and allowed his shirt to fall down to its natural position, leaving only a slight lump to show the change.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long way from the worst thing that could have happened to me,¡± he said, half trying to convince himself. ¡°If you¡¯d have told me to choose between what almost happened and this before hand, I¡¯d have chosen this every time. Having said that¡ªwhat exactly is it?¡±

    Tanwen didn¡¯t answer right away, and Malan used the opportunity to sink into the pilot¡¯s chair at the front of the bridge.

    ¡°To put it simply, it is a focus. A device to channel celestial energy between the two of us and to guide it into making our bond function as it does. It is us. The ship you see around you is the raw materials of the sphere infused with my consciousness, and guided into shape by you. Another pilot, and I would likely hold an entirely different appearance.¡±

    Malan frowned. ¡°I would assume, then, that this..focus..is what gathered the celestial energy after I destroyed the Abyssal creatures? Then, when I level up, it converts that energy into improving things for the ship?¡±

    ¡°Mostly correct. It is not just the ship, Pilot. It is us. Remember, the ship comes from you. If you improve something, it applies to both of us. Return to the level-up menu once more, and I will show you.¡±

    Malan nodded, and refocused his attention upon the menus displaying on his central monitor. He concentrated on the option to allocate his stat points and the menus shifted once more.

    Stats

    Energetics: 50

    Synergetics: 50

    Cognizance: 50

    2 Stat Points To Allocate

    ¡°These Stats represent the foundations of our ability to operate,¡± Tanwen said, as Malan looked the three stats over. ¡°Allocating stat points to each will raise each stat by a set value, and the celestial energy represented by the stat points will act to improve that function by the value increase.¡±

    ¡°So the stat points are just data values for celestial energy put aside for improvement?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Celestial energy is a force of creation, inherent in all things. Our connection allows us to utilise it to improve ourselves and our bond, within certain defined limits.¡±

    ¡°What limits?¡± Malan asked, leaning back in his chair. ¡°And who defines them?¡±

    ¡°My memory of specifics is limited. I sense that I knew the answers you seek, once, but I am no longer able to remember since my internment. Whether that is through accidental damage caused by the stasis process, or by design, I cannot say.¡±

    Malan sighed, and shrugged. ¡°I suppose getting all the answers up front would have been too simple. I have plenty of questions still, but I think I¡¯ve waited long enough to see this all in action.¡±

    He leaned forward, and peered at the stats. Just as he was about to bemoan that he didn¡¯t know exactly what any of them did, a notification faded in besides the Energetics stat.

    Energetics

    Ship Utility: Energetics is the amount of celestial energy a Starbound ship is capable of running through its systems. This energy powers shield and engine systems. Greater Energetics equates to greater shield and hull durability, as well as energy efficiency. Certain classes can use this ability in unique ways.

    Pilot Utility: In a groundsuit, the application is similar. The greater the Energetics stat, the greater the durability in combat.

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    At first glance, Energetics seemed like a straightforward stat. The Starbound were craft that relied entirely on celestial energy, so it made total sense that the more a ship could handle, the more there would be available for shield and engine systems. However, the two tiers was throwing him off.

    ¡°A groundsuit?¡±

    ¡°When on land, you have the option to reallocate raw Starbound material to creating a groundsuit, much as you would wear a spacesuit on foreign planets. It will serve many of the same functions, including atmospheric and environmental protection and breathing support in low or no oxygen environments. Most importantly, however, it serves as a combat suit to allow you to perform as Starbound when outside of the ship.

    ¡°Your stats will improve your ability with your groundsuit as well as with your ship, as they are essentially, the same thing.¡±

    Malan whistled. He thought back to when Talia had led him out at gunpoint onto that moon, and just how helpless he had been to resist until he¡¯d reached the Starbound. Even then, it had taken Beric giving his life to give him a chance to actually break loose. The same was true of the Jauda. However clever he may have been, he¡¯d not been able to save anybody that day.

    A groundsuit changed that. Without it, it wouldn¡¯t matter how powerful he became in the sky if he was as vulnerable as ever the second he disembarked.

    He grinned to himself, and moved on to the next two stats.

    Synergetics

    Ship Utility: Synergetics is the degree to which a pilot is in line with their Starbound¡ªtheir synergy. As this stat is improved, Pilot and Starbound are capable of working in unison to a greater degree. Greater synergy results in faster response times, ability and system efficiency and overall physical improvement. Ships can move faster and dodge capability is greatly improved, and react quicker to external threats as both Pilot and Starbound become greater than the sum of their parts.

    Pilot Utility: Pilots with augmented Synergetics are capable of greater physical feats aided by their groundsuits and connection with their Starbound.

    Cognizance

    Ship Utility: This stat defines the level and amount of abilities a Starbound can utilise in combat, as well as the level of tech that can be equipped and used. Upgrading this stat can have significant impact on a Starbound¡¯s form and capabilities, as well as grant access to more powerful or unique upgrades.

    Pilot Utility: This stat defines the level and amount of abilities the Pilot and groundsuit can utilise in combat, as well as the level of tech that can be equipped and used. Upgrading this stat can grant access to more powerful or unique upgrades to the groundsuit and its technology.

    Energetics, Synergetics and Cognizance. If he were being completely honest, Malan would have to admit that he was reaching his limit with regards to how much he was able to take in regarding his new Starbound abilities. He was a scientist at heart, and no matter much he looked at it, Malan couldn¡¯t escape the idea that the whole thing seemed entirely too, well, magical to make sense to him.

    Still, he knew there was no option but to keep moving forward, and hope understanding would come. As far as the skills went, at this point, Malan was happy to boil them down to the factors that he did understand. Energetics seemed the most straightforward, and also the most obviously useful. He¡¯d come too close to his shields failing already, and being able to make that less likely seemed well worth investing in.

    Synergetics, too, stood out to him as an answer to a problem he¡¯d already run into. When he was pushing the ship to its limits, he wasn¡¯t able to fire without Tanwen¡¯s help, and it seemed that the amount of functions they could perform together or individually was limited. Synergetics seemed to be the remedy to this, as well as conferring other benefits besides that.

    Cognizance held the allure of the unknown, however. Abilities, tech and upgrades. Malan had no idea at all how that could work, but the idea of it set the ten year old in him running away with the possibilities of it. No known spaceport produced parts for Starbound, nor perform upgrades, and Malan now knew why. Every time one had come popped up on the news with a new weapon or shield system, it had originated from this skill.

    In the end, he went for safest option to begin with. Excitement could wait until he was able to survive long enough to enjoy it. He allocated one of his spare points to Energetics, and the other to Synergetics and pressed confirm.

    The jewel in his chest warmed, and without warning the cool sensation from before washed across him¡ªsomething he now knew was the feeling of celestial energy washing through him. At the same time, he saw a pulse of white energy run through the ship itself, and felt the ship shift ever so slightly in response.

    Malan raised his own hands, examining them with wide eyes. The change was subtle, but closing and opening his fist confirmed his suspicions. The energy had changed his body, too. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how¡ªhe certainly didn¡¯t look any different¡ªbut he felt it.

    On the screen, his updated stats flashed up on the screen.

    Status

    Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Voidborn [1]

    Alignment: N/A

    Pilot Level: 3

    Class: N/A

    Stats

    Energetics: 60

    Synergetics: 60

    Cognizance: 50

    You have 2 Skill Point(s) Available. Allocate now?

    On a roll, Malan went straight on to allocate his Skill Points¡ªnot to mention find out what that actually meant¡ªonly to be met with a screen entirely blank but for this message.

    You have no unlocked skills to allocate points to. Skills can be unlocked by levelling, deeds, making particular choices or certain events occurring. You will be notified when you have unlocked access to a skill.

    ¡°Motherfu¡ª¡±

    Malan''s frustrated outburst was interrupted by the crackle of his communications, and Elena¡¯s static-ridden voice echoing around the bridge.

    ¡°Malan? Do you read Malan? What¡¯s your status?¡±

 1.18

    The outside intrusion of another voice had Malan stiffening, his frayed nerves still on edge after everything that had happened. He took a moment to straighten his thoughts, and used it, now he wasn¡¯t about to bleed out, to ascertain his surroundings before replying.

    Without a word, the central display shifted to a space view in response to Malan¡¯s thoughts, with the left of the three blazing to life with a system map view and the status screen moving to the screen on the right. He¡¯d been so caught up with the small matter of not dying followed by the bizarre experience of levelling that he had neglected to actually check where they¡¯d jumped to, or even whether it was safe.

    ¡°I did an initial threat scan immediately following the jump, pilot, and other than a nearby planet and the Sparrow, detected nothing of note.¡±

    ¡°Appreciated,¡± Malan said, examining the system map. ¡°What do we know about the planet?¡±

    ¡°Negative. My available data is currently limited to what you already knew. I was able to follow the jump route of the Sparrow rather than jump randomly to ensure the highest chance we landed in friendly space as possible.¡±

    Malan nodded. That checked out with what he saw on the system map to his left. The planet below had no name, and only carried information that could have been discovered by a basic planet scan. A jungle planet by the looks of the humidity and flora density, with slightly elevated oxygen levels and patches of toxicity that would likely enough to be ignored.

    It had two moons, but other than confirming that there were other planets in the system, Malan was able to tell nothing else about it from his display. Instead, he turned his attention to the hail he¡¯d received from the Sparrow.

    ¡°I read you, Elena¡ªglad to see you made it out okay. How are we doing?¡±

    ¡°Alive. That jump fucked the fixes we made in the jump drive, though. We¡¯ll need to see about repairs in-system or else we¡¯re stuck waiting for rescue again. That said, I¡¯ll happily take that over where we just came from.¡±

    Malan scoffed. ¡°No kidding. Do you know where we actually are? My¡­ship hasn¡¯t got any up to date starmap data.¡±

    ¡°Ship my ass. Don¡¯t be coy, Malan. I¡¯ve served alongside Starbound before. I¡¯ve never had the chance to see a first flight up close, but I know exactly what I¡¯m looking at¡ªcongratulations. And, whilst we¡¯re on the subject¡ªout-fucking-standing work, Malan. That was the only play I can think of that would have gotten us out of there still breathing. A touch unhinged, I have to admit, but it worked a treat.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help the broad smile that swept across his face at Elena¡¯s words. She said exactly what she meant, and whilst she¡¯d always been fair as their Captain, direct praise was a rare thing.

    ¡°Thanks, Captain.¡±

    ¡°No, not Captain. Not anymore. You answer directly to the Nexus and UGC High Command, now. You¡¯ll be needing to make your way there as soon as possible. Your days trying to hide and undersell your potential are done.¡±

    Malan winced. That was an aspect of his new lot in life he¡¯d intentionally been trying to avoid. There had been a lot of downsides to the life he¡¯d been living, but at least he¡¯d been able to exist in relative peace, encounters with Beric notwithstanding. Eat, work and sleep. Monotonous, yes. But also peaceful. Easy.

    The Starbound, however, were all nominally under the command of the UGC. They were given a lot of independence, to be sure, but so was a dog on a particularly long leash. When the UGC tightened it, there was nothing to do but come to heel.

    Malan wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that. On the surface, he understood it as a check to the great power the Starbound wielded. They pledged their services to the UGC so that none of them could ever pose a direct threat to humanity. If one stepped out of line, or turned traitor, the others would be able to step in and stop them. In addition, the Starbound were obligated to defend human worlds against threats when discovered, or when ordered to by the UGC.

    In return, the Starbound were given access to resources, finances and whatever support the UGC can offer. A good system¡ªin theory. Beric¡¯s disdain of the Starbound as a group hadn¡¯t been entirely unwarranted.

    ¡°I know I¡¯ll have to go,¡± Malan said reluctantly. ¡°But I can at least make sure you¡¯re able to get on your way safely, and I¡¯ll need to supply my ship for a journey anyway. Is there anywhere we can get you the parts you need in-system?¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I won¡¯t pretend I¡¯m not glad to have the support of a Starbound with me. The jump took us a little too close to Frontier Space to be sure we¡¯re safe from pirates or scavengers¡ªwait, you asked where we actually were. I¡¯ll send through the system data now. The planet below actually has a small indie colony with a trading outpost. We¡¯ll hopefully be able to land there and get what we need,¡± Elena replied.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll see you planetside, Elena.¡±

    The communicator crackled, then shut off. Almost immediately after, his system map flickered, and extra information began popping onto the screen, filling in the blanks.

    The planet¡¯s name was Mykeser, and carried a small, independent colony a few hundred strong. According to the data, they were one of three colonised planets in the Nolin system, and they appeared to produce enough food from the flora and fauna of the planet for all three colonies, and traded it for the other resources they needed.

    They were not too far, in relative terms, from Scucin, the system they¡¯d just jumped from. Both were on the edges of Collective Space, an area of the galaxy independent of the UGC where human collectives ran their own areas of space having chafed under the rules and regulations of the UGC. Most of the larger Collectives were formal allies of the UGC, as were plenty of the smaller, but on the fringes were plenty of small colonies, groups of people who didn¡¯t fit in anywhere else, trying to make their way for themselves.

    Being so close to Frontier Space¡ªwhere no UGC or Collective influence was present¡ªmeant undefended ships or colonies were particularly at risk from the pirates, raiders and scavengers that made their home as far away from the rule of law as they could possibly manage.

    Nolin lay especially close to the borders of the Frontier, and it wouldn¡¯t surprise to Malan to hear that Mykeser and its neighbours regularly saw off local pirate groups. It was true that he wasn¡¯t particularly keen on heading to the Nexus, but being totally honest, he couldn¡¯t in good conscious leave the Sparrow essentially unarmed.

    On his viewing monitor, he saw Elena begin their descent to the planet below. However, instead of following her, he turned his attention back to his status screen, and brought up the notifications he was yet to look at.

    Unsurprisingly, there were a slew of enemy killed notifications he had seen during the battle but not properly dismissed. He flew through those, paying comparatively little attention until the second to last one, were something a little different caught his eye.

    Abyssal Vephid [Lv. 5] Killed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    2 Units of Organic Polymers Gathered.

    He frowned at that, the implications racing through his mind. He¡¯d killed some of the Abyss, and had somehow gathered resources as well as the celestial energy.

    ¡°Upon acquiring resources from a natural source,¡± Tanwen chimed in, ¡°the transference of celestial energy will include that resource also. I am able to sort and store these resources for you, to a limit. The units of organic polymers are currently being held in our admittedly limited cargo hold.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Malan said, developing a slight headache from trying to work out how this all worked. ¡°And what can I use these resources for?¡±

    ¡°I believe certain upgrades will allow you to use gathered resources for crafting, though we do not currently possess the capability, and I am not aware how we can acquire it.¡±

    Malan nodded absently, and then forced himself to move on. There was potentially exciting possibilities implicit in that, but until they worked out how, it was moot. He¡¯d simply have to gather resources in preparation.

    Finally, he turned his attention to the last few notifications he was yet to read.

    Titles acquired. Please choose whether or not to accept the title awarded. The titles you do and do not accept will affect future skill progression, quest allocation and stat growth¡ªas well as how certain factions and groups will view you. Consider carefully.

    New Title Unlocked!

    [Voidborn] - You have survived your trial by fire and have emerged from the ashes touched by flame. Your bond complete, your natural affinity to celestial energy grants you access to paths few others will ever travel. Grants 2% buff to all stat totals, access to Voidborn Race Skills.

    New Title Unlocked!

    [Abyss Slayer I] - You have faced down the worst of the galaxies horrors and instead of fleeing, removed them forever. Grants an extra Stat Point to allocate as you choose.

    Progress to next rank: 17/50 Abyssal Creatures Killed.

    Malan leaned back for a moment, considering what he¡¯d just read. In his opinion, both titles seemed like a no-brainer, but the initial warning about accepting titles had him searching fruitlessly for any potential downside. However, after a few minutes of frowning that only worsened his growing headache, he eventually relented to the fact that if there was going to be a negative, he wasn¡¯t being told about it.

    He accepted both titles, and quickly allocated his extra stat point into Energetics, before checking his stat screen once more.

    Status

    Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Voidborn [1]

    Alignment: N/A

    Pilot Level: 3

    Class: N/A

    Stats

    Energetics: 71

    Synergetics: 61

    Cognizance: 51

    Titles: [Voidborn], [Abyss Slayer I].

    Basic Skills: N/A

    Class Skills: N/A

    Race Skills: [? requirements met]

    Alignment Skills: N/A

    Upgrades: N/A

    Just then, a new notification flashed across the screen, drawing his eye.

    New Quest Available: Resupply.

    Land at the Spaceport and acquire supplies for onward travel. Rewards available upon completion.

    ¡°Tanwen, can you bring us in for landing just behind the Sparrow, please? This just reminded me¡ªthe notifications during the escape said there would be quest rewards. I think I¡¯ll have a look whilst we land.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative, Pilot.¡±

 1.19

    As Tanwen took them towards the planet¡¯s forest green surface, following the flight path of the Sparrow, Malan browsed his completed quest notifications. He¡¯d complete two, the mission commanding him to survive, and the one that had appeared later to go with his decision to rescue the Sparrow.

    The latter had given him a smattering of resources and a pat on the back. The resources once again did little for him at the moment. A few units of various metals and polymers he just had to trust would be useful in the future. The former, however, had given him a permanent 2% buff to his stat totals upon opening and reading the notification, and the option to [Advance this Quest?].

    Naturally, Malan accepted that option immediately, seeing no real reason not to. A new quest notification popped up, and he read it as his ship rumbled gently into the planet¡¯s atmosphere.

    Quest Advanced: Starbound.

    You have taken the first steps along a gruelling journey, and now you must discover how that journey will proceed. The Celestial Nexus calls its new Starbound home to join the fight, and he will have no choice but to answer. Rewards: A new Title, Stat Buffs, A choice of one of three upgrades for you Starbound.

    1 . Travel to the Celestial Nexus in the Alpha Centauri system and announce yourself.

    Malan ran a hand through dark, messy hair and leaned back in his chair. The phrase ¡®he will have no choice¡¯ rankled him immensely, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t exactly argue. Alpha Centauri was where humanity had discovered the Celestial Nexus, an enormous tear in the Galaxy, not unlike an Abyssal rift¡ªexcept that instead of leading to a hellish alternate reality teeming with monstrous abominations, it allowed ships that access to a network of extra-dimensional passageways one could fly through to travel almost instantaneously to a new location.

    Mapping this network laid the foundation for jump drive technology to allow individual ships to open temporary rifts and allow themselves access to the network in order to jump. Humanity had raced to master this technology, and by that point in human history sovereign corporation states threw everything they had at winning control of the fortress and by extension, extra-system space travel.

    The end result was a war across the stars unlike anything humanity had seen before. Humanity set the galaxy alight in search of profit, and it was from the ashes the UGC had risen. Broken peoples from every faction united to end it, and by the end, it was they that held the fortress and Nexus, and they who set the course for the future.

    Centuries later, they still held it. And¡ªat least publically¡ªthey still held to that goal. Once humanity began unearthing Starbound, they made the fortress, which now served as the home of UGC high command, their base of operations. All new Starbound were trained there. Outfitted. Supplied. Given orders.

    The advantages to him going there were great, of course. Though they technically did not work for the UGC, the two were so closely entwined they may as well. Seeing as he currently didn¡¯t have so much as a bottle of water, the level of supplies and support provided were incredibly tempting¡ªnot to mention the temptation of learning from some of the more established Starbound.

    The disadvantage, however, was the fact that it was the UGC who gave the orders and assignments.

    Like most glorious revolutions, the UGC has begun from a desire to change the world for the better. And, like most glorious revolutions, whatever good intentions they¡¯d had were tainted by power-grubbing, corruption and greed.

    Being totally honest, most overstated how bad it actually was. Most of the people who were UGC were decent people, trying to help in whatever small ways they could. It was just that it didn¡¯t take many bad apples to spoil the bunch, when those apples made decisions that decided the fate of entire worlds. Of course, the choice was largely a moot one. If he didn¡¯t go, he¡¯d likely find himself surrounded by a small group of more powerful Starbound asking if he would like to come and check it out. Very polite. Very amenable. Very clear that the question mark was really only a courtesy.

    None of this changed the fact that he simply did not want to go. Not yet. The healing of his physical wounds had been instant, but he needed a moment to breathe. To think, and absorb everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. A few days of quiet on a small outer worlds colony sounded like the perfect opportunity to do just that, outside of any supplies that he might have needed. That, and he wasn''t entirely comfortable leaving Elena here stranded whilst the Sparrow was stuck in-system.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    No. He could afford to take a few days. It would be almost impossible for the UGC or the Nexus to get news of him in that time, and the immediate, life-threatening danger of the Abyss had been left behind, at least for a time. Then, once the Sparrow was up and running, they could go their separate ways, and Malan would go to the Nexus.

    ¡°Unidentified vessels currently entering the atmosphere of Mykeser: You are currently on an approach vector for Caezo Prime: Please identify or abort current approach, failure to do so will result in defensive action being taken.¡±

    The static of the comms and the slightly wary male voice that followed, clearly from the landing port of the colony they were headed towards, forced him to give his full attention back to the displays at the front of the bridge. They had broken through the planet¡¯s atmosphere and were currently soaring towards the outpost in question above cloud level.

    Below he could see an ocean of deep green, a vast jungle canopy that from orbit seemed to stretch across the entire planet¡¯s surface. From here, he could see the twisting rivers that threaded through the green, and the flat-topped peaks that the jungle had grown around. The central viewing screen lit up with indicators, showing dozens of different indicators related to planet conditions and the kinds of life forms being detected below, whilst on the leftmost screen, the system map updated with the name of Mykeser¡¯s human colony.

    That surprised him for a moment, before he realised it really shouldn¡¯t. The ship¡¯s computers were tied directly to him now, and everything he learned would also be learned by Tanwen and stored away for use.

    ¡°This is Elena Vasquez, captain of the Sparrow. We¡¯re an independent research crew stationed in the Nolin system, here for a supply run.¡±

    ¡°Copy that. Myskeser¡¯s a long way to come for supplies,¡± he answered, leaving the obvious question unspoken. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±

    ¡°An Abyssal incursion had us hauling ass. To be honest with you, we barely got out. We¡¯re need somewhere to sit tight and repair for the home journey. And my friend here is the Starbound that answered our SOS in time to get us out.¡±

    Malan let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been holding at Elena¡¯s half-truth. He honestly hadn¡¯t been sure how he would go about explaining who and what he was to these people. A lie about the kind of ship Tanwen was wouldn¡¯t have gotten by somebody who knew even a little bit about technology, and the truth would reveal him to be new. Vulnerable.

    This wasn¡¯t UGC territory, and as much as Malan fundamentally believed most people were good, he wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to think that a new and untrained Starbound wouldn¡¯t be thought of as a tempting opportunity for somebody especially greedy or desperate enough.

    The comms crackled again. ¡°Starbound? Holy shi¡ª I mean¡ª¡±

    There was a break in the comms, and a noise that sounded supsiciously like muttering beneath the static, before the operator returned with a nervous cough. ¡°Ah, both vessels are cleared for landing, Captain Vasquez. Welcome to Caezo Prime.¡±

    The operator left the comm channel, and Elena chuckled. ¡°Well that¡¯s set the cat among the pigeons, eh Malan? God, I¡¯d almost forgotten what a stir landing with a Starbound can kick up, especially out in the indies.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d really rather it wouldn¡¯t,¡± Malan answered, deadpan.

    ¡°Get used to it. In UGC territory¡ªespecially in smaller systems¡ªyou¡¯re going to have to reckon with more sycophants than you can shake a stick at. Starbound wield a lot of power, and I¡¯m not just talking about those ships. Most of everyone will want a piece. Out here though?¡± Elena said, deadly serious, even over the comms.

    ¡°You just make sure you stay frosty, Malan. There¡¯s a lot more fear than there is reverence, and fear can turn people real stupid, real fast. All the ship in the world won¡¯t help you if someone shanks you in a bar because they got scared you were here to bust whatever pissant operation they had going on.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± he replied. ¡°In and out. Get what we need and leave as soon as your jump drive is back up and running.¡±

    ¡°Please, kid. You should be leaving well before we¡¯re ready to. You have too many places to be for you to be hanging around waiting for us.¡±

    He made to respond, but hesitated as the Caezo Prime outpost itself came into view. It was set in a huge area of cleared jungle, nestled in the arc of a large, crescent-shaped plateau mountain. Enormous, cold grey metallic tunnels joined dome-topped metallic buildings, mismatched sheets of metal smattered across their surfaces, a visible record of the colony¡¯s struggles to repair and maintain its infrastructure. They surrounded an enormous central structure that was a mix round-topped roofs and reaching hydroponic and residential towers.

    Tucked away behind the largest structure, directly in the deepest part of the crescent, was a small port with small shuttle vessels nipping in and out in a steady stream. There were three landing pads, each big enough for two or three large ships to set down at, and from here, Malan could see the largest of them quickly clearing vessels away.

    He checked the flight plan Tanwen had mapped and scoffed¡ªthey were clearing an entire pad for them, despite Tanwen and the Sparrow not being even close to big enough to warrant that. The red carpet treatment, then, which begged the question, of course: What do they want?

    Another, slightly more cynical side of him couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it wasn¡¯t so much what do they want, and more what are they trying to hide?

 1.20

    Tanwen juddered only slightly as they descended upon Caezo¡¯s central landing pad. Outside, Malan could see engineers and techs bustling around, swooping in already to perform hull checks and do several of the scans mandatory in most ports. Even outside of UGC space, nobody wanted some devastating new microbe, or hitchhiking invasive species being carted onto their hard-founded colonies.

    Still, Malan couldn¡¯t help noting there were a few too many of the grey jumpsuited techs scurrying about beneath them, wiping beads of sweat from the jungle humidity away with their sleeves. A few were trying a little too hard to look busy without doing much of anything, whilst others were openly gawking.

    It made sense, he supposed. Starbound rarely made appearances planetside, and almost nobody ever got the chance to see one up close with their own two eyes. Had he been them, he most likely would have suddenly remembered he had a job to do at this particular pad, too.

    Of course, that understanding brought its own set of problems. He could quite understand and deal with people buzzing around his ship as though it were some kind of celebrity, but as Tanwen had said, they were one now. As soon as he stepped off of it, all the focus would be transferred to him, a thought that made him want to throw up in his own mouth.

    ¡°Landing sequence completed, Pilot,¡± Tanwen¡¯s voice drifted through the bridge, a welcome distraction from the flies buzzing round them. ¡°Engaging GM Locking Mechanisms.¡±

    Malan quirked an eyebrow. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°My security system, now we have bonded, is tied to your DNA, Pilot. Nobody but you will be able to gain access to my interior without your express permission¡ªor, I suppose, destroying the hull.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s reassuring, I suppose. Would destroying the hull left behind after I leave harm me, given our bond?¡±

    ¡°No. My part of the bond is not within the physical structure of the ship itself, it is simply how you interface with it as my Pilot. I am a part of that core in your chest.¡±

    Malan nodded, reflexively touching the jewel embedded in his upper chest. ¡°So if someone were to attack the ship when we¡¯re planetside¡­¡±

    ¡°Your residual celestial energy would begin to repair it, much as the hull and shields slowly regenerate when we take damage in flight.¡±

    ¡°Good to know,¡± he said, standing and stretching out sore muscles. Outside, he could see the Sparrow¡¯s ramp descending, and shivered. He like Elena, but he was glad he was no longer on her ship. ¡°I¡¯d better get planetside.¡±

    He set off, leaving his bridge for the first time since bonding with Tanwen. The interior walls of the corridor outside of the bridge where mostly a brilliant white, with a strip of matte black along the tops and bottoms, separated from the white with a strip of orange lighting, that gave the whole ship outside of the bridge a peculiar amber glow, like walking through gentle flame.

    As best as he could describe it, the layout of the ship was fairly simple. The bridge lay at the front, and a short corridor led to a large central space. It was largely empty, with a few crew seating positions to the side and a small counter space with some storage and cooking apparatus. Below, he knew from the bond that there was a reasonable sized cargo space.

    An identical room lay mirrored on either flank, each of these also empty. These intrigued Malan because of the shape¡ªtwo vague L-shapes attached to each flank, the point of the L aimed to the front of the ship. At the rear, lay a small gearing up space¡ªor what he assumed it was, anyway. It neither looked like any suiting up station and airlock he¡¯d ever seen, nor did it feel like one from the bond.

    But, this was also where he knew his own exit ramp lay, so it was there he went, eyeing empty spaces curiously. He¡¯d already surmised from the nature of the bond that he wouldn¡¯t be able to simply go out and buy a lot of what he needed to fill this space. The way things seemed to work was on using gathered resources to craft somehow, and finding or, perhaps, unlocking various upgrades¡ªboth solutions requiring the use of gathered celestial energy to manipulate matter and create objects.

    He reached the bay fairly quickly, only faintly distracted by the possibilities of what would hopefully be his home away from home for the foreseeable future. The thought of home, brought thoughts of his sister. When last he¡¯d seen her, her eyes had said all that needed to be said. Accusation. Trauma.

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    Malan couldn¡¯t help but hope that when he saw Isolde again, she would give him time to explain. Maybe she¡¯d even be able to understand. He hadn¡¯t known back then. Had been as convinced of his own guilt as it seemed that she had.

    Since then, there¡¯d been no communication. Malan had needed to take a job to pay for her care, and the job he¡¯d gotten had taken him out of range of most communications. Soon, he would be within range for the first time he¡¯d left. Cel-Tech, the company Elena¡¯s crew was contracted to took care of the payments. He wasn¡¯t especially looking forward to seeing if he had any mail or messages waiting.

    He did know, through Cel-Tech¡¯s HR department, that she was out of her care facility and restarting her studies on a part-time basis. This had been one of the few bright spots of his life between here and the Jauda. Isolde had been a talented prospective engineer, and it had been wonderful to hear that at least one of them was managing to pick up the pieces of their life. He¡¯d simply kept sending her enough money to keep her well looked after her so she could concentrate on that instead of having to worry about finances.

    That pay check would stop now. He would have to find a new way to earn enough money to ensure his sister was looked after. If everything he¡¯d heard about how the Starbound were looked after was true, he¡¯d not have to worry at all, but that was a big ¡®if¡¯.

    Of course, now everything had been flipped on its head. He wasn¡¯t to blame for what happened, and it felt an awful lot like he¡¯d simply been dropped into the life he¡¯d worked so hard to earn before the Jauda. He didn¡¯t quite know how to react to that¡ªto any of this¡ªyet, so instead he had to keep forging forward until he could take the time to process all of this.

    As a result, he found himself walking into the airlock chamber that seemed to double into a suiting up room¡ªan arrangement that made no real sense¡ªand seeing no suits. That wasn¡¯t such a big deal for right now, of course. Mykeser was plenty breathable, with few enough environmental hazards that one wasn¡¯t needed.

    Suits were, however, expensive, and it added another thing to his essentials list that he likely couldn¡¯t afford.

    He looked around the room, searching for anything he¡¯d missed. Like the rest of the ship, this room thrummed with ambient celestial energy, though most of it seemed to centre around a black dais in the centre, made of the same smooth, almost liquid in appearance metal Tanwen¡¯s sphere had made from. The rest was pretty plain. White and black walls, as the rest of the ship, without even any storage for spare suits to check.

    ¡°Groundsuit protocols active and ready, Pilot,¡± came Tanwen¡¯s voice, after a few moments of no movement at all from Malan, who¡¯d just gotten to looking for where the ship¡¯s exit actually was.

    ¡°Ah, Tanwen? There are no suits here.¡±

    Malan frowned as clear amusement pulsed through their bond, the first real emotion besides fear he¡¯d felt from his Starbound.

    ¡°Step on the central dais, Pilot. Arms slightly raised, and legs shoulder width apart, and concentrate on the desire to equip your groundsuit.¡±

    Malan hesitated, Tanwen¡¯s amusement half making him think he was being set up for a joke, before complying. He stood on the dais, feeling only moderately ridiculous, and concentrated as instructed.

    He shifted on his feet slightly, increasingly sure he was the butt of a joke as the seconds dragged on, before freezing on the spot. The ambient white mist of celestial energy swirled around him in growing intensity, before threads of it carved their way through the dais at his feet in intricate geometric patterns, creating gaps in the material that had not been there before.

    The ground beneath him shifted, and small flakes of black flowed from the edge of the dais like drops of water along channels carved by celestial energy. Invariably, he saw, each of those complex channels led back to him, and so each of the flecks also flowed to him. The first of them attached themselves to his foot, each new shard joining with the last until there was a tightly woven chord that ran from his little toe to his ankle. Then more flecks and shards conjoined to form more chords, the pace of the flecks increasing exponentially.

    In moments, the room was a storm of sharp black shards, swirling around him at a speed that could have cut any man to shreds. Only, he never once felt threatened or at risk, even from an accidental slice. Chords wrapped around him to form a weave, whilst others formed upon that base weave to create plates that covered large areas of flesh. Eventually, the storm of black reached his head, and the same material formed a helmet of black.

    For a brief moment, the darkness surrounding him had him swallowing thickly, then something shifted, and the darkness bled away revealing his surroundings in their absolute entirety, giving him better all-around visibility than he had normally. With a start, he realised that this¡­.suit worked the same way Tanwen¡¯s hull did. Whilst he was in direct control of the ship, he was able to see as if he was the ship. Now, he could see as if he was the suit.

    A thrum of ocean blue energy pulsed into view all around him, before fizzling out¡ªhis personal shields activating. Then, small bars for his shield and suit integrity appeared in the bottom left of his vision, as well as a few graphics that told him things like oxygen and environmental safety.

    The shards had stopped now, and the suit-up chamber was finally peace. Malan looked down at himself and, stretching and moving his body tentatively, saw he¡¯d been fully covered in a dense weave of material, that flexed as easily as he did. The larger exposed areas had been covered in a denser material, protecting mainly his torso and exposed limbs. Flexing his fingers, he saw that they, whilst covered, had a thinner weave, allowing him close to full dexterity.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± he muttered, and almost jumped out of his skin when a notification slid into view in the top right of his view.

    New Skill Choices Unlocked

    Allocate skill point[s] now?

 1.21

    A fresh tingle of excitement flickered through Malan at the fresh notification. He¡¯d been waiting to discover the first of the skills his bond would unlock, so that he could get an idea of what kinds of things they would entail. He was slightly surprised that he¡¯d gotten one simply for putting on the groundsuit, but he supposed it made sense.

    Acting on the ground required an entirely different set of abilities than operating a ship, even one as intuitive as the Starbound, and whilst he had plenty of piloting experience in his life, action on the ground was something entirely different. Idly, as he focused his attention on the option to allocate his skill points, he wondered if that had been accounted for by the bond. Would a novice pilot be granted options to bolster their skills early on, where he had instead been given them to bolster his options on the ground?

    Malan began to pace, a little awkwardly at first, attempting to both get used to moving in the groundsuit and read his skill options at the same time. Fortunately, he found the suit a much easier adjustment than piloting Tanwen, as it was essentially just moving as he normally did.

    He couldn¡¯t help but notice the extra power in his stride, however, and the extra force behind his upper body movements. Each subtle shift of his muscles sent small pulses of celestial energy through the suit, enhancing his movement. Everything felt faster and stronger. More powerful. Before looking at his options, he performed a few exaggerated exercises¡ªsome burpees and push ups, as well as some ungainly shadow boxing.

    Malan¡¯s smile grew as a quick burst of exercise that would have left him more than a little breathless barely affected him. He thought back to the level-up screens, where it made clear that any stats he allocated there also applied to the groundsuit, and whistled. What would he be capable of in a handful of levels? How far was it possible to take this?

    Trying to temper his growing excitement, he finally turned his attention to the waiting skills menu.

    New skill options unlocked!

    Groundsuit Advancement - Choose a specification for your groundsuit.

    Warning! Choosing one option will remove access to the others from the Pilot permanently. An option Must be Chosen before exiting the Starbound Unit.

    Skills Unlocked:

    Groundsuit Advancement: [Starblade, Lvl. 1]

    Evolves your groundsuit into the [Starblade, Lvl. 1] variant. Starblades are the frontline fighters of the Starbound. Able to hit hard from range and up close, as well as possessing great durability, their role is to take the fight to the enemy head on. Accepting this advancement grants appropriate stat increases, modifies your groundsuit and Starbound loadouts, and grants access to related skills, titles and upgrades as you progress.

    Cost: 1 Stat Points

    Malan frowned. Modifies groundsuit and Starbound loadouts was a little more than he bargained¡ªcertainly it was more of a significant decision than he¡¯d been expecting. Still, as far as options went, Starblade was fairly self explanatory, and easily dismissed. As much as he liked the idea of growing to become a top-tier badass, he knew damned well it didn¡¯t really fit him.

    It wasn¡¯t so much that he thought he didn¡¯t have the stomach for it¡ªafter the Jauda and Talia, he felt there wasn¡¯t much that would be able to rattle him more than they had¡ªbut more that he felt there would likely be other options among the four that were currently being displayed that would fit him better.

    With this in mind, he turned to the next two, confident that he wouldn¡¯t be returning to view the Starblades option again.

    Groundsuit Advancement: [Shadowstrider, Lvl. 1]

    Evolves your groundsuit into the [Shadowstrider, Lvl. 1] variant. Shadowstriders are the clandestine wing of the Starbound. In combat they aim to catch their enemy unawares, entrapping them or striking from out of sight. They are able to cloak themselves to hide from notice, and use celestial energy to render enemies helpless. Accepting this advancement grants appropriate stat increases, modifies your groundsuit and Starbound loadouts, and grants access to related skills, titles and upgrades as you progress.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Cost: 1 Stat Points

    Groundsuit Advancement: [Starweaver, Lvl. 1]

    Evolves your groundsuit into the [Starweaver, Lvl. 1] variant. Starweavers focus on bending ambient celestial energy to their will. In combat, they are capable of producing potent attacks of celestial energy, and are able to use the flows of energy in their environment to create a wide variety of effects. They can also use celestial phenomena to access amplified states and abilities for a short time to achieve effects far beyond that which other Starbound of their level are capable of. Accepting this advancement grants appropriate stat increases, modifies your groundsuit and Starbound loadouts, and grants access to related skills, titles and upgrades as you progress.

    Important: You¡¯re status as Voidborn may enable you to acquire bonus titles and skills, and advance faster than other Starbound in this area.

    Cost: 1 Stat Points

    Malan couldn¡¯t help a small grin. This was an awful lot more like it. He could accept not being the all action hero type. Attention made him uncomfortable for starters, so the idea of being able to melt into the shadows whenever he fancies appealed to him deeply, and the idea of celestially powered claoking devices was an incredibly tempting carrot for the technician in him.

    On the other hand, Starweaver seemed to hold all the cool factor of the Starblades, without having to be quite so gung-ho about things. His ability to actually see the flows of ambient celestial energy, as it said in the description, would most likely be a huge benefit to him as he grew his abilities.

    However, Starweaver was one of two options that had an additional note attached to the description, so he turned his attention to the last option.

    Groundsuit Advancement: [Celestial Warden, Lvl. 1]

    Evolves your groundsuit into the [Celestial Warden, Lvl. 1] variant. Celestial Wardens are the technicians of the Starbound. Highly capable with technology and able to use celestial energy to manipulate it in ways otherwise impossible, they are highly versatile, using technology to both supplement their combat abilities, support others fighting around them, and hinder the enemy. Accepting this advancement grants appropriate stat increases, modifies your groundsuit and Starbound loadouts, and grants access to related skills, titles and upgrades as you progress.

    IMPORTANT: Your existing expertise in technology may enable you to acquire bonus titles and skills, and advance faster than other Starbound in this area.

    Cost: 1 Stat Points

    Malan licked his lips as he read over the entry for the Celestial Warden. It would be dishonest of him to say he wasn¡¯t incredibly tempted by it. The focus on technology played to his strengths perfectly, and its description seemed to indicate that he would still be effective in dangerous situations. Added to that was the potential to help anybody he might be working with, and he might have been torn between this and Starweaver but for one thing.

    ¡°Your existing expertise¡­¡± he muttered, and smiled.

    It was that sentence that sealed the deal for him, really. All four options sounded good to him¡ªStarweaver in particular was incredibly tempted. But they all seemed to focus on either granting him brand new skills and knowledge, or played off his innate status as a Voidborn.

    A Celestial Warden, however, focused on the skills and knowledge he¡¯d spent his admittedly short life working hard to cultivate. It enhanced something he¡¯d already built by his own hand, rather than simply giving him something on a plate.

    His grin growing, he selected [Celestial Warden, Lvl. 1], and sucked in a breath as a icy wave of power pulsed through him. His arms vibrated, and the shards of suit began to shift and reform around his forearms. They coalesced into a pair of gauntlets, one for each arm, stone grey, with a small unit atop each forearm that had a small hole on the front that glowed luminous green.

    New Skills Unlocked:

    [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Ranged. Lvl. 1], [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Melee. Lvl. 1], [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Interface. Lvl. 1]

    There was no description for these skills¡ªthere didn¡¯t need to be. His mind span, as new information assaulted him from across the bond. The purpose of each skill. How to use them. The technical details of his new-built gauntlets.

    He gasped, the flow of information tying off abruptly, the bond clearly adjudging he had enough. Malan took a few measured breathes, and peered down at his gauntlets in wonder. These would be his suit¡¯s main weapons and feature for the foreseeable future. The three skills they granted him were mostly combat orientated, bar the last.

    The gauntlets were able to switch between ranged and melee modes according to his will. In ranged mode, they fired measured bursts of celestial energy, roughly equivalent to most small arms fire, though the effectiveness would increase as he used them and levelled the skill. In melee mode, his gauntlets would produce a field of celestial energy around his hands, allowing him to deliver powerful blows and block strikes his own hands could never, without compromising his shields.

    Of course, at Lvl 1, these skills would be weak. But as he used them, they would level, and unlock secondary and tertiary powers, as well as growing in power and effectiveness.

    The third skill was a support skill. The gauntlets were also capable of interfacing with nearby technology for various purposes. At the moment, he was limited to hacking basic security systems, but those capabilities would also grow as he used it.

    All in all, he was incredibly satisfied. He already knew enough to see these as foundational skills¡ªthe basic building blocks for what he would grow into as a Starbound.

    Just as he felt ready to leave his ship, another notification blinked into life across his vision, catching him off guard.

    Bonus Skill Unlocked!

    Your existing engineering expertise has granted you early access to a new Celestial Warden Skill. Allocate Stat Point(s)?

 1.22

    Malan grinned, his decision on which advancement to take already paying dividends. Given how significant his initial choice of skills had been, gaining early access to a new one was no small thing. It hadn¡¯t escaped his notice that each skill he¡¯d received had its own level value, which meant that getting a good skill even a few levels early had huge advantages.

    New Skill Unlocked!

    [Deploy Drone, Lvl 1.]

    Activation of this skill allows a Celestial Warden to deploy an automated drone to support them and allies in combat. Initially, this skill only allows the deployment of a single Sentry Drone for a short period. After this period expires, there is a recharge time before this skill can be used again. If the drone is destroyed, the recharge time is doubled. This skill uses Cognizance.

    Cost: 1 Stat Point(s)

    Upon picking up on his curiosity, his display flickered and brought up a small window describing the sentry drone. Basic shields, sporadic small arms fire and an excellent way to scout ahead in unfamiliar territory was the short of it. Based on the specificity of the wording in the skill and drone descriptions, he guessed further levels in the skill would give him access to a wider variety of drones with different specialisations, and perhaps even the ability to deploy more than one.

    Malan hesitated only a moment before spending his last stat point on the skill. There really didn¡¯t seem to be a drawback to using the drones, and the only thing it cost him was a stat point to use on the off-chance he discovered a new, better skill before earning more stat points, which seemed unlikely at best.

    For the third time in short succession, he watched, fascinated, as his suit shifted. Black shards gathered at his shoulder, forming the rounded disc shape of his sentry drone, ready for deployment at a his command.

    He held still for another thirty seconds when it was done, just in case any other notifications or such appeared, before nodding to himself and taking a steadying breath. At a thought, the dais he stood upon clicked free of the rest of the floor, and with a gentle hiss, began to lower him to the ground beneath his ship.

    A wall of sickening humidity hit him as soon as his small platform opened to the open air of Mykeser, and he was pleasantly surprised to feel a cool rush of air begin to circulate between his groundsuit and skin almost immediately. It was a relief to, because even with the help of his suit, the air on Mykeser was absolutely suffocating.

    The smooth dais lay itself down on the floor so smoothly he barely felt it, and trying to seem more confident than he felt, he stepped onto the warm concrete of the landing pad. The platform didn¡¯t wait for a command, and as soon he¡¯d taken several steps away, it rose from the floor and joined with the underside of his ship, blending in with the hull as though there had never been an exit in the first place.

    New Title Unlocked

    [Explorer I] Set foot on the surface of a planet for the first time. 2% increase to Cognizance.

    Malan allowed the title notification to slide across his screen without too much thought¡ªthe stat increase was nice, and it was interesting to see he was to be rewarded for exploring, but already he could see several ship techs scurrying his way. Interestingly, his display focused in on the id cards that hung from their belts, notifying him of names and job titles.

    More interestingly was the fact that all the people scurrying around had been assigned levels, which raised an interesting thought. Did that mean everyone was already a part of whatever system allowed Starbound to function and just weren¡¯t able to access it for themselves directly, or was this something that his bond with Tanwen added for his benefit specifically?

    ¡°Ah¡­ Starbound¡ªSir¡­¡± Began the first tech to reach him, slightly out of breath.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    He was one of the younger men approaching that wore the grey overalls, and quite apart from his age, Malan could tell by the way his were still zipped all the way up in the stifling heat that he was a recent arrival. Wide blue eyes zipped between the ship and himself as he stumbled over how to properly address him.

    Malan knew that other Starbound took on something of a persona in public¡ªa name that reflected the nature of their own Starbound. He grimaced at the idea of doing it for himself. It felt awfully presumptuous for someone who had yet to visit the Nexus or be officially recognised, but he also wasn¡¯t stupid.

    He¡¯d never really thought too hard about it. Starbound had cool names¡ªthat was just how it was. Now he was in their shoes, the reason was abundantly clear. If he used his real name, his sister would become the target for a whole lot of unwanted attention, positive and otherwise.

    ¡°Appreciated, Baccus, Galan,¡± he said, his display providing him their names before extending his hand for both he and the older tech that still stood a respectful distance back.

    The younger started at him knowing his name, whilst the older tech simply grinned beneath an especially bushy moustache and took the proffered hand for a firm handshake. Malan could see by the name tag that Galan was the port¡¯s senior tech, and had likely been summoned to attend to him personally, and he was relieved to see Galan appeared far less starstruck.

    As if responding to the unspoken question, Galan slapped Baccus on the back a little harder than the young man was ready for. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive Baccus here,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s his first time seeing your kind up close. We¡¯re both from UGC space originally, see? Our feathers are a lot less ruffled by your being here than others who ain¡¯t. I would imagine it¡¯s why we were called specifically. Speaking of¡­¡±

    Malan caught the direction of the older man¡¯s gaze and the wavering of his genial smile, and followed it. Scurrying across grey concrete was a man wearing burgundy dress trousers and waistcoat over a too-puffy and loose white shirt, with a royal blue overcoat trimmed with gold draped over his shoulders.

    He was flanked by another man that was far more plainly dressed, in simple grey fatigues with black armour plating. A rifle of some description was strapped to his back, and a sidearm to his left thigh, and not a single bead of sweat touched the man¡¯s iron-wrought face. Where the finely dressed man scurried visibly, this man seemed to glide dangerously over the concrete, his movements carrying the lethal confidence of an Old Earth tiger.

    He found himself tensing as they approached, but the dangerous looking man held back whilst the other approached, and looked for all the world like he couldn¡¯t care less about what was happening in front of him.

    ¡°Starbound! Welcome!¡± The well-dressed man practically sang, dipping his head and offering a gold-ringed hand. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to have one of your stature grace our humble colony.¡±

    Malan accepted the offered hand, shaking it¡ªthough immediately had to be careful not to yank his hand back when the experience was something akin to trying to grip limp, half-rotted lettuce.

    ¡°Thank you for the kind welcome,¡± he answered as genially as could manage, fighting the urge to wipe his hand on something, despite the fact it was gloved.

    ¡°Do not think on it, Caezo is proud to host you¡­ Starbound. Apologies, I do not mean to be rude, but I am yet to be appraised of your name,¡± he said, glaring slightly at the techs behind Malan.

    ¡°Because I am yet to give it,¡± he answered, making sure the techs would not be held responsible after he¡¯d left. ¡°I am Tanwen,¡± he said as casually as he could manage.

    That, the dangerous man did register, cold eyes running over him, weighing. His companion didn¡¯t notice. Instead he bowed a little lower still.

    ¡°And I am Lugh Talorcan, the Administrator of Caezo. We will do everything we can to ensure you are well-accommodated during your stay, though our colony is production based. I am told your reason for being here is to acquire supplies and repairs for an onward journey? You will of course have them free of charge, as long as it is within our capabilities to do so. A gesture of good will, yes?¡± There was a pause, and Lugh swallowed visibly. ¡°Providing, of course, that is the reason you are here? If there is anything else, if you would simply let me know, you can be assured I will do everything in my power¡ª¡±

    Malan cut him off with a raised hand. ¡°That is all we need. Basic food and medical supplies, and repairs for the Sparrow  over there,¡± he said, gesturing to the already landed craft, where Elena and Thaddeus had opted to hang back and avoid the enthusiastic greeting.

    Lugh waffled on, assuring Malan that their techs had already been notified of the need for repairs and would see to everything, and that a place for them to stay had already been found and about a dozen other things in quick succession. Malan listened, of course, but his real focus was on the man himself.

    The good Administrator was not simply nervous. That, he could understand. The Starbound could technically be considered UGC military assets, and this was a non-UGC aligned planet. That was already a diplomatic nightmare, before you started getting into the fact that it was likely some folks currently on Mykeser had come here specifically to escape UGC laws and regulations that interfered with their ability to make money.

    Eyeing the older man¡¯s gaudy jewellery and rich clothing, it would be easy to write his suspicions off as just that. Worry that a good thing was about to be upended and ruined. Only, the man really was sweating profusely. It was a hot planet¡ªbut that hot? It bucketed across his portly face now, rivulets soaking what had been a crisp shirt collar and turning large swathes of the white material translucent.

    Then there was way his gold-ringed hands squirmed and rubbed together, almost for comfort, or even the way he gnawed at his thin lips.

    No, this man was not simply anxious.

    He was terrified.

 1.23

    Lugh continued to offer his assurances of a speedy turnover on Mykeser, even as he began to lead them on an incredibly awkward tour of the centre of the colony. He effused madly about the competency and efficiency of their tech crews, and just how quickly they¡¯d be back in the air.

    Elena and Thaddeus had joined them, but had made the decision to hang back, respectfully out of the radius of the conversation. Well, being totally honest, Malan thought it much more likely Elena had realised she could simply allow Malan to absorb all of the man¡¯s nervous energy and avoid the trouble of the conversation for herself.

    She was listening though. Carefully. Her brown eyes tracked each speaker like a hawk, and more than anything, they tracked the grey-clad man with the dangerous eyes. Seeing them both, Malan saw a lot of similarities in how they moved. Assured. Two predators moving through herds of prey.

    The man, though, lacked any of the warmth his former Captain had. Elena was a hard woman, but a good one, at heart. A long time veteran, and plenty dangerous, but still someone you could find yourself enjoying the company of. The man was the antithesis of that. Cold as steel, and about as feeling as it, too.

    He set Malan¡¯s teeth on edge just by being close, and he found himself unable to relax his arms, his body instinctively keeping them ready to throw up in self-defence.

    Lugh rumbled through explanations on the production facilities at Caezo, gesturing over-proudly at cargo shuttles hauling loads of farm produce out of the jungles to the freighters in the port. Caezo, the Administrator explained, produced food for all the colonies in the system as well as their neighbours, making it the most crucial to the survival of humanity in this area of space.

    Added to that was their sister outpost on Mykeser¡ªalso ran by Lugh Talorcan¡ªwhich produced a swathe of medicinal products from the unique flora in Mykeser¡¯s jungles, and it added up to one of the true success stories of Independent Space.

    That is, of course, if he was being truthful.

    If his continued level of anxiety was anything to go by, he almost certainly was. He tugged relentlessly at his sweat-soaked collar, eyes shifting between all of their company when he wasn¡¯t distracted by waxing lyrical about his own colony management successes.

    This hyper-aware anxiety evidently led to him realising just how on edge his steely eyed companion was keeping them all, and he paused just outside the main colony structure and gestured to the man.

    ¡°Apologies for my unimaginable rudeness, my friends,¡± he said, pressing his hand to his chest like his heart might stop from the horror of having potentially offended them. ¡°But this is my¡­Head of Colony Security, Julian Standarr. He is a stern man, but only out of necessity. He has kept myself and this colony safe from threats for a great many years,¡± he said, chuckling.

    Julian offered them all a terse nod, which all but Elena returned, and Lugh obviously considered the matter settled, as he led them inside.

    ¡°Welcome to the Caezo Principle Building,¡± Lugh said with an overly grandiose sweep of his arms. ¡°Across the floors of this building, you will find our central trading hub with a small number of merchants who will be able to take care of your supply needs. Above, is our hospitality sector, where you will find somewhere to your taste to eat and drink. The top floors are administrative, where the actual work of running the colony is done. My office is there, I will show you to it so that you may able to find me should you need anything, before I have someone show you to the rooms we have had prepared for you.¡±

    To give the man some credit, he had a right to be proud. Malan had moved around a fair bit in his time. His parents both being UGC researchers had necessitated a somewhat nomadic attitude towards life. He and Isolde had spent their childhoods jumping from research satellite to outpost, both within and without UGC space. As a result, he had a pretty good grasp of what to expect from certain kinds of places.

    Caezo was on the small side¡ªa few thousand people at most¡ªand despite its importance to this system¡¯s network of colonies and outposts, it can¡¯t have been operating with an excess of resources at this size.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    At least, that¡¯s what Malan would have assumed.

    Instead, when Lugh led them through the automated steel doorway, he found his jaw dropping reflexively. The outside of the building was vast, if utilitarian. Function over form, and meant to be easily repaired at the cost of its aesthetic. Once inside, Malan felt as though he should make sure they were still on the same planet.

    Sparkling, pure-white walls rose on all sides through layers of balconied levels that all looked down upon the building¡¯s central plaza. And what a central plaza it was. Most Caezo¡¯s ground floor was taken up by a sprawling park, verdant green and lush with plants and trees that did not belong to this planet, and well-trimmed lawns dotted with what appeared to be marble fountains.

    People walked lazily through the park, and ate and exercised. Some worked at small benches and tables, suited administrators tapping away at screens whilst they ate or sipped on coffee. Around the edges of the park, Malan could see scattered shopfronts, busy with people browsing and buying.

    Lugh¡¯s anxiety had entirely fallen to the wayside now, replaced with smug pride at their blatant speechless awe.

    ¡°It is impressive, is it not?¡±

    Malan nodded slowly. ¡°How could you possibly finance this?¡±

    ¡°What can I say? The people of Caezo are an industrious bunch. Perhaps the safety of UGC Space has led to complacency? I will confess to being proud of my¡ªof our¡ªachievements on Mykeser.¡±

    Elena, too, had registered the dodge of the question. The jab at the UGC to distract from the lack of answers. Her eyes had narrowed only slightly, and realising he was looking at her beneath his helmet, she subtly shook her head.

    She was right, of course. Corruption of some sort was far and away the most likely explanation here, but there was no way to prove without prying that Mykeser¡¯s food and medicinal production wasn¡¯t just that profitable. He could investigate, but doing so without being formally recognised as Starbound would be diplomatically disastrous for him and the UGC. Even if he were official, interfering on Independent worlds was complicated at best.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a reason to be, all things considered,¡± he said, carefully. ¡°I¡¯ve seen my share of colonies in UGC and occupied space, and few have achieved what you have. It¡¯s remarkable.¡±

    ¡°It is hard work, and an awful lot of sacrifice.¡±

    Malan peered at the man as he led them round the outskirts of the plaza, past several groundskeepers and shopfronts selling a variety of things the visitors and inhabitants of Caezo might need. His gut told him there was an undertone to those words, but they¡¯d quickly moved on, up to the next floor in a crystalline elevator.

    This floor, like the others above ground level, was built in a loop around the edges of the main structure, designed to look down upon the plaza in such a way that the shopfronts were hidden below, displaying only the stunning gardens.

    ¡°This is our hospitality suite. Our residents and visitors are able to relax and socialise in their choice of restaurants, bars and cafes, with several locations offering accommodations for short-term visitors. We have had rooms prepared for you at the Citadel,¡± he said, gesturing towards an entranceway with tinted windows and delicate golden lettering.

    Finally, he led them upwards once more, to the floor dedicated to the work of running the colony, and the myriad of businesses that ran out of it, and traded with it.

    Here, glass walls separated offices filled with well organised desks, the doorways marked with the trading logos of the companies renting the space. He was surprised to see he recognised a few of those in the larger offices, including Cel-Tech. Most were pharmaceutical companies to his eye, which went some way towards explaining the lavishness of the interior.

    Some, but certainly not all.

    Finally, they arrived at Lugh Talorcan¡¯s office itself. Located at the northern head of the building itself, it was easily the largest and most richly decorated of all. Glass walls separating it from the walkway revealed a crisp interior of white workstations, with royal blue clad aids moving to and fro with devices and documents, or working diligently at screens.

    ¡°This is where I spend most of my time, seeing to the affairs of the colony. Should you need anything during your stay, I trust you will come and find me, Tanwen. I will personally see that you have it, as long as¡ª¡±

    Malan could only describe the noise that cut Lugh off as a howl, fraught and visceral. It shattered the quiet business of the top floor like glass, drawing the attention of all around.

    It had come from a woman. She appeared on the younger side of middle age, with honey coloured hair tied into a loose bun and wearing the simple brown clothes of a worker, likely out on one of the colony¡¯s farms, given the signs of wear and tear on her clothes. She stormed forward, face tear streaked and knotted into an expression of the purest fury.

    ¡°After everything¡ªyou took my boys!¡± She snarled as she stalked toward them, and the people around began to really take notice, standing from desks and beginning to move away.

    Malan didn¡¯t realise he was moving until he was already three steps forward in her direction. His display had quickly provided him with her level¡ª2¡ªand some small details from its scan, none of which had moved him.

    What had moved him was the hidden gun, which was now being swung around to aim directly at Lugh Talorcan¡¯s head.

 1.24

    The world slowed to a crawl, Malan¡¯s split-second decision to place himself between the woman and his unarmoured companions seeming to take an age to actually happen. He was barely half a step in front of Lugh and Elena when his display registered movement far faster than he himself was capable of, even enhanced by his suit.

    Standarr surged from his position, racing towards the woman with the gun so fast she didn¡¯t even register him until he was halfway to her. Malan¡¯s display went haywire, suddenly reading a raft of prosthetics and enhancements powering the head of security¡¯s movement. He¡¯d already withdrawn his sidearm and aimed it with perfect form even as he hashed forward.

    Malan saw him breathe in, and prepared himself to see the woman crumple into a bloody heap, when Lugh¡¯s voice stopped them all where they stood.

    ¡°Do not harm her,¡± he roared, and Malan was surprised to see genuine fury replacing Lugh¡¯s previously slimy countenance.

    Julian stopped cold, though his grinding teeth gave away just how unhappy with that he was. Lugh ignored him, putting his hands out imploringly to the woman.

    ¡°Bessna, please do not do this. Not here. You don¡¯t want to harm anyone. You are better than that.¡±

    The woman, Bessna, still held her weapon aloft, but the hands gripping it trembled violently. Her lower lip quivered, fresh tears streaking down her face as she stood before Lugh. ¡°H¡ªhe killed¡­T-took¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, Bess. I know. I¡¯m so very sorry,¡± Lugh said, edging forward, closing the distance between them.

    Bessna looked between him and her weapon. Malan could see her trying to imagine herself pulling the trigger. What that would look like. Feel like. He could also see that Lugh was right¡ªshe didn¡¯t have it in her. Her trembling spread to her legs, and the collapsed underneath her.

    Lugh moved faster than his size should have allowed. His arms were around her before she¡¯d hit the ground, and he pulled her into his chest, as he carefully dropped to his knees. Now, the only sound was this woman¡¯s broken sobbing, and Lugh¡¯s hushed words of comfort.

    He looked up, the very vision of a man exhausted to the bone, all previous airs put aside. ¡°I am sorry you had to witness, this, Starbound. That any of you have. Our facilities in the deepest parts of Mykeser¡¯s jungles are, by necessity, not always the safest. Poor Bessna has recently lost her husband and son in an incident at their facility, and holds me responsible.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°She has the right of it, I fear. Please, take yourselves to the Citadel and get yourselves settled in for tonight. Relax and enjoy your evening¡ªyour repairs will be completed by tomorrow lunch, and you can get what supplies you need from the ground floor. I will take care of Bess¡ªdo not worry, she will not be punished for this. She is a victim, more than anything.¡±

    With that, a mouse-faced aide scurried over, clearly intending to escort them, only for Elena to wave them off.

    ¡°We can make our own way, thanks.¡±

    Malan glanced back at the sobbing woman, and Julian who stood watching her with fists clenched, before following Elena and Thaddeus away from the top floor. Once they were safely out of earshot, back inside the elevator to carry them to the hospitality floor, Elena spoke, voice low and serious.

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    ¡°Did you notice, Malan?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Neither Julian nor Bessna actually mentioned anybody having been killed. Only implied it.¡±

    Elena blinked, before scoffing. ¡°I meant the fact that Bessna wasn¡¯t aiming for Talorcan.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he said, head snapping to look at his former captain, before realisation hit him. ¡°Julian.¡±

    ¡°These people are trying to hide something from you, and are doing a real shitty job of it.¡±

    ¡°Lugh has been shifty since he laid eyes on us. Far too snivelly for someone clearly doing as well as he is. And Julian gives me the creeps.¡±

    The door opened, and Elena led them toward the Citadel as she replied. ¡°He¡¯s the real deal, unfortunately. Enhanced, going by his movements, and trained. A killer. Could be former military turned private security, I suppose. Could be something else just as easy, though. The real question is, what do you want to do about it, Malan?¡±

    He started. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re Starbound, now. You have the power to change things, here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not yet,¡± he corrected, and Elena smirked.

    ¡°They don¡¯t know that, do they?¡±

    ¡°I suppose. Not sure it makes much difference, though. We only have suspicions to go on, and this planet isn¡¯t UGC. Turning up to the Nexus having caused a major diplomatic incident on an Independent planet would be¡­Not ideal.¡±

    Elena shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, Starbound. You¡¯re right that we don¡¯t know what¡¯s actually going on here¡ªnot yet, anyway.¡±

    Checking in at the Citadel was incredibly straightforward. They¡¯d had three rooms prepared, and the staff had clearly been briefed to expect them and show them every kindness. They¡¯d been told in no uncertain terms that they would pay for no food or drinks during their stay, and if they required anything, all they had to do would be to ask.

    In his room, Malan barely noticed the luxurious d¨¦cor, instead moving straight to the pure-white bathroom. His suit clinked across the marble floors, and at a thought, his mask rolled back, leaving his head exposed to the air before the mirror.

    He washed his face, allowing the cool water to wash away the layer of sweat and grime that accumulated under the helmet in the heat and humidity of the jungle.

    Dark eyes stared back at him from the mirror¡¯s surface, and he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the disappointment reflected in them. He could still hear the sobs of that woman, utterly broken and defeated. He could still see the murderous intent behind Julian¡¯s, too. He¡¯d fully intended to kill her, there and then, and had been livid he hadn¡¯t been able to.

    Malan wanted to intervene. Wanted to find whatever secret this colony was hiding, and help. Only, there wasn¡¯t any real proof that something was wrong¡ªno matter how loudly his instincts screamed it. Lugh¡¯s explanation for Bessna¡¯s behaviour made sense, it just felt like a lie. Julian looked the part of a security contractor¡ªit just felt like a lie.

    No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t act on vibes alone. Especially when the consequences could be so far-reaching.

    Unable to shake the swirling unease, he nonetheless made his way back out of the room. Elena was at the bar, and had invited Thaddeus and himself along with her. Thaddeus had refused, but a drink sounded like something Malan sorely needed.

    An hour of small talk and several strong drinks didn¡¯t manage to knock him free of the unease he¡¯d felt, but it had at least taken their minds off it. Elena had a veritable treasure trove of stories from her time in the UGC military training, and now he was not employed by her, she was a lot more open to sharing.

    However, after a small, easy lull in the conversation, her expression became serious.

    ¡°You know, Malan,¡± she started, pausing to take a drink from a long-necked bottle of something Malan hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°I always meant to ask what happened with the Jauda. I know the basic story, of course. I don¡¯t hire anybody without doing my due diligence. If you needed a terrible, mind-numbing job to bring in some money whilst you worked through your shit, who was I to question it?¡±

    Malan swallowed, stomach twisting uncomfortably. He had a feeling he knew were Elena was going with this.

    ¡°Only, two years later and you were still here. Still keeping it all locked up tight. If anything, you were getting worse, not better. All that brilliance, wasted. ¡®Course, that wouldn¡¯t be the first time trauma had torpedoed somebody¡¯s potential before it even had a chance. Whatever my own personal feelings were, it wasn¡¯t my place. Only, what happened at the Jauda, happened again to my ship. And the target seems to have been you. I don¡¯t blame you in the slightest, but if you can, I think I¡¯d very much appreciate an explanation.¡±

 1.25

    Malan leaned back in his seat. Around them, the bar rode the balance nicely between busy and empty, with dozens of relaxed conversations creating an atmospheric buzz to the place without ever becoming overpowering, or feeling like others were too close to speak candidly. They¡¯d managed to find a booth out of the way of the general flow of traffic, and soon enough even the presence of a Starbound had been mostly forgotten as people tried to enjoy their evening.

    He tried to get a read on Elena, but she simply looked back at him almost impassively, taking a small sip of her drink. There was no judgement in her expression¡ªat least, not any that Malan could make out¡ªas she waited for a response to her question.

    What had happened on the Jauda?

    A little over twenty four hours ago, he¡¯d have said he knew exactly what had happened. Twenty four hours had been all it had taken to shatter his entire perception of the event his entire life pivoted around, and now he barely had any idea what to think about it at all, let alone how to explain it to somebody else.

    He¡¯d not exactly had the time to think about it.

    Still, whatever his feelings were, this whole shitshow had been orchestrated to target him. The Sparrow sabotaged, Beric dead and their entire mission dead in the water to get at him. He could hardly hold it against Elena for wanting answers. Even if all this wasn¡¯t strictly his fault, it had happened because he was there¡ªbecause she had given him a chance.

    Malan took a bracing gulp of his drink, the bitter alcoholic tang sending a wave of warmth washing through him, and then began with a question.

    ¡°I take it you know who my parents were?¡±

    Elena blinked, caught off-guard by the question, before nodding. ¡°Well respected UGC scientist types. Specialisations in studying celestial anomalies. That was as far as my background checks on you went, barring a few calls to servicemen I know who did some security detail on some of their projects. All said they were decent people, for scientists. Competent. Respectful.¡±

    ¡°Their specialisations weren¡¯t always centred on celestial anomalies. They shifted disciplines around the time I was born.¡±

    ¡°I assume,¡± Elena said, steepling her fingers. ¡°That those two events were related?¡±

    He smiled wanly. ¡°I was born with the ability to see it¡ªcelestial energy, that is,¡± he said, finger tracing the pulsing patterns of white light that ran through everything around them. ¡°I can see it, and interpret it, to an extent.¡±

    ¡°Interpret?¡± she asked, sharply.

    ¡°Yeah. I can see changes in the flows when certain things are about to happen. Hard shifts in weather, celestial events¡­Rifts forming. There¡¯s a lot to see if you know how to look¡ªsometimes it even feels as though the energy itself is trying to communicate, to tell you things.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of¡­implications¡­to that kind of talk, Malan,¡± she said, voice low.

    ¡°It was the reason for the shift in discipline. It was part desire to help me navigate what I would go through as I grew up, and part compromise with the UGC.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°They wanted to take you.¡±

    ¡°I almost can¡¯t really blame them for it. The Starbound do what they do using celestial energy. Galactic travel relies on it. It underpins absolutely everything post-earth humanity has managed to build, and yet we know next to nothing about it. I was earmarked of Starbound testing pretty much since birth. Was groomed for it, even. My parents studied celestial energy for the UGC, whilst also working with me on what I could do and see, and reporting it.¡±

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    ¡°You were allowed to stay with you parents, for as long as they could produce results regarding your abilities or celestial energy itself.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°It worked for us. I wanted to be Starbound. Wanted to help people. And I was excelling. At the same time, my ability to read celestial energy helped us to track down celestial anomalies at an unheard of rate, and analyse them far quicker. It was an excellent relationship for everyone¡ª¡±

    ¡°Until the Jauda,¡± Elena finished for him, and he grimaced in response.

    ¡°Until the Jauda.¡±

    This was where things got sticky. There were demons lurking in his memories here, and he wasn¡¯t keen to disturb them again so soon after Talia¡¯s words. Obligation held him still, but fear kept his mouth closed. His eyes did a scan of the bar, trying desperately to find something to distract from the conversation at hand, and found one.

    Trying not to visibly react, he tried to signal Elena with his own eye movement, looking between her and the lone form of a still-uniformed Julian Standarr at the bar, backs to them and nursing a single drink.

    Elena smirked. ¡°He¡¯s been here for a while, Mal. Almost certainly keeping an eye on us, but is too far away to be eavesdropping.¡± She pulled a small scanner from her pocket. ¡°I also did a sweep for bugs before you got here¡ªhabit, more than anything, but I¡¯m glad I did.¡±

    ¡°Should we¡­?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No point. He knows we know. There are ways he could listen in, I suppose, but if we were to find out you''re well within your right to start digging openly, which I''m guessing he''s trying to avoid. Far more likely he''s simply making sure we''re not digging where they don''t want us to. May as well finish our conversation. You were explaining the Jauda to me.¡±

    He nodded, shifting on his seat uncomfortably. Even if it was unlikely, the thought of Standarr listening in made his skin crawl. ¡°The Jauda is obviously where it all went wrong. You¡¯ll have seen from the news at the time the gist of the story.¡±

    ¡°Research station caught in the formation of a rift. A handful of survivors found by the UGC when they arrived. Terrible tragedy.¡±

    ¡°Right. What they don¡¯t say out loud is that we were there investigating a celestial anomaly. A tear in space that led to somewhere¡­else.¡±

    Elena frowned. ¡°The Abyss?¡±

    ¡°That was just the thing,¡± Malan replied, his inner scientist taking over. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that. Nor was is to any place in this galaxy at all. It was a whole new place¡ªperhaps even a whole new reality. None of our instruments could make head nor tail of it, neither could we retrieve any object we sent through. I¡¯d not long finished a study period in a nearby system when my parents called me to come and help with their investigation.¡±

    ¡°Was there something unusual about the celestial energy there?¡± she asked, and he responded with a scoff.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say. The only thing I¡¯ve ever seen like it was Tanwen¡ªmy, ah, ship. It flowed¡­differently. Behaved strangely.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    He frowned. ¡°It reacted to me, for starters. We tested that extensively until there was no doubt. The flows would become agitated. Overactive. I would get feelings from it at different times, some warning, some almost beckoning.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like something to not be fucking with, especially with a 17 year old on the team.¡±

    He could only shrug. ¡°The expectation for results from the UGC was always in the forefront of their minds, I think. If I were a little more reckless, I think things would have been different. Stricter. But it frightened me a little as it was. I would only go close with others there, and even then it was only to make notes and drawings of the flows.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that changed, then?¡±

    ¡°You could say that. The night of the attack, it went haywire. The flows of energy were like a storm that only I could see, and worse, it called me stronger than it ever had¡ªlike having a air raid siren in my head. I couldn¡¯t think straight. There were only a few of us in the lab at the time. Rhiad, a senior lab tech, and a few of the security guys. The tear was becoming unstable, and I was the only one who could see it.¡±

    He paused, but Elena stayed silent, simply watching from behind dark eyes that gave nothing away. Malan was glad for that. He couldn¡¯t have handled judgement, but somehow pity or sympathy would have been worse.

    ¡°I¡ªI tried to fix it. Until Talia said the whole thing had been planned, I thought that was what had caused the whole thing. I tried to reach for the flows¡ªto use the celestial energy in me to calm or even restrain the energy around the tear. It didn¡¯t work, obviously. The energy from the tear recoiled away from whatever I did, and that damned noise only got louder and louder, until the energy was so intense it was affecting the room. Rattling the doors and screens¡ªeven the security officer¡¯s sidearm shook in its case.

    ¡°We were ready to run when everything stopped. No movement. No sound. Just emptiness. Then, out of nowhere, the tear was bleeding crimson and violet, and they started to crawl their way through.¡±

 1.26

    He swallowed thickly as the memories flooded back to him. ¡°They surged past me. Rhiad was opened up from waist to throat by one of their claws, yet they simply ignored me. I thought I had let them in when I tried to close the tear, and they were thanking me somehow, or something like that. I know it sounds fucking stupid, but I didn¡¯t know how else to explain it. They¡¯d ripped apart the security guards before I managed to get my shit together enough to run.¡±

    Malan sighed, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. ¡°All I could think of was to get to my parents. To Isolde. I¡¯d never conceived something could be so close to hell as that run through the Jauda. So many died, and all I could think was this was me. I was too late to my father¡ªI only found him after the fact. I found my mother with a bloodied pulse rifle in hand between three of those things and Isolde. She told me to take Isolde and run, and then she died too.¡±

    His hands were trembling now, tears stinging at his eyes without actually falling. He was no longer talking to Elena, or even at a bar. He was deep inside his own mind, narrating the nightmare that had plagued him every night for the last two years.

    ¡°Isolde was hurt. Doctors said after the fact that she¡¯d ingested some of their blood during the fighting, on top of the damage that had been done to her legs. So I just held her and ran. Everyone who tried to help died horribly, as well as plenty who were just trying to get out back to their own families, and each time I had known that their blood was on my hands. It was all I could do to get Isolde to the escape pods and get off the station. UGC responded to the distress call quick¡ªwe were considered too valuable for anything else¡ªbut still far too late.¡±

    Malan took several deep breaths, trying to recentre himself, to bring himself back to the present, and he managed it only with significant effort.

    ¡°On the moon, Talia told me it had been planned, just as the Sparrow had been. The rift had nothing to do with my actions. They were just after my ability. Nothing I had done cause what happened on the Jauda. But at the time? It was all I could think about. Maybe, logically, I could have reasoned out that this hadn¡¯t been on me, but I wasn¡¯t being logical. I¡¯d just seen my mother and father killed. A whole station soaked in the blood and bodies of people I knew, some of which for most of my life. And all I could think that it was because of my actions.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t take it,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°I made sure Isolde would be taken care of, and ran somewhere I wouldn¡¯t have to face it.¡±

    ¡°Somewhere you could punish yourself for your perceived crimes,¡± Elena said quietly.

    He nodded, and shrugged helplessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to cope with that. I don¡¯t know how to cope with that. I believe Talia when she says it had all been planned¡ªshe thought knowing how long they¡¯d tracked me for, and that they were behind the worst thing that had ever happened to me would break me. But that doesn¡¯t change two years of self-inflicted penance and telling myself it had all been my fault.¡±

    Elena nodded, and took a long drink, slamming the empty bottle to the table a little harder than necessary.

    ¡°I appreciate the explanation, Mal. I would say you were a self-centred idiot for reacting the way you did, but you were seventeen. A kid. What seventeen year old doesn¡¯t think they¡¯re the centre of the universe? I¡¯ve also seen my fair share of shit since I signed up at eighteen. There¡¯s plenty of good men and women I¡¯ve served with that have been broken by less.

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    ¡°You were a stupid kid, but even then, you got your sister out. After, through all the pain you still made sure she was set above everything else. That¡¯s better than a lot would have managed. Now I suppose you¡¯re on the precipice, Mal. I can see in your eyes that you¡¯re still allowing yourself to be swept along by the current of events. That¡¯s fine whilst those events are positive, but Talia¡¯s still out there. The Abyss is still out there, and unless I¡¯m misunderstanding, you¡¯re still a target. You need to be careful, Mal, else you¡¯ll have fought your way out of the deep sea current only to drown in the shallows.¡±

    Malan¡¯s breath caught in his throat, and his jaw hung slightly loose as he looked at his captain. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Take control of your own damned life, Malan. Analyse your fuck ups and flaws. Learn from them. Fix them. Make decisions based on who you want to be, not on fear of who you are. You¡¯re Starbound, now. Soon enough, people are going to be looking to you to lead them out of situations like the Jauda. You¡¯ll need to not just survive, but carry everyone else with you, too. Are you ready for that? If not, how will you get yourself to be?¡±

    She rose, clapping him on the shoulder as she did so. ¡°If you can¡¯t figure that out, you¡¯ll end up like you were two years ago: piles of bodies at your back, and blood on your hands you can¡¯t erase. Except that this time? It will have been your responsibility. Believe me, I know.¡±

    Malan sat with her words for a good while after she left, head swimming as he nursed his drink. Swept along was exactly how he felt his life was at the moment. Starbound. Supplies. Nexus. Abyss. Things kept happening to him, and he was in no position to respond to them, let alone be prepared for them.

    He spent a little while thinking about his choices after the Jauda. Why had he never taken steps to prepare himself for a situation like that happening again? The obvious answer was that he hadn¡¯t felt like he deserved to survive the first time. That he should have died on the Jauda along with just about everybody else.

    But that answer didn¡¯t cut it when it wasn¡¯t only him that was affected by his lack of readiness. Maybe he should have been with the dead on the Jauda, but that did nothing for the people he could still help.

    Instead of deciding to do better, he¡¯d run as far as his legs could take him.

    No more.

    No more running. No more being swept along by events. Elena was right. It was his life, and using it to wallow helped nobody. Even if the Jauda had been his fault, how had two years spent scrubbing sensors and taking shit from Beric made that better? How did that atone for anything at all?

    Now he had the world at his feet. Starbound. Voidborn¡ªwhatever that really meant. He could do anything, but was still letting life sweep him along, barely keeping his own head above water. Only now, people would be looking to him to stop them from drowning. He couldn¡¯t afford to do that anymore. He didn¡¯t want to be that person anymore.

    He didn¡¯t know whether it was some kind of atonement still, not really. Perhaps he¡¯d always felt this strongly about. But he wanted to be the kind of person people could look to when there was nowhere else they could turn. The kind of person that could reach into the kinds of hell he¡¯d seen, and pull you right out.

    He wanted to be strong.

    Malan finished his drink, head clearer than it had been in a very long time, before rising and striding out of the bar, ignoring Julian¡¯s eyes on his back. His room in the Citadel was a short walk from the attached bar, and only minutes passed between him leaving there and arriving at his door.

    He reached for the handle, and froze. His helmet snapped back over his head, and his gauntlets flooded with power almost without conscious thought as his brain processed the fact that his door was ajar. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through, gauntlets raised.

    No more.

    Nothing. His display scanned the room frantically, responding to his own trepidation, but all signs of life besides his own were absent. Nothing had been disturbed, taken, or even moved. He lowered his gauntlets slowly¡ªperhaps he¡¯d simply left his door unlocked.

    But, even as that thought flickered through his mind, he saw the only change the visitor had made. A small note, made with old-school paper and pen, tucked between his pillows.

    Maintaining his sense of caution, he checked every conceivable angle he could think of for some kind of trap, but found nothing, so carefully slid the note out from its place wedged between his pillows and began to read with a growing frown.

 1.27

    The air was thick with dust. Not in any way Malan was used to, like when climbing out of a spacesuit after a long scrub-shift and the movement kicks debris into the air making him cough and splutter. This was dense and cloying, like breathing cobwebs and bonedust. After a few moments, his tongue and throat was coated in it.

    It would help if he could see. Instead, he was reduced to pawing around in the pitch dark, running fingers across cold stone, desperately feeling for some kind of directional hint or clue. He tried to think why he was here, or even where here was, but gathering his thoughts felt like moving through treacle. Malan couldn¡¯t gather them no matter how hard he tried, so instead he settled for crawling across the rough stone, fingers grasping for any change.

    Time didn¡¯t seem to exist here¡ªwherever that was. Had he crawled for minutes? Or hours? His fingers traced around the outline of yet another identical stone block, its edges and corners worn and rounded by time. Where the hell was he?

    After what felt like an eternity, his hand reached something. More stone, angular and carved, jutting from the ground. He felt his way up the column-like structure, and at his touch, a flame arose from behind it. Or, at least, it looked like a flame. There was flickering amber light that sent shadows dancing across an unlimited void that stretched out all around him.

    To his right, another light blazed into life, and he finally got a good look at the structure he¡¯d felt. A chair, or perhaps a throne, given its gaudy carving. From its back, a pair of great stone wings rose up and outward, and at the peak of the throne¡¯s back, a pair of serpentine heads with wicked, curved fangs faced away from eachother.

    In the direction of the other light, lay a second throne. This one bore a great snake wound around it, its head breathing fire that seemed to roil and dance beneath the flickering light. Curiously, its body had great ruffs of feathers, that despite their grey stone appearance, spoke to him of vibrant reds and yellows and greens.

    Malan licked dry lips, and saw in beyond these two chairs lay another two, each seeming to line the stone pathway he stood upon like guards. Hesitantly, he edged forward. He was almost positive he was dreaming now, but something about this place made his instincts scream at him in a way no dream ever had before.

    He walked between the thrones for some time, marvelling at the shapes he saw carved upon them. Some lit up upon approach, but others, far more, in fact, did not. A winged lion glared down at him from one, and from another, a five-headed lizard-like creature had been carved to roar toward the skies. Both were lit, but in the darkness between them, he could make out something akin to a horse with the scales of a fish.

    The thrones went on and on, and Malan was having trouble keeping the images of beasts straight in his mind. They were important somehow, along with which were lit and which were not.

    Eventually, he noticed the path begin to widen, until he found himself standing in the centre of an enormous plaza of black stone. Directly in front of him, nine thrones sat in a curved row facing him, gargantuan in size, dwarfing anything he¡¯d seen before. Nausea swept across him as he caught a vile taste through the ancient dust, and movement caught his eye.

    The second and seventh thrones along lay wreathed in oily black that dripped and pooled at its feet, and glistening, fleshy appendages burst out from cracked stone. They didn¡¯t respond to his presence, but Malan could see the gentle rise and fall of breath on each sopping limb. The thrones were swallowed almost entirely by the vile growth that bathed the room in its foul taint.

    Malan couldn¡¯t help the step back he took. He was now acutely aware he was not wearing his groundsuit in this place, nor could he feel the bond with Tanwen. However, before he turned to run, something on the fourth throne caught his eye. A subtle flickering of light on its seat, just out of sight.

    It called to him. Something in his very core burned in sync with the light, pushing him to go to it. He took a step, and the whole world trembled.

    THE NINE LAY EMPTY.

    TWO ARE LOST, NEVER TO BE REBORN.

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    THE FOURTH HAS BEEN BORN ANEW.

    A FLEDGLING OF THE DAWN.

    The voice rattled the very stone beneath his feet, leaving no inch untouched by its booming call. The force of it had Malan staggering back, clutching at bleeding ears as it held the final sound in ¡®dawn¡¯. The voice began to shift and warp, and even the tentacles on two of the thrones writhed and crawled in on themselves in a fruitless attempt to escape.

    ALONE AND WEAK.

    WEAK AND ALONE.

    TOO LATE. TOO WEAK. TOO ALONE.

    THE COVENANT IS BROKEN.

    The voice broke off, booming confidence descending into a haze of hacking laughter and broken cries. The shaking reached a fever pitch, and the stones beneath him began to split and crack, and he was thrown back onto the floor. He tried to hold out his hands to break the floor but hissed as a cracked stone shaving sliced a vicious gap into his palm.

    BORN ALONE TO DIE ALONE.

    VULTURES ABOVE AND VULTURES BELOW.

    WEAKLING.

    ALONE.

    WEAK.

    ALONE.

    WEAK. ALONE. WEAK.

    THE COVENANT IS¡ª

    Malan gasped, sitting bolt upright in his bed as the first light of dawn on Mykeser filtered through the cracks in his room¡¯s blinds. His heart hammered against his chest, and he brought a shaking hand up to his chest and felt for the crystal that lay there. He allowed his hand to rest there for a few moments, feeling the gentle roll of celestial energy that flowed between he and it.

    That had been quite unlike any dream he¡¯d ever had, to the point where he was half-convinced it wasn¡¯t one. He could still taste the air of that place on his tongue, and his head still thrummed from the pain of that voice. Alone. Weak. The words rolled around in his head until he slapped at his cheeks with his palms to try and clear it.

    Finally, his eyes landed upon the drawer he¡¯d slid the note inside before going to sleep that night and dragged himself out of bed. It was still early, and it took him longer than usual to shower and get himself ready to leave his room, and when he found his way through the empty corridors of the Citadel to Elena¡¯s door clad in his groundsuit, he was half convinced she would still be asleep.

    ¡°Come in,¡± came Elena¡¯s slightly strained voice. ¡°It¡¯s open.¡±

    Malan quirked an eyebrow but opened the door with only a little hesitation. What met him was Elena in loose-fitting workout clothes hoisted up on some kind of bar contraption he¡¯d never seen before, performing perfectly controlled pull-ups. He glanced around the room. Her personal effects were meticulously arranged on the side table, and clothes perfectly folded on the end of a bed that was pristinely made.

    She rattled off another set of ten, before allowing herself to drop to the floor and press a button that collapsed the pull up bar to the size of a small pole that would fit in a bag. For a moment, his mind wondered about how they¡¯d made the bar so sturdy, despite being so lightweight and compactible. Isolde could probably have made one to show him.

    ¡°You tidied and worked out already?¡± He blurted out, keen to draw his brain away from thoughts of his sister. ¡°I guess old military habits die hard.¡±

    Elena smirked, and opened her mouth to quip back, but for some reason it died on her tongue, and her smile faded. ¡°Is that why you think I do this? Out of habit?¡±

    Malan blinked, suddenly off-kilter. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry, I hadn¡¯t meant to offend¡ª¡±

    She snorted, and waved at him dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d capable of offending me no matter how hard you tried, Mal. That¡¯s not why I ask. All of this,¡± she said, gesturing to the room and the sheen of sweat covering her face. ¡°Do you honestly believe this is just habit.¡±

    ¡°Well¡ªno. But I assumed that was where you had carried it on from. I get why all of this is a good thing to do, and that probably comes into it, too¡­¡±

    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°But do you, though? Because if you do, why haven¡¯t you started?¡±

    He frowned, trying to bite back the impulse to react as though he were being personally attacked that tended to come with criticism of you as a person. Even he could see this was coming from a place of kindness, it was just that knowing that did nothing to numb the sting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess when it comes to the perfectly clean room and stuff, I always felt like I had better things to be doing before the Jauda. After, I just didn¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°And the fitness?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I always did okay in fitness tests¡ªit wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t eat right or anything. I guess it just wasn¡¯t a priority given I was training to be a starship pilot.¡±

    She nodded and flashed him a small grin. ¡°I thought as much. I probably wasn¡¯t too different when I was young and stupid, too. Anyway, I presume you¡¯re here at the crack of dawn for a reason?¡±

    He rolled his eyes at the dig, but handed her the note he¡¯d found in his room the night before.

    ¡°Starbound¡ªI hope they¡¯re right about you. I have nowhere else to turn. They have my¡ª¡± Elena paused, eyes widening, and muttered a curse. ¡°Children. If there is any good in you, please help. They¡¯ve attached coordinates. Fuck. This just got a whole lot more complicated.¡±

 1.28

    Elena stood staring at the note for a few more seconds after she spoke, gears turning behind her eyes, then peered back at him.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    Malan had to supress the surprise at the question. The change in their dynamic hadn¡¯t seriously registered in his mind until now. Elena was no longer his captain. Technically speaking, he no longer had one. Running things by her was almost second nature to him, but he was no longer required to at all.

    ¡°Do you think its genuine?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± she said, nodding sharply. ¡°Given the scene we saw outside Talorcan¡¯s office. You¡¯d be asking a lot of some farm worker to put on that kind of show. Her pain was real. It would also explain the caginess of just about everyone here connected to Talorcan. It¡¯s above and beyond what I¡¯d expect for folk just hiding a few small-time illicit operations. There¡¯s some shit going down here¡ªit¡¯s just a matter of whether or not you want to be the one to start shovelling.¡±

    Malan ran a tired hand across his face and chin, mind swimming in possibilities. ¡°I could make things worse. That¡¯d be something¡ªstart a diplomatic incident in Independent Space in my first twenty four hours as Starbound.¡±

    Elena simply nodded. ¡°You definitely could. I think you¡¯re within your rights to respond to a request for your aid, though. You¡¯re not technically considered UGC¡ªyou can take private contracts. But you¡¯ll have to accept nobody here will see it like that. They will see the UGC sticking their noses in places they aren¡¯t wanted.¡±

    He began to pace. Elena seemed to think the plea for aid was real enough. Which likely meant the threat was, too. He wasn''t ready to face any major criminal outfit, regardless of his new abilities, and Elena was implying that was exactly what they had on their hands.

    ¡°But if the note is legitimate, it means potentially leaving children in the hands of someone who means them harm. If anything happened to them, and I might have been able to prevent it by acting¡­¡± he trailed off, and Elena nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s the responsibility your bear now, whether you like it or not. Even if you could decide it was all too much and give up on being Starbound, the lives you could have saved had you stuck it out will be on your conscience forever.¡±

    He smiled weakly. ¡°You sure I can¡¯t just go back to scrubbing sensors?¡±

    ¡°Bet you never thought you¡¯d say that,¡± she said, a slight smirk on her face.

    Malan scoffed, and took a measured breath. ¡°I think I need to look this person in the eye and find out what the deal is. I¡¯ll make a final judgement then. My gut says this is genuine, and my conscience say I couldn¡¯t leave without at least attempting to see if there was real danger to these children.¡±

    ¡°And if it¡¯s all bullshit and there¡¯s a dozen guys waiting for you with rifles?¡±

    ¡°Then I guess I find out what this suit¡¯s really made of, and hope to hell I can take at least a few of them with me.¡±

    Elena¡¯s lips twitched, and she stretched suddenly before turning to her bag. ¡°Good answer. Fortunately, that pulse rifle Beric lost me saving your ass wasn¡¯t the only weapon stashed on the Sparrow.¡±

    Malan started. ¡°You¡¯re coming?¡±

    She rolled her eyes, strapping a holster holding a stone grey sidearm to her waist. ¡°And just what do you think it would do to my conscious if I let your skinny ass wander into an ambush in the jungle. Besides,¡± she said, pulling on a loose grey jacket and making for the door. ¡°If some asshole really is snatching kids, I can¡¯t think of a single better way to spend my first day off in two years than shooting holes into the bastard.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    With most of Caezo¡¯s residents still sleeping, their walk through the central building to the outside was far quicker than their arrival. Outside, a thick layer of mist sat atop the concrete paths and the jungle was alive with the dawn chorus of millions of birds hidden beneath its canopy.

    The coordinates they¡¯d been given led them deep into the jungle itself, and they made a beeline straight for the trees at the outskirts of the settlement, apart from any of the proper roads and paths that led into the jungle proper. Elena¡¯s dark eyes scanned the treeline keenly, and she and his helmet¡¯s display alerted him to Juliann¡¯s presence stepping from behind a warehouse wall almost simultaneously.

    His eyes narrowed, and he felt energy begin to flow toward his gauntlets before the conscious thought struck him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elena¡¯s arm drop to her side, fingers grazing the hilt of her sidearm. His display flickered with information about Standarr. Name and position, and some detail about the pulse rifle slung across his back were there, but Malan was far more interested in the stark [Lvl. ???] beside his name.

    Curious, he slid his eyes across to Elena, and saw exactly the same mark appear next to her name as she stepped forward to address the approaching Standarr.

    ¡°Can we help you?¡± she asked, bluntly.

    Standarr¡¯s face twisted into what looked to be a rough approximation of a smile from somebody who was struggling to remember how.

    ¡°The jungle is dangerous. Mr. Talorcan has asked me to ensure your safety during your stay.¡±

    ¡°I take it you¡¯re simply here to offer your company and protection, then?¡±

    He bowed his head in a way that felt a little too close to mocking. ¡°Unfortunately my duties require me here. I¡¯m simply recommending you remain her for the few hours it will take your ship to be repaired and not risk any¡­ unpleasantness.¡±

    ¡°Luckily for me, I¡¯ll be taking my walk with one of the Starbound, so I¡¯d pity any jungle creature that decided to get in our way.¡±

    Standarr¡¯s eyes looked him up and down, and this time his smile bared yellowed teeth as he stepped aside. ¡°On your heads be it. I did try and warn you.¡±

    Malan felt the man¡¯s eyes on his back long after they had disappeared into dense trees of Mykeser¡¯s jungle.

    <hr>

    It had been over twenty four hours since Torai¡¯s life had been turned on its head. In that time she hadn¡¯t slept a wink as the usually cemetary-esque Nexus archives came alive with a level of activity she¡¯d never seen. She was lucky she had found a quiet enough corner with a table to stack up the documents she¡¯d been assigned to pore over looking for information.

    Scribes she¡¯d never met shuffled back and forth carrying towering piles of tablets and ancient, handwritten documents, and crowded normally abandoned corners to pore over tomes and files. Even now, this long after the call had come from the Nexus Core.

    One of the Lost Fallen had been found again, and even more, they had been bound by the person that found it.

    Just the first matter would have been enough to shake even the dustiest of the scribes free of their stupor, but the fact that it had been bound too? There had even been rumours that¡ª

    ¡°Report, Scribe Tarai.¡±

    Muin¡¯s sharp voice had her back straightening, even as she cringed at being caught daydreaming. ¡°I¡¯ve found nothing significant in the official records of Saren¡¯s travels in the Scucin system, nor in his personal diaries¡ªother than a few run of the mill celestial storms. I¡¯ve made a note of them regardless, in case he missed something significant about these anomalies.¡±

    Her mentor nodded slowly, but it was already clear he wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to what she was saying past her first few words. The information the senior scribes were really looking for were clues to the identity of the Fallen that had been discovered, and the few records they possessed old enough to help with that were far above her clearance.

    What she had been assigned was simply due diligence. More modern records were almost never going to have any truly useful information about the Fallen, but the fact that it wasn¡¯t impossible necessitated that someone checked to make sure.

    In truth, she didn¡¯t mind that much. She had joined the Scholarium to be left alone to her books and maps and treasure hunts. This many people swarming the sections of the archives that she normally treated as her own personal space was deeply disconcerting. The opportunity to hide away with a pile of painfully dull and long documents until all this blew over was a great relief.

    ¡°Good work, Tarai,¡± Muin said, eyes still never really looking at her properly. ¡°But you¡¯ll have to put a pin it for now. The full compliment of Adepts are waking, and the Senior Scribes have been called to attend. As my apprentice, you are required to accompany me.¡±

    The stylus she¡¯d been holding clattered to the floor. The Adepts only woke when one of the Fallen were bound, but more than one hadn¡¯t woke at the same time in hundreds of years¡ªpossibly longer. And now it was all of them.¡±

    She rushed to her feet, awkwardly brushing dust from her robes and straightening her round thick-rimmed glasses.

    ¡°O-of course! When do we go?¡±

    Muin¡¯s eyes finally slid to her properly, and he sighed. ¡°Now.¡±

 1.29

    Very quickly, Malan and Elena¡¯s walk through the jungle became a slog. Even with his suit augmenting his movements, the unending battle against the thick weave of vegetation that criss-crossed every conceivable route through the trees was brutal. Elena had come prepared with a pair of longer knives strapped to her thighs, and between them they hacked a path through the luscious green.

    He glanced at his former Captain, her teeth bared as she hacked through another thick bunch of vines and plant stems, and had no idea how she was still going at the pace she was. Even with all his augmentations, Malan was starting to feel the strain of hewing and having to wade through bush and briar, and the temperature was beginning to grow uncomfortable, despite his suit¡¯s best efforts.

    Besides a sheen of sweat coating her face, however, Elena seemed on the surface unaffected. She still moved with all the power and grace that she had started with an hour ago, and lost even an inch of pace.

    Allowing his body to move on autopilot after her, he focused his attention on his display once more, and on particular its reaction to her. At the thought of it, the information about her flickered into existence before her eyes, the note saying [Lvl. ???] hovering ominously just above her head. Standarr had the same, whereas Bessna had one the stated her to be Level 2, and some of the humans around the settlement had level ranging from one to five.

    For a time, he¡¯d thought non-sentient beings did not have a level. Several of the fauna he¡¯d scanned since he¡¯d arrived¡ªbirds, mostly¡ªsimply stated [Lvl. -]<u>,</u> which Malan guessed meant they didn¡¯t have. However, about ten minutes into their trek today and they had disturbed a set of nesting hawk-like birds about as large as he was which were both [Lvl. 1].

    Deciphering how the system he¡¯d joined with calculated these numbers seemed fairly essential both to his survival and success, and so far, he had only one working theory. None of the other levelled beings he¡¯d encountered¡ªhuman or otherwise¡ªhad any more detailed stats that he could see. Malan himself had levels for his race, profession and almost all of his unlocked skills, whereas everybody else simply had a single, set level.

    It was possible that extra information was hidden from him, and he couldn¡¯t rule that out, but it was equally possible that those not bound to a Starbound just didn¡¯t have access to those things. The best and most likely theory Malan could conjure up through the jungle heat was that the levels attached to people weren¡¯t levels like his were. They could not absorb celestial energy like Starbound could through the bond, and so couldn¡¯t level up, per se.

    Instead, the level rating he saw above Bessna¡¯s head was not necessarily her level within the system, but instead they system trying to convey to him a rough approximation of her threat level. It was why regular birds had no level¡ªthey weren¡¯t capable of causing any damage to him at all. On the other hand, those hawks had been the same size as he was. A talon in the wrong place, or enough swarming his shields could pose a significant threat, and so were level one.

    Not only was it possible that Bessna had some skills or expertise that made her a dangerous opponent, but she also wielded a weapon that, Starbound armour or no, posed a significant threat to him.

    That left Elena and Standarr. Their [Lvl. ???] posed a mystery to begin with, but if he applied his theory, it made a certain kind of sense. He knew Elena was former military. Properly dangerous, if a little rusty. The same went for Standarr, at least based on appearances. Both were well-trained, experienced and dangerous.

    It was quite possible that there were opponents so dangerous he was not able to get an accurate read upon as they were far above his own.

    He glanced back at Elena as she continued to eviscerate the jungle. It was quite believable, watching her swing that blade with ruthless efficiency, and in the way she walked and moved. Like a predator. Then there was her fitness routine, which had left her in peak physical condition.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if I should start working out too,¡± he said breathily, as he hacked at his own share of the greenery. ¡°You¡¯re a machine.¡±

    She looked across at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You realise that¡¯s literally the point, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, shrugging. ¡°I guess I just never saw the appeal of it.¡±

    Elena froze mid-swing, and pinched at the bridge of her nose. ¡°You genuinely don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m driving at, do you? I don¡¯t prioritise my fitness and strength because I enjoy being strong, or because of some former military habit, or any of that other bullshit, Mal.¡±

    ¡°They why?¡±

    ¡°Because of this,¡± she said, gesturing vaguely towards the jungle with her blade. ¡°I keep myself strong because I can never know when I might need every possible edge I can get. When am I going to need that extra one percent in order to survive¡ªor to keep someone else from dying? It¡¯s impossible to say. The only thing I¡¯m certain of, from brutal experience, is how it feels to have failed because I wasn¡¯t just one percent stronger, or faster.

    ¡°Just working in space is dangerous enough, but being Starbound? Or military? That¡¯s a different level, with so much more at stake. Let¡¯s say this whole kidnapped kids things is straight up¡ªwhat happens if you get there, and you¡¯re just not strong enough to save them? Or fast enough? It¡¯s already too late for you to change those things. You¡¯re already just relying on hope. Hope that you won¡¯t need that extra one percent. I hope you won¡¯t either.¡±

    Malan¡¯s mouth worked in silent shock for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d never even thought¡ª¡±

    Elena waved him off. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it to make you stress, or to make you feel bad. Of course you never thought. You¡¯re a tech at heart, and young. You solve problems with your mind, not your body. And that was enough, until you put on that suit. You haven¡¯t had the time to think about it, or to prepare yourself for it. But it¡¯s been barely more than twenty four hours since you became Starbound, and already your walking into a potentially dangerous situation where people¡¯s lives could be at stake. You don¡¯t have the luxury of not thinking about it anymore.¡±

    Malan nodded, fighting back the urge to react to the feeling of what felt like pretty stinging criticism, even if it was from a place of kindness. What stung more than anything else wasn¡¯t the words themselves, but just how right she was about him.

    Elena stared at him through dark, weighing eyes, gauging his reaction to her words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask too much but, would you¡­¡±

    She smirked. ¡°Get you started? Don¡¯t sweat it. Of course I will.¡±

    He nodded in thanks, but hesitated as another thought struck him. He opted to ask it whilst getting back to work on carving their path through the jungle. ¡°The other stuff that I thought was just habit¡ªthe made bed, the tidiness. I take it there¡¯s more to all of that?¡±

    Of course. Those things are important in a few ways. Not in and of themselves¡ªthere really isn¡¯t much of a direct benefit to having my bed so pristinely made. But it teaches and reinforces a few things. Attention to detail, and discipline. Things that are incredibly important. But to be honest, for me its about self image. In my head, I think what would I be like if I could be exactly who I wanted? Then, when I¡¯ve got this perfect, future version of myself, I ask how would that person live their daily life?¡±

    She smirked slightly. ¡°That ideal person always makes their bed, so I do as well. That way, my day always begins with taking an action that the perfect me would take. With progress towards becoming that person for real.¡±

    Malan opened his mouth to respond, when Elena froze, a frown marring her features. A crack sound like gunfire exploded in the jungle ahead, and was followed by the raucous howls of what must have been several large and frightened animals.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± He said, but stopped as Elena raised her hand, silencing him.

    ¡°That was an explosive. Human made,¡± she muttered, withdrawing her firearm and peering into the tangle of trees and vegetation.

    They stood in silence for a moment, listening as a dull rumbling drew closer and closer, before Elena gestured towards some of the larger tree trunks nearby, and they scuttled behind them. The sound was coming closer far faster than they could flee, and from his makeshift cover, Malan readied his gauntlets.

    Four enormous creatures burst from the shadowed undergrowth alongside a cacophony of high pitched shrieking. They stood on four legs and were clearly mammalian, with scruffy brown and black fur fine enough that mottled black and grey skin was clearly visible beneath. Malan tensed as they slowed, sniffing into the air with a whiskered, square snout, revealing jaws that held a series of razor-like, serrated teeth, with two, almost sabre-toothed canines that curled downwards from the top row.

    They froze suddenly, turning their land speeder sized bodies slowly in the direction of Malan and Elena, snout working madly, and Malan got a good look at their eyes and sucked in a breath. They were vivid red and swollen, lined with pulsing yellow veins. Tacky yellow liquid matted the fur around those orbs, and trickled down their faces, catching in downy fur and whiskers.

    Most importantly, however, they were looking directly at him.

 1.30

    The four creatures fanned out, twitching snouts quickly bringing their attention to his and Elena¡¯s position behind the trees, and yellow-veined eyes quickly found them. Curious chitters and hisses became low growls, and hackles raised as they found a target for their obvious rage.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with them,¡± Elena noted with a frown. ¡°Some kind of rabies maybe? Don''t let them cut you.¡±

    He peered back at their eyes, bulbous, swollen and leaking a sickening mix of pus and blood, and couldn¡¯t help but agree. Curious, he summoned the level display, and was interested to see a selection of new windows slide across his screen, one for each creature.

    Mykesan Bushstalker [Lv. 3]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Mykesan Bushstalker [Lv. 4]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Mykesan Bushstalker [Lv. 3]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Mykesan Bushstalker [Lv. 5]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    All his level or above. Damn.

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± he muttered. ¡°Plan?¡±

    The creatures stalked closer, spreading themselves out to surround the clump of trees their newfound prey was hiding behind.

    ¡°Without bigger weapons, we¡¯ll have to be systematic. Focus your fire on the one on the far left, we¡¯ll either hurt it bad or bring it down completely and the break that way, forcing them to reorganise themselves and treat us with the proper caution. Use the trees to head off their charges and force them to fight slow, and pick them off one by one.¡±

    He nodded, keeping his face as straight as he could manage, but in reality his throat was so dry he wasn¡¯t even able to properly swallow. At the controls of a ship, he felt capable of anything. Fighting up close and personal was an entirely different kettle of fish. Too close. Too personal.

    He flexed his fingers, gripping his gauntlets tighter, feeling the slight hum of celestial energy coursing through them. The creatures¡¯ long tails swept slowly back and forth across the soil of the jungle floor, twitching like whips, stingers at the tips gleaming in the murky light. Then, as thought they were aware of their words, the creatures flew into motion, snarling and hurling themselves forward.

    ¡°Go!¡± Elena hissed.

    Malan unleashed a volley from his gauntlets, blasts of plasma bursting from either arm, the recoil sending shockwaves through his shoulders. The pearlescent spheres lanced through the air in rapid succession, aimed at the far-left creature. It let out an ear-splitting screech as a few bolts seared into its flesh, burning through fur and skin. But it kept coming, driven by blind, feral rage.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Malan cursed under his breath. He expected it to fall back, injured, but it barely flinched, continuing to barrel toward them. At a thought, his drone buzzed to life, lifting off from its shoulder mount with a burst of air. Its targeting system locked onto the closest creature with an audible electronic beeping, and Malan mentally gave the order to activate its firing sequence.

    The drone added its own controlled bolts of celestial energy to Elena¡¯s own small arms fire, her energy blasts aimed carefully at its kneecaps and leg muscles, startlingly precise. Malan¡¯s attacks had caused pain and substantial flesh wounds, but Elena¡¯s fire had torn into leg muscles, and the first creature staggered and stumbled.

    ¡°Move!¡± Elena ordered, squeezing off even more shots from her pistol in quick succession.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Malan dashed from cover at Elena¡¯s word, levelling his gauntlet at the staggering creature and firing another volley. The beast¡¯s snout jerked as one shot connected with its face, burning through fur and peeling back skin, revealing raw, charred flesh. The creature stumbled sideways, head shaking violently, and it slumped to its bloodied knees.

    Before they could finish it off, one of the others reached Elena, its stinger flashing forward over its head like a scythe.

    ¡°Elena!¡± Malan shouted.

    She was well ahead of him. She rolled to the side with consummate grace just as the stinger slammed into the trunk of a tree, embedding itself deep into the bark with a splintering crack.

    Malan¡¯s drone swooped in at his order, focusing fire on the second creature as it tried to dislodge its tail from the tree. But before they could capitalize, the third creature lunged at it. Its massive, square snout snapped inches from the drone¡¯s body, and it ascended barely fast enough to avoid its snarling jaws

    With a savage grunt, Malan switched his gauntlets to their melee mode, and a long, serrated amber blade sprung from each. The first beast was still struggling to its feet through its injuries, but Malan refused to allow it the chance. He swung his arms back, then thrusted each blade into the creature¡¯s head, killing instantly. Yanking the gauntlets, his face twisted in disgust as the blood dripping from his amber blades was burned away.

    Mykeser Bushstalker [Lv. 3] Killed

    Celestial Energy Harvested

    New Title[s] Unlocked!

    The notification was small, and dismissed with barely a thought. Instead, he switched his gauntlets from their melee mode, and brought them to bear on the level five creature attempting to flank Elena as she dealt with her own beast. Another chased his drone, swiping at it in vain fury, buying him time to cover his former captain.

    The volley landed true, with several direct hits to its chest. The plasma burned through its fur, blackened its skin and began to char and melt away its flesh, but the creature simply twisted around to face him, Crossing the space between them in alarmingly few strides. Malan cursed as he ducked beneath the initial swipe of its forelimbs, feeling the sharp claws just miss the top of his head.

    ¡°How can something this big be this fucking fast?¡± he yelled.

    Elena weaved between trees as her creature attempted to stagger its way through the trees towards its prey, only to find it was being met at every turn by another round of devastating arms fire. It was limping heavily now, and its tail was damaged by the process of freeing it from the tree, but it still moving well enough to cause serious damage, its fury undiminished.

    "They¡¯re not going to let up until we kill them all--whatever''s wrong with them is driving into a frenzy," she bit out, her eyes narrowing as she fired again.

    Malan retreated behind another tree as the beast that had lunged at him circled around, growling low. He fired a few more quick bursts to keep it at bay, but wasn¡¯t nearly as fast or accurate as his more experienced ally. Only one struck true as the creature darted towards him, the others merely singing its fur, and this time its taloned blow raked across his shields at his face.

    They pulsed blue, and the kinetic force sent him tumbling onto his back as his shield bar at the bottom left of his display flickered down to 67%. At the same time, he felt his drone shatter, caught by its pursuer, and its component pieces and celestial energy flow slowly back toward his shoulder mount to rebuild itself.

    This, however, left Elena exposed to her own problems, as the third creature joined her battle. He saw her shift and adjust her aim and fire directly at its face as it charged. Her shot connected with a sickening crunch, right between the beast¡¯s red, oozing eyes. The creature let out a final, strangled growl, its body swaying for a moment before it collapsed to the ground, twitching.

    ¡°One down,¡± she said breathlessly.

    But before she could regroup, the second creature let loose a vicious snarl, its bloodshot eyes locking onto Elena. Its stinger lashed forward, quicker this time. Elena twisted, narrowly avoiding the lethal point, but the spines along its curved tail scraped across her arm. She hissed in pain, staggering back as blood welled up.

    Malan¡¯s stomach clenched, but he had his own worries to contend with. The level five beast pounced, aiming its curved fangs for his throat, and was stopped only by Malan raising an arm just in time to block the blow.

    His shields shimmered violent blue and red as the bushstalker''s fangs closed around his arm, trying desperately to take it from him. Warnings blared across his eyes, and his shield bar began to stutter and shrink under the weight of the creature¡¯s assault. Trembling, he raised his second gauntlet, and rifled shots into the creature¡¯s underbelly.

    It hissed and howled, but stayed latched to his arm, pushing it further and further down, each inch taking those fangs an inch closer to his neck. Malan ground his teeth and fired shot after shot, trying desperately to force it away, when an idea struck. Switch to melee mode.

    The blade pulsed out from his wrist in response to his thought, searing its way up through the creature¡¯s skull from inside the roof of its mouth, and it slumped to the side of him, beady eyes open in silent horror.

    Mykeser Bushstalker [Lv. 5] Killed

    Additional Celestial Energy Harvested for killing a higher levelled enemy.

    New Title[s] Unlocked!

    He hauled himself to his feet, raising his gauntlets and turning to aid Elena, only to find her standing over the lifeless corpses of the last two bushstalkers

    Panting, Malan allowed his gauntlets to power down as Elena walked over, bleeding but upright. ¡°Injuries?¡± She asked, chest heaving.

    ¡°Nope,¡± he muttered, his breath ragged. They stared down at the bodies, blood and fur mixing with the jungle¡¯s thick undergrowth. Elena crouched in front of the level five one for a moment, and emerged with a small object with a needle-sharp point pinched between her figures.

    ¡°Not sick,¡± she said, voice tight. ¡°Drugged.¡±

 1.31

    New Title Unlocked!

    [Beast Slayer I] - You have slain hostile enemy fauna, and begun to develop an understanding of how to combat them. Grants an extra Stat Point to allocate as you choose.

    New Title Unlocked!

    [Shield Control I] - You have begun to learn proper shield use, taking a small amount of cumulative damage and having your shields restore to full again without them breaking. Grants a 3% increase to Energetics.

    Malan allocated his stat point to Cognizance and closed the title notification windows after a quick scan of their contents, before concentrating on Elena¡¯s question, and the small silver object in her hand.

    ¡°Drugged,¡± he asked, peering at the small silver dart held between her forefinger and thumb. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible it''s some less than ethical chem testing,¡± she said, but the tone of her voice suggested that even she didn¡¯t believe it was a realistic possibility. ¡°Far more likely is that Standarr has people trying to arrange us an unfortunate accident at the hands of this dangerous jungle he so kindly warned us about. That crack before they found us was an explosive. The creatures were drugged into a rage and frightened right towards us.¡±

    ¡°That grants a lot of credence to the note.¡±

    Elena shrugged. ¡°Possibly. It¡¯s also possible they don¡¯t have a clue why we¡¯re here right now, they just can¡¯t afford us poking around any further. There¡¯s no chance they thought this would kill us. It¡¯s a final warning.¡±

    Malan nodded, before stretching out his already stiff limbs. ¡°Not a message I have any interest in listening to, at this point.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Elena asked, her expression hard enough to be carved from stone. ¡°Beyond this point they could come for us at any time. Real human people, trying to kill you. You might have no choice but to kill them right back. So far you¡¯ve only had to fight monsters and animals. This is a whole different ball game.¡±

    ¡°If it comes to that,¡± he said, steadily as he could manage. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on hesitating. If you¡¯re right about things, they¡¯ve already tried to kill us, and have every intention on doing just that. I don¡¯t want to kill anybody, but I want to die even less. If they attack, I¡¯ll do everything I can to make sure they go before either of us.¡±

    Elena held his gaze for a moment before nodding in approval.

    ¡°I figured as much. Had to check, though. Let¡¯s keep moving, but we¡¯ll have to stay on alert¡ªthere¡¯s no telling when they might try it on.¡±

    Malan¡¯s pulse still hadn¡¯t fully calmed from the fight even a quarter of an hour later, but he forced himself to focus on the path ahead as they battled once more through the dense undergrowth. They weren¡¯t far from the location the note¡¯s co-ordinates indicated and the threat of an ambush weighed heavily.

    Elena had kept quiet after their brief exchange, but Malan could tell she was just as on edge, though she handled it far better than he was. Her gaze never stopped scanning their surroundings, and her fingers stayed wrapped tight around her holstered pistol. Given what they knew, he couldn¡¯t blame her. Every snap of a branch or rustle of leaves had his gauntlet-heavy arms twitching.

    Deeper and deeper into the jungle they walked, toward a point that wasn¡¯t marked with any notable features on their maps. Malan¡¯s mind raced through the potential outcomes¡ªmost of them unpleasant. This could easily be a trap, another attempt by Standarr and his cronies to take them out before they uncovered whatever dark secrets this colony was hiding. Or even simply to try and separate him from Tanwen. But if there was even a chance the note was genuine, they had to investigate.

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    ¡°There,¡± Elena said, her voice low. She pointed toward a shadowed structure ahead, two storeys high, with several outbuildings scattered around it. The jungle had almost completely swallowed it whole. Emerald vines curled around bent and rusted metal, and large swathes of ivy covered most of the walls.

    An outpost, most likely. Some sort of resupply or perhaps research station that served as a waypoint to no longer used locations further out into the jungle.

    Malan took comfort in the weight of his plasma gauntlets against his arms, and the reassuring pulses of energy flowing through them as they approached. Elena took the lead, stalking forward, predator-like. She raised a hand to signal for him to stop, then crouched low, peering through the thick foliage toward the building.

    A faint silhouette moved in the shadows.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s there,¡± Elena whispered. She shifted her grip on her pistol, but didn¡¯t draw it just yet. ¡°Stay sharp.¡±

    Malan nodded, mouth dry. A moment later, she waved him forward, and they advanced toward the outpost in silence, their boots barely making a sound against the forest floor.

    As they drew closer, the figure stepped out of the central building. It was a woman¡ªwith dishevelled hair and clothes that looked like they hadn¡¯t seen a proper wash in days¡ªlikely since the last time they¡¯d seen her. It was Bessna, nervously wringing her hands as she watched them approached with wide, almost frantic eyes.

    ¡°Starbound?¡± she rasped, her voice quivering.

    Malan lowered his gauntlets slightly, suddenly unsure of himself. ¡°That¡¯s me. You sent the note?¡±

    She nodded rapidly, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting someone to burst out of the jungle at any second.

    ¡°I did,¡± she said. ¡°I... I didn¡¯t know who else to turn to. You¡¯re Starbound¡ªyou can help me. Please, you have to help.¡±

    Malan glanced toward Elena, who frowned but gave him a slight nod. He took a step forward. ¡°Tell me everything. What the hell¡¯s going on here?¡±

    The woman took a steadying breath, and then spoke in a hurried whisper, words tumbling from her mouth. ¡°My name is Bessna. My husband, Iven, runs one of the pharmaceutical facilities on the outskirts of colony ground. He... he oversees production there. But it¡¯s not what it seems. They¡ª¡± She hesitated, wringing her hands, her eyes darting around nervously. ¡°Eclipse. They¡¯ve taken over. The facilities¡ªthey¡¯re not producing medicine anymore. They¡¯re using them to make chems and shipping them out of system.¡±

    Malan¡¯s stomach tightened. He¡¯d known something like this had to be going on on Mykeser, but hearing it confirmed still made his skin crawl. ¡°Pirates?¡± he asked, his voice sharper than he intended. ¡°Standarr¡¯s one of them?¡±

    Bessna nodded. ¡°He¡¯s the man they¡¯ve put here to keep us in line. But it goes deeper than him. An entire division of Eclipse has made the entire system their home. They have Caezo in their pocket. Everyone there is paid off to turn a blind eye, and they¡¯re threatening Lugh with executions en masse. Iven... he tried to keep up with their demands, but they¡¯re impossible. And when he failed to meet a production deadline, they... they took our children.¡±

    Her voice cracked, and for a moment, she looked like her legs might give out beneath her.

    ¡°They told him he¡¯d get them back once he¡¯d made up what he owed, but as soon as he did, they just upped their demand. They¡¯re going to kill them¡ªand him¡ªif I can¡¯t find a way to help...Please, you¡¯re our only hope. You have power. You can save them.¡±

    Malan stood frozen for a moment, the weight of what she was asking pressing down on him from all angles. As much as he hadn¡¯t been able to let it go, he had been hoping beyond hope that they would get here and it would all be some elaborate hoax. Hell, he¡¯d have preferred it to be a straight trap than children being in legitimate danger.

    Elena stepped in, eyes narrowed. ¡°Where are they keeping the kids?¡±

    Bessna wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think they¡¯ve been moved to one of the hidden chem facilities at the outskirts. They¡¯re heavily guarded¡ªonly those working for Eclipse are allowed anywhere near it.¡±

    Malan clenched his fists. That should have been obvious. These facilities would have to be one of the most secure places in the colony by their nature. Breaking in would be difficult and dangerous¡ªbut, he thought grimly, not impossible.

    ¡°No offence,¡± Elena said, her tone sharp but not unkind. ¡°Why the hell are you even still alive?¡±

    Bessna winced. ¡°I know how to synthesise the chems correctly, and run the facilities to do it on a large scale¡ªsame for Iven. The benefits of having a spare on hand has kept me alive until now. But I can¡¯t just sit by and watch them destroy my family.¡± She looked at Malan, her eyes shining with unshed tears. ¡°Please, you¡¯re our only chance. Even with me and Iven driving production to its highest limit, we won¡¯t reach their demands this time. They¡¯ll either kill him or one of the children.¡±

    Malan stared at her, the weight of her desperation settling on his shoulders. He felt the familiar surge of uncertainty rise in his chest; the doubt creeping into his mind. Could he really do this? Was he ready to go up against an organised, ruthless force like Eclipse. To kill or be killed?

    But Malan already knew his answer. He¡¯d known it the second he¡¯s seen Bessna¡¯s face outside of Lugh¡¯s office. He couldn¡¯t turn away from this. Not now.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll do it,¡± he said quietly, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. ¡°I¡¯ll get your children back.¡±

 1.32

    Tarai brushed a lock of flame coloured hair back beneath the hood of her plain grey robe, and scurried hurriedly after Muin¡¯s long strides, heart still thumping. All nine Adepts had woken. All nine! And she was getting to be in the room whilst they discussed the latest Fallen. It was a privilege beyond measure, considering her complete inexperience and relatively short time as a Scribe.

    And yet, somehow, the closer they came to the Adept Chamber, the more her exhilaration faded to dust. Instead, she found her hands wringing beneath the sleeves of her robes, and stomach twisting into ugly knots. Muin¡¯s countenance hadn¡¯t helped any. He normally moved swiftly, purposefully. Today, he practically flew through the corridors of the Archives, black robes sweeping bat-like behind him.

    The few glimpses she¡¯d caught of his face showed him to be growing more and more ashen and tightly wound the closer they came. She said nothing as they rushed through plain grey corridors and across richly carpeted floors. Soon, though, plain grey shifted. Wall trimmings became gradually more innate. More ostentatiously decorated. The carpets more plush. The Chamber was only a few minutes more away, and getting the answers to any questions would be now or never.

    ¡°Muin, sir?¡± she said, a little too close to noticeably out of breath.

    Muin¡¯s stride faltered, but didn¡¯t slow, and he looked back as though he¡¯d forgotten she was there. ¡°Yes?¡±

    She tried not to let his short, clipped tone put her off. ¡°I was just wondering¡ªwhat will be expected of me within the Chamber? Is there anything I should know to do¡ªor not do¡ªbeforehand?¡±

    This time he did slow, allowing himself to fall in line with her.

    ¡°Apologies. Today has been¡­ Challenging. I had not considered this will be your first time attending me in one of these meetings. There will be almost nothing expected of you whilst you are inside. Simply sit with me, and listen to everything. Keep your silence. You are there to learn, not participate.¡±

    She nodded slowly. Nothing she hadn¡¯t expected, but it was always good to eliminate the potential for any unpleasant surprises.

    ¡°What are they like? The Adepts, I mean?¡±

    Muin pursed his lips. ¡°It is difficult to properly describe them. Especially whilst maintaining my vows. All I can say is remember they are¡­.different from us. You will want to comment on it when you first see them. Perhaps even exclaim. Remember my words: Silence, Tarai. Keep your thoughts and questions until we are alone. I will answer what I can then.¡±

    Tarai frowned. ¡°I am perfectly capable of keeping quiet, Muin.¡±

    Her master smiled wryly, the muscles in his face relaxing for the first time since he¡¯d come to retrieve her.

    ¡°Naive. I still remember the first time I attended my own Master when the Fifth and the Eighth awoke and convened to welcome Uisge back to the fold. I nearly cried out right in the middle of the chamber. Just remember what I said, child.¡±

    Tarai swallowed, but nodded and said no more.

    As they reached the final set of ornate doors, Muin pushed them open with a reverence that made Tarai swallow thickly. She had not thought to lay her eyes on what lay beyond these doors until she¡¯d completed decades of painstaking study. She walked through, mouth dry as she gazed around. A vast chamber spread out before her, a dizzying mix of gothic arches and sleek, metallic pillars. It was unsettlingly grand, and the air had a weight that set her very bones on edge. The circular design of the room drew her eyes towards the centre, where an eerie glow permeated the dim lighting, casting elongated shadows along the carved stone walls.

    Tarai¡¯s breath caught in her throat as she properly took in the towering, intricately carved pillars supporting the domed ceiling. They were covered in ancient glyphs and symbols that seemed to hum, alive with some hidden energy. Around the edges of the room, other Scribes were already kneeling, hunched over their tablets, fingers poised to record whatever was said and enact orders based on the words of the Adepts.

    But what dominated the chamber were the nine alcoves that lined the far wall, each housing an enormous tank filled with bubbling violet liquid. The fluid shimmered in the low light, swirling and fizzing, yet, in the very centre. remaining ominously still.

    Muin ushered her to their place at the perimeter. She knelt beside him on a simple mat, her knees sinking into the plush, fabric not unlike the carpets outside. Her nerves were taut, every fibre of her being on edge for no discernible reason. Her gaze wandered to the tanks, unable to resist the morbid curiosity rising inside her.

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    Muin rose to his feet, voice steady as he spoke to the room. ¡°The Scribes are gathered. We are prepared to receive the Celestial Truth.¡±

    The words sent a cold shiver down Tarai¡¯s spine. The air in the chamber seemed to thicken. Slowly, the violet liquid in each tank began to brighten, glowing with an ethereal luminescence. A low pulse of power vibrated through the floor, and Tarai¡¯s stomach twisted. She could feel them¡ªthe Adepts. Not just see them, but feel their presence like a weight pressing against her chest. It was overwhelming, and for a brief moment, her vision blurred.

    The top left tank and one on the right drew her gaze almost immediately. Tarai''s gaze flickered between them, and as she stared into the first tank, her skin crawled with discomfort. There was something about it¡ªsomething wrong. She pulled her eyes away, only to find a second tank on the opposite side even worse, the sense of wrongness deeper, gnawing at the edges of her consciousness.

    She dared not look back at Muin. She had to maintain her composure. But it was hard, harder than she had expected. Instead her eyes frantically scanned the remaining tanks, only to find that she felt no such wrongness with any of the others.

    The central tank suddenly fizzed violently, and Tarai¡¯s breath hitched as the figure inside came into focus. It was grotesque, towering and hunched, half of its body rotting away, revealing glistening sinew and bone beneath its leathery, desiccated skin. The creature¡¯s hollow eyes fixed on the centre of the room, though they seemed to pierce directly through Tarai¡¯s very soul.

    Her jaw hung open in silent shock, as her mind reeled. These were not human. Aliens. The Adept were alien. The nine creatures whose wisdom even the UGC heeded, who controlled access to the Celestial Nexus, were not actually human. Her jaw snapped shut as the creature shifted to speak.

    ¡°Which of our fallen kin has been awakened?¡± the creature rasped, its voice a horrible, wet croak that echoed through the chamber. ¡°And touched by the Void?¡±

    For a moment, there was only the sound of bubbling liquid, before the tank to its right lit up, its voice filled the chamber, higher pitched but no less disquieting.

    ¡°Tanwen.¡±

    Tarai¡¯s stomach lurched. The very name seemed to reverberate through the room, shaking her to the core. All nine tanks rumbled with discontent, the violet liquid churning violently. A surge of nausea washed through her, and she had to fight to keep from retching. The tension and unease of every being in the room seemed to fill it entirely with its suffocating presence. Whatever this Tanwen was, it was a source of immense concern to the Adepts.

    One tank on the far left pulsed, and another voice joined the chorus. ¡°Tanwen is too impetuous. Too reckless with his power.¡±

    A different voice from another tank added, ¡°He will be difficult to leash with the Void at his back.¡±

    The central figure shifted slightly in its tank, the bubbling liquid swirling lightly around its decaying flesh. ¡°Tanwen is central to everything,¡± it rasped, ¡°but he must be hamstrung. Collared so that he may be properly guided to the path.¡±

    Another voice chimed in, this one slower, more deliberate. ¡°How? It is the nature of the Void to run wild, and it is the nature of a flame to burn. How does one constrain nature itself?¡±

    The central figure seemed to hum with consideration. ¡°We must keep it from the fuel it requires to burn out of control: knowledge. Feed it only what it requires to travel the path we set.¡±

    The words hung in the air. The bubbling in the tanks slowed, and the Adepts¡¯ collective attention turned, unsettlingly, toward the gathered Scribes. Tarai¡¯s skin prickled under the weight of their gaze.

    The central figure continued, ¡°For centuries, Scribes of untold experience and wisdom have been appointed to the Fallen, to equip them as needed. This time must be different. Scribe and Fallen must grow together. Controlled. Safe.¡± It paused, and then its hollow eyes seemed to fix on Muin. ¡°One of you has brought your apprentice. Are they of solid character?¡±

    Muin froze, his normally carefully schooled face the very picture of shock. For a moment, he looked as if he might deny it outright, but after an agonizing pause, he stood. ¡°She is, Adept. I vouch for her completely.¡±

    Tarai¡¯s confusion mounted, her heart racing. She had no idea what was happening. Why was Muin standing? Why were they talking about her?

    The central tank let out a low, considering rumble. The glowing liquid swirled, thick and hypnotic.

    ¡°We are in agreement,¡± it rasped at last. ¡°So be it.¡±

    The light in the central tank dimmed, before the creature¡¯s eyes turned directly toward Tarai, the full weight of its focus bearing down on her. She tried to breathe, and found her muscles entirely unable to move.

    ¡°Apprentice,¡± the creature rasped, ice flooding her veins now the sound was aimed directly at her. ¡°You are hereby elevated to the position of Ananchra. Your task shall be to guide your assigned Fallen to victory against his enemies, and the enemies of the Celestial Light.¡±

    It paused, as if giving extra weight to the moment before delivering its final words. ¡°Do you accept?¡±

    Tarai¡¯s mouth worked silently. She looked at Muin, who gave her a firm, yet unreadable nod. Her mind whirled, her thoughts racing between shock, confusion, and a deep, gnawing unease. She was not ready for this. She did not possess the knowledge, or the experience to guide one of the Fallen¡ªone of the Starbound¡ªon their Path.

    But, she thought wryly, judging by what she heard, that rather seemed to be the entire point. The words on the tip of her tongue bounced back and forth as her mind tried to weigh the potential consequences of both acceptance and refusal.

    But in the end, there was only one answer she could give.

    ¡°I¡­ I accept.¡±

    The chamber fell deathly silent as the Adepts¡¯ gazes lingered on her, before the light in the tanks dimmed and the bubbling began to slow, before the central tank spoke once more.

    ¡°Then it is done. I only hope we will be forgiven for it, before the end.¡±

 1.33

    Sweat rolled down the side of Malan''s face, despite the cool air flowing through his suit. He meant what he''d said. But he only felt the real weight of the oath as a tremulous smile blossomed across Bessna''s face. Save the children. Easier said than done.

    Before he could quiz Bessna on how Eclipse were structuring their operations, Elena tensed beside him. Malan caught sight of her hand darting toward the grip of her pistol, eyes narrowed into cold slits.

    ¡°We¡¯re not alone,¡± she murmured..

    Before he could fully process her words, something fizzed into his shields just above his eye. He dropped into a crouch as Elena lunged to the side, shoving Bessna out of the way of the next attack. Behind them, small silver dart embedded itself into the bark of a tree with an audible thud.

    The sight of the dart drew forth a muttered curse before he addressed Elena. "Get her into cover,¡± he hissed, already moving. ¡°Those bastards are here to finish the job."

    His former captain was moving before the words had finished leaving his mouth, hauling a stunned Bessna by the clothes around the back of the closest outbuilding. Malan dashed after them as pulse-weapon fire started to lance out from the treeline, whistling past him and cracking against the ground in small bursts of smoke and dust.

    Elena crouched against the wall of the outbuilding, her expression hard as stone. "They were hoping to prick one of us with whatever chem they used to drive the animals mad,¡± she said, pulling Bessna down beside her. ¡°You sure you¡¯re up for this, Mal?¡±

    Malan stared back at her from behind the same building. His fingers twitched as his gauntlets coursed with power, energy pulsing through his arms in sync with his pounding heartbeat. He knew what she was asking. Was he prepared to kill another human being? Otherwordly monstrosities were one thing¡ªkilling them was simply righting the natural order of things.

    Living breathing people was another entirely.

    Perhaps if they hadn¡¯t fired first he might have felt some hesitation. Or maybe if he didn¡¯t know they¡¯d taken children as prisoners. But all he felt now was the burning rush of adrenaline at the thought of a fight. He gave her a sharp nod and glanced down at Bessna.

    He''d expected to see her cowering going by her expression as Elena had hauled her across the dirty concrete path of the outpost. Instead, she had regained her composure somewhat, and was fumbling inside her jacket. She pulled out the pistol she''d aimed at him earlier with only slightly trembling hands, her eyes wide but focused as she crouched beside them.

    ¡°You sure you know how to use that thing?¡± Malan whispered, as he swept the jungle for movement.

    Bessna swallowed thickly, but she nodded, holding her weapon up in a steady, albeit white-knuckled grip. "Living in independent space means you don¡¯t have much choice but to learn if you¡¯re going to last long."

    Malan''s display lit up as five figures emerged from the undergrowth, their movements precise. They wore mismatched sets of body armour, faces hidden behind masks, but all wore the hand painted white half-moon of Eclipse. Malan''s pulse quickened at the sight of their pulse rifles and energy blades. It wouldn¡¯t take much for one of those things to drop his shields, and it would take even less to finish him off right after.

    Where he hesitated at the sight of them, Elena did not. The first man stepped into view and she popped out from around the wall. A sharp trio of cracks pierced the air, and he dropped to the floor. Elena was already moving, a coiled viper bursting from cover in a flash and scrambling for an adjacent building.

    His gauntlets vibrated with energy, as though responding to the beginning of the battle proper, pulling him back into focus. He activated his drone with a thought, sending it whirring into the air above them. Malan¡¯s eyes locked onto one of the pirates skirting the edge of the clearing, rifle raised and ready as it tracked Elena¡¯s movements between buildings.

    His fingers twitched, and the first rounds of plasma left his gauntlets. The force of it buzzed up his arm, making his muscles clench. The pirate barely had time to shout before the blast hit him square in the chest, knocking him back into the foliage with a sickening thud.

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    Pirate Mercenary Killed [Lv. 5]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Celestial Energy Gathered

    Skill Level Gained

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Ranged Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 2].

    Alert: Pilot Level Increased

    Stat Point(s) Available

    Malan dismissed the notifications, and tried to ignore the surge of satisfaction at his increase in level, as another mercenary appeared from the other side of their building. His pistol was already aimed in Bessna''s direction, energy weapon buzzing in his off-hand. Malan tried to turn back toward her, just as another pirate attempted to rush in from the front, forcing Malan to lay down his own burst of suppressing fire.

    "Bessna, watch out!"

    Bessna aimed her pistol in trembling hands. Her first shot missed entirely, but the second grazed her assailant''s shoulder. He howled, and his pistol clattered to the floor, before he brought his blade to bear with his off-hand, and launched himself toward her, teeth bared.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± she hissed under her breath, fumbling over her weapon as the man charged.

    Malan reacted on pure instinct. At his command, his drone zipped overhead, locking onto the merc firing upon him and released a volley of energy shots. It hit the man square in the chest, and he dropped, letting out a hoarse scream before falling silent.

    Another ping danced across Malan¡¯s HUD:

    Pirate Mercenary Killed [Lv. 4]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Celestial Energy Gathered

    Skill Level Gained

    [Sentry Drone, Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 2].

    He dismissed it, hurriedly aiming both gauntlets at the pirate charging Bessna, sending forth a barrage that dropped him like a marionette with its strings cut.

    Malan turned in time to see Elena deal with the next man. A clean shot to the leg sent him to his knees before she closed the distance, pressing her pistol to the man¡¯s head at point blank range and pulling the trigger.

    A pulse of energy seared past Malan¡¯s shoulder, singing the air by his face. He winced, and his eyes darted toward the source: another pirate crouched in the underbrush aiming his weapon for a second volley. Malan swore and, using a combination of his own eyes and his HUD, aimed toward the more distant target.

    The plasma shot hit the pirate dead centre, sending him crashing back into the bushes with a pained scream.

    Pirate Mercenary Killed [Lv. 4]

    Further Information Unavailable [Skill Required]

    Celestial Energy Gathered

    Nerves still fraught from the fight, Malan barely registered the notification. The increase in celestial energy flowing through him and his weapons was utterly intoxicating. The power at his fingertips felt sharper now, more lethal. He wanted more.

    ¡°Your drone picked up another two!¡± Elena warned, snapping his attention back to the battle he¡¯d thought was done.

    He blinked, and focused his mind onto his drone. It seemed like it was capable of acting a little more autonomously than he¡¯d given it credit for. Malan¡¯s gaze flicked to the last two mercs, crouched near the edge of the clearing pinned down under volleys of burst fire from his sentry. One was clutching a wounded arm, blood seeping through his fingers, while the other frantically fired into the air, desperation shattering his composure.

    To his surprise, it was Bessna that moved first. She stepped forward from her cover, pistol steady in a two handed grip. Malan¡¯s heart skipped a beat¡ªa warning on the tip of his tongue¡ªbut the words caught in his throat as she took a deep breath and fired.

    The first shot struck one of the mercs in the shoulder, spinning him around. The second hit was cleaner: square in the chest. He collapsed in a heap on the ground.

    The final pirate, who had been firing at his drone in a panic, watched his final comrade collapse in a heap and bolted. Malan¡¯s drone shot after him, small turret whirring. A burst of energy crackled through the trees, and the man¡¯s scream was cut brutally short amidst the trees of Mykeser, just out of sight.

    The sudden quiet was deafening, a sharp contrast to the chaos moments ago that still echoed through his brain. Malan let out a breath, the shaking in his gloved hands having nothing to do with tiredness.

    Elena let out a steadying breath. She glanced around at the bodies scattered across the clearing, then nodded approvingly at Malan.

    He balled his hands into fists, celestial power still dancing across his skin like static. He nodded tightly in return, and swallowed a lump in his throat as his eyes flickered between the bodies of the men he¡¯d just killed.

    "We don¡¯t have much time here," Bessna whispered. "They won''t have only sent one team."

    Elena nodded, already scanning the treeline for fresh danger. ¡°She¡¯s right. We need to move.¡±

    Malan turned to Bessna, his jaw tight. ¡°Your husband knows where the children are?¡±

    Bessna nodded grimly. ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s under constant watch. There are three facilities producing chems for Eclipse. They have him at the largest, Eidolon.¡±

    Malan exchanged a glance with Elena, who was crouching over one of the dead mercs, rifling through a supply bag. ¡°Then that¡¯s where we¡¯re going.¡±

    Elena¡¯s grinned suddenly, her eyes gleaming. She turned to him, holding aloft a small belt of spherical metallic objects. ¡°And when we do, it seems only right we return these.¡±

 1.34

    Malan crouched low amongst the dense jungle undergrowth, the dark colours of his groundsuit blending perfectly with the shadows cast by the towering, vine-smothered trees. Above, the last vibrant amber clouds were losing the light of the planet¡¯s sun as night fell, slowly giving way to a star speckled sky.

    Several hundred yards downslope from him, the Eidolon facility lit the forest clearing with its towering security lights, and brightly lit interior rooms. Thick trails of steam spiralled into the air from exhaust vents, and Malan¡¯s HUD flickered with lights highlighting patrolling security. The facility itself seemed to be doing a fantastic impression of a down on it¡¯s luck medicinal operation. It¡¯s outer walls were rusted, mottled with patches of ivy and creeping vines, and several of its glass windows had been shattered and subsequently boarded up.

    The disguise was a shallow one, however. There was too much security, too many trucks going to and from the facility transporting the goods it was producing away. Added to that were the guards. Decked out in the same security uniforms of the main colony, but far too many of them for a place at this level of disrepair.

    Malan looked over his status information as he waited for word from Elena. Their battles in the jungle had done him some good in regards to his levels, not to mention the fact that he could feel the difference in himself.

    Status

    Name: Malan Tierin

    Race: Voidborn [1]

    Alignment: N/A

    Pilot Level: 4

    Class: N/A

    Stats

    Energetics: 74

    Synergetics: 64

    Cognizance: 73

    Titles: [Voidborn], [Abyss Slayer I], [Explorer I], [Beast Slayer I], [Shield Control I], [Team Player I]

    Basic Skills: [Celestial Warden, Lvl. 1], [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Ranged. Lvl. 2], [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Melee. Lvl. 1], [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets, Interface. Lvl. 1], [Sentry Drone, Lvl 2.]

    Class Skills: N/A

    Race Skills: [? requirements met]

    Alignment Skills: N/A

    Upgrades: N/A

    [Team Player I] had been a title he¡¯d been awarded during the battle with the mercs that he¡¯d quickly dismissed as a distraction and forgotten about until much later that evening. It had been given for targets killed as part of a larger group, and came with a small but appreciated buff to his Synergetics. Then he¡¯d allocated his spare stat point to Cognizance, in the hopes it would continue to improve his gear.

    The gauntlet and sentry skills he¡¯d leveled up hadn¡¯t affected any numbers he could see, but he would swear on anything that he could feel the difference. His shots held more power, and his drone had grown more responsive. All things considered, he was feeling good. Which was useful, because the task ahead of him was daunting enough as it was.

    ¡°Malan?¡± Elena said, her voice ringing around the inside of his helmet.

    ¡°In position,¡± he muttered, eyes locked on the slow patrols of the guards in front of him.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m all done at the first ancillary facility, and am approaching the second. Pity you¡¯re going to miss the show.¡±

    He smirked despite his nerves. ¡°How is it you kept this side of your personality quiet for the two years I¡¯ve known you?¡±

    There was a scoffing sound over the comms. ¡°I didn¡¯t. You were just too busy with your pity party teenage bullshit to notice much of anyone else.¡±

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    Her tone was light, but Malan couldn¡¯t help the wince that followed. ¡°A fair point. I think it¡¯s about time I made my move. The guard patrols are about to change.¡±

    ¡°You have a way in?¡±

    ¡°The patrol routes are fairly routine, and their timing is consistent. My window is short, but I should be fine.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure your gauntlets will get you in?¡±

    ¡°No. But I¡¯ll only find that out when I get there. If they don¡¯t, I¡¯ll find another way.¡±

    Elena clicked her teeth, but rather than disagree she simply said, ¡°Just don¡¯t get spotted before I¡¯m on my way to your location. Good luck, Mal.¡±

    ¡°And you. See you on the other side.¡±

    With that, Malan closed the comms channel and returned his attention to the task ahead. The first obstacle was a simple electric perimeter fence, topped with coils of razor-wire. Beyond it there were plenty of nooks and crannies amongst shipping containers and disused vehicles and outbuildings that Malan could hide himself well enough.

    However, to get there, he had to cross a stretch of cleared former jungle with no cover. The guards stationed in the main facility wouldn¡¯t see him, but the two teams of guards walking the perimeter fence would if he wasn¡¯t fast enough. This was why he¡¯d stayed where he was for as long as he had. He¡¯d studied the routes of the guards, and the pacing of their patrols.

    They were trained, sure enough. Their movements were confident and fluid, and they held their weapons with a casual grace that belied their lethality. But they had been drilled to fight. They were raiders and pirates, not professional security personnel. One of the teams was completing their route faster than the other, creating a growing window of opportunity where nobody could see the gate through the fence.

    It was small¡ªno more than a minute before one of the teams would turn a corner and see him in the distance¡ªbut it was enough of a blind spot that he could slip through and take cover between storage containers if he was fast enough. And if his gauntlets worked how he suspected they would.

    He gave the freshly passed patrol just enough time to turn a corner out of sight before he moved. Malan launched himself from the treeline in a crouch, black-booted feet padding almost entirely silently across the cleared earth. Energy flowed to his gauntlets as his mind concentrated on activating the correct skill, and he reached the fence gate with his arm already raised toward the control panel.

    Almost without any guidance, he felt the strange sensation of the fence¡¯s control grid being linked with him directly. He was suddenly acutely aware of its structure and power flow, and that he could shut the entire fence off right now with just a thought.

    He settled for just his gate, cutting the power with his mind. The gate clicked open, and he felt a small swell of celestial energy flow through him. He grinned beneath his helmet and slipped through the gate with seconds to spare, only just making it to the first set of rusted metal shipping containers before the next patrol appeared around the opposite fence edge.

    Inside the fence¡¯s boundary, he was suddenly aware that he was now fully within the belly of the beast. It¡¯s looming walls cast deep shadows that danced beneath the stark, underpowered exterior lights that illuminated narrow spaces between outbuildings. Malan pressed his back against a shipping container¡¯s wall, refusing to even breathe as a pair of guards passed by, their low murmurs smothered by the rumble of the facility¡¯s machinery. Eidolon¡¯s main entrance was within sight, now¡ªa heavy, reinforced door held closed by a security panel.

    Malan stepped away from his cover, intending to weave his way through the series of containers and side buildings until he was as close as possible to the main building, when a sound stopped him dead in his tracks. He¡¯d turned the first corner, directly into a small, hidden space with three reclined chairs. The third was occupied by a guard laying all the way back, gently snoring.

    His breath caught in his throat, and he battled back a curse. Of course he wouldn¡¯t be the only one using these spaces to hide.

    He started to creep past the man, only to step on something not jungle dirt. There was a sharp crack, and the sleeping man drew in a startled breath that turned into an immediate coughing fit. The man swore to himself and began to haul himself upright. Heart in his throat, Malan made a split second decision. He darted forward before the man could notice him, and slammed his hand over the man¡¯s mouth.

    His eyes widened in horror as he gazed up at Malan¡¯s tinted helmet screen, and his arms flailed for half a second before Malan activated his melee gauntlet and slid the energy blade between the man¡¯s ribs.

    The next several seconds were some of the longest of Malan¡¯s life so far. He saw the shock and agony in the man¡¯s eyes as Malan¡¯s weapon pierced him, and he saw the terror as the man realised and accepted that this was his time to do. He was forced to sit with his hand over the dying mans mouth as he silently choked and spluttered, drowning in his own blood, ensuring his victim¡¯s silence to the very end.

    Finally, he was able to stand and wipe the blood from his hand, fighting desperately not to look at the man¡¯s vacant, glassy eyes. It wasn¡¯t that he felt bad, necessarily. Even now he maintained his stance that he didn¡¯t feel guilt at taking the lives of these men. Whatever his feelings about killing, these were people who¡¯d done terrible things as part of Eclipse¡ªthey didn¡¯t even deserve his pity.

    However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that today was the first time he¡¯d killed a human, and this, only hours after the first, was disconcertingly intimate.

    He took the briefest moment to compose himself before setting off. The several hours he¡¯d spent memorising patrol patterns had paid off tenfold. From the few guards he was able to see from his hiding spaces, he was able to create a picture of where all of them should be, and was able to slip unseen to the control panel of one of Eidolon¡¯s side doors with no further problems.

    Once again, he felt the rush of being connected to the door systems of the facility, the interface of his gauntlets flaring a vivid blue as numbers and symbols danced across his HUD. The process of bypassing the door¡¯s security was almost instinctual, and almost instantly the locks clicked open with a soft hiss, alongside a ping on his HUD: [Engineer Gauntlet, Interfacing Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 2].

    Taking a steadying breath, Malan slid the door open and stepped inside.

 1.35

    The metal door slid smoothly shut behind him, and Malan let out a sharp, relieved breath. He¡¯d found himself in a small anteroom. Sleek white walls illuminated by harsh off-white lights buzzing faintly overhead lay before him, flanking a narrow corridor with monotone slate grey floors.

    The ephemera you¡¯d expect in a normal workplace was completely absent. There were no sidetables or noticeboard, no decorative plastic plants, no pictures adorning the walls. The only thing giving away that this was an active facility was the borderline obsessively sterile air, thick with the cloying scent of disinfectant and other chemicals Malan didn¡¯t recognise.

    He kept his footsteps light, sticking close to the walls despite the all-illuminating lights until he reached the first door. This one was not a security door, but he brought up his Gauntlets anyway. In relative cover, he felt a little safer to delve into the systems and see if he could find himself anything useful among the security programming.

    It didn¡¯t take long. Eidolon¡¯s security was built on a single, looped system, and a map of the facilities door and camera wiring was programmed into the system. His HUD lit up as he transferred the data across, and his groundsuit¡¯s computers translated the data into a small map panel on the right side of his vision. Upon its surface, he could see a tangled web of corridors and labs, with the programmed security marked clearly for him to avoid.

    A central lab caught his eye¡ªmarked in the system as Pinnacle Lab. Both its size and position screamed that this was the sort of place the most important work was being done, and this was supported by the amount of power the room was using. He decided that he would make for it, whilst searching for other computers to interface with and find further information.

    Eidolon¡¯s night shift was scantly staffed, and outside of the most important areas, Malan ran into relatively few obstacles to his investigation. Several times he was forces to duck into quiet rooms to avoid tired-looking, white coat clad workers, or the occasional patrolling guard. More often than not, however, he simply crept through the near-silent hallways, pausing outside doors to listen to the low whir of machinery and computers, interlaced with the quiet conversations of the employees manning the equipment.

    He arrived outside the first of the major productions spaces of the facility with minimal fuss, though this was the one least likely to contain Iven. There were several large, warehouse-sized rooms according to the security schematics, with the furthest appearing most likely to be the main operational base.

    There were three more on the periphery, and Malan would have to pass through at least two of them to reach the main room, where Iven was most likely to be according to Bessna¡¯s information. He was apparently being held there more often than not, overseeing the most technical of the lab work that the chem production depended on.

    It was thank to Iven in the first place that his passage had been as smooth as it had. He¡¯d convinced Eclipse that an overly swollen guard presence would interfere more than it would keep the workers in line. They would stay and work as long as Iven was paying them, so Iven was the only real flight risk. As a result, the security presence through most of the facility had remained relatively normal, whilst Iven himself was under heavy guard.

    Keeping his breathing shallow, Malan reached the door to the first lab space at a crouch, and quickly pressed himself up against the cool metal. On the other side, he could make out the same gentle machine buzz that most of the rooms so far had been making, interspersed with rhythmic beeping.

    However, a few more subtle noises drifted past the door¡¯s seals. Low, pained whines and muffled grunts that seemed oddly familiar to him. There were, however, no human-made noises he could make out. So, despite a creeping unease knotting together in his core, he slipped inside, eyes wide and scanning for any sign of another person.

    The room was a large rectangle, with a central path that sloped up onto a walkway through the room. Malan padded across the metal flooring cautiously, eyes rapidly scanning for any movement as he climbed to the top of the walkway.

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    He needn¡¯t have worried so much. The room was empty. Computer screens and monitors¡ªworkstations for the facility¡¯s scientists¡ªflanked each side of the walkway, facing outwards towards the rows of observation windows that looked out into the rest of the room on either side of the walkway.

    Malan had a suspicion he knew what he would find on the other side of those windows if he looked. He knew what kind of facility this place was even before Eclipse had moved in. Pure morbid curiosity took him to the first window despite all of this, and his stomach turned the moment he looked through it to the chamber below.

    Rows of tall, steel cages, all hooked up to a sprawling mass of cables and tubes housing an array of neon fluid to and fro. Inside each cage, he immediately recognised several of the lizard-like bushstalkers they¡¯d killed in the forest. Some lay pathetically across the cool metal floors of their cages, while others were physically suspended and restrained by a system of pulleys, chains and bands of synthetic fabric.

    One of the creatures let out a low, whiney call, far too faint for a beast its size, before slumping back into its restraints. Malan¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but run over the litany of sensor cables and tubes carrying strange fluid protruding from its leathery, scaled flesh. Despite its obvious weakness, its eyes were open wide and glassy, jaws slowly opening and closing as drool pooled around the corners of its mouth.

    Malan stumbled slowly through the room, unable to keep himself from looking into each of the windows and seeing the same scene repeated again and again. Creature after creature, broken by unendurable torment. The nausea had subsided now, leaving behind something hot and violent building inside him. Malan was acutely aware of how tight his jaw was clenched, and of the low hum of celestial energy pulsing through his gauntlets in response to his thoughts.

    He tried to keep his breathing steady. To manage the level of fury coursing through him, and was only partially successful. The only thing preventing him from acting rashly was the thought of Bessna¡¯s two children, and the cruelty the people capable of this might inflict on them.

    ¡°One evil at a time,¡± he muttered to himself, before pausing beside the central console.

    This was not a security terminal, but a lead scientist¡¯s workstation. If his Interfacing skill worked in the same way as it had on the security terminals, this one should give him access to Eidolon¡¯s main computer systems and hopefully the place where Iven was currently working. Licking his dry lips beneath his helmet, Malan brought up his gauntlet and activated his interfacing skill.

    The security was fairly simple to navigate, the feeble defences fading swiftly under the smallest amount of pressure, and he smiled in satisfaction when files and information began to flash across his HUD. He scanned them at remarkable speed, making copies of anything that had the potential to be even remotely useful.

    Most of the files were data from research before Eclipse had ever shown up. The blood of the bushstalkers contained some kind of analgesic agent that could be fairly easily refined to create painkillers effective at treating moderate to severe pain with few long-term side effects and risks. In the short term, however, it could cause weak hallucinations on rare occasions, and it was this that had drawn Eclipse¡¯s attention when they had arrived in the system.

    It hadn¡¯t taken much coercion to get the scientists working on refining it for use as a recreational chem, and once the money started rolling in, several of the technician logs stored on the system indicated that the scientists took to their new tasks with unfortunate enthusiasm.

    The drug¡ªDrift, as it had been dubbed¡ªwas a real money-spinner for Standarr¡¯s relatively small branch of Eclipse. It sold well across the surrounding systems, and demand was quickly outstripping supply. Later logs complained of enforced long working hours and impossible to meet deadlines as Standarr squeezed Mykeser for everything it had.

    Suddenly, Malan frowned. There was a corner of the system closed off to him. A stash of files under heavy encryption that didn¡¯t match any of the files he¡¯d already mined for information. His gauntlets flared with energy as Malan threw himself at the walls, flashing numbers dancing before his eyes as he poked and probed for the weaknesses he knew would be there. [Engineer Gauntlet, Interfacing Lv. 2 ¡ú Lv. 3]

    His triumphant grin as the walls fell shattered as he realised what he¡¯d found. These files belonged to Standarr. Old communications with Eclipse higher ups about their operations and how Mykeser would fit into their plans. Shipment schedules. Distribution channels. There were also lists of names that Malan didn¡¯t recognise, each demarcated with a set of symbols clearly organising them in some way he couldn¡¯t recognise.

    There were more. Too many for him to fully absorb and read through now¡ªhe was already pushing his luck in how long he¡¯d remained here. He opted to copy everything so he could sort through it later.

    For now, though, it was time to do what he¡¯d come here for.

 1.36

    Malan¡¯s face soured, the taste of stale air and grime thick on his tongue. His suit¡¯s environmental controls filtered out a majority of the particulate in the air, but like with temperature, he still retained sensory awareness of the space outside of the suit.

    He knew the service shaft he was currently crawling through to bypass the patrolling security outside of the lab he suspected Iven to be working in was stuffy and hot. He could feel it in the same way that he could taste the filth of the air. However, he didn¡¯t sweat in the heat like he would have outside of the suit. His awareness never extended to discomfort, or something that was an obstacle to his performance. He simply knew.

    Of course, that didn¡¯t change the experience. Crawling through a grimy service shaft felt like crawling through a grimy ventilation shaft.

    Malan was grateful for it, really. If the suit didn¡¯t allow him to feel the environment, its protection would be too easy to take for granted. How long before his awareness would fall away because of a reliance on the suit to shield him from everything. Having to taste stale air was a damn sight better than having to actually breathe it in, and his suit¡¯s filtration system prevented that just fine.

    Finally, after what felt like an age of careful, silent footsteps and stooping in the dark, he saw several slants of artificial light cast against the steel wall on his right side. The shaft ahead turned at a right angle to the left and, according to the map displayed in the corner of his HUD, led to the grate overlooking Eidolon¡¯s central laboratory.

    Taking a steadying breath, Malan rounded the corner as silently as he could possibly manage, thick lump at the back of his throat. Keeping low, he sidled up to the grating and peered through, scarcely willing to breath for fear it would be heard.

    The lab below was not too different from the empty one he¡¯d explored previously. A central walkway lined with computer monitors and workstations. The two major differences he could see was that this one wasn¡¯t empty, and the behaviour of the animals in their enclosures. He couldn¡¯t see them well, but what he could see turned his stomach in an entirely different manner.

    These creatures were, simply put, feral. The ones he could see directly below his vantage point were restrained and muzzled, yet they thrashed and howled with reckless fury, eyes bulging and reddened. These were the monsters he and Elena had encountered in the forest. Rabid beasts to be aimed at something you wanted hurt, and not good for much else.

    The same tubes and cables jutted from their flesh as the others, though the entry wounds were bloody and clearly festering from the disturbance of the constant thrashing, and the liquids being pumped into these beasts was an entirely different colour.

    Hands balled into fists, he forced himself to tear his eyes away from the captive animals and examined the room itself. A pair of guards stood at each end of the walkway, black-clad and armed. Two more sat in the centre, playing some kind of card game at the table. These men weren¡¯t even bothering to hide their Eclipse markings, with the red crescent clearly visible over the left breastplate of their combat armour.

    The two guards in the centre were clearly there for one reason, and that was to make sure the man working at the station directly below his vantage point felt their presence at all times. Driving him to work faster through constant reminders of the danger he and his family were in. Of course, it was debatable how effective that could be, but he doubted these people had thought that hard about it.

    Either way, their presence made conversing with Iven almost impossible. Even if he were to connect his gauntlets to his computer system, the guards were likely already watching for him communicating with others through his computer.

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    They needed a diversion.

    He backed away from the vent grating as carefully as he¡¯d approached, but not before activating his gauntlets and establishing a short range connection to Iven¡¯s device using the data he¡¯d already acquired from hacking into Eidolon¡¯s systems. Then, when he was certain he was able to speak quietly without being heard, he opened his comms with Elena.

    ¡°Elena. I¡¯m in and eyes on with Iven. His lab has six guards. I¡¯m going to need that distraction. You still set?¡± he muttered, trying to slow his heart rate.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask. Ready when you are.¡±

    ¡°What was the situation in regards to civilians?¡±

    ¡°Negligible. There are a few lab techs on duty, and I¡¯ve done my best to arrange things to minimise risks to non-Eclipse, but that kind of thing is never certain. It¡¯s the kind of risk you¡¯re going to have to get used to weighing up. I can always not hit the button, though¡ªthis is your show.¡±

    Malan chewed at the bottom of his lip. Setting off explosives looted from the Eclipse mercs they¡¯d killed in the middle of several research facilities was a risky move to say the least. Rolling the dice with other people¡¯s lives like this didn¡¯t sit well with him, even for a good cause. Even if the risk of any of the lab techs being in the danger zone was low.

    That said, it was for a good cause. And would cause huge damage to an operation likely causing untold harm. Not to mention the fact that Malan was not so naive that he believed all of the researchers working here stayed because Eclipse were forcing them to. How many had instead stayed because of the increase in pay producing drugs brought them?

    ¡°Fuck it. Pull the trigger, Elena.¡±

    He could almost hear the grin in her voice as she responded. ¡°Thought you¡¯d never ask. Fireworks in thirty seconds, Malan. Get what you need and get out. Their security will be going nuts once this happens.¡±

    ¡°Understood. See you at the meeting point. We¡¯ll have to haul ass back to the ships after this¡ªthere¡¯s no way Standarr doesn¡¯t try and stop us from leaving.¡±

    ¡°One problem at a time. Now move!¡±

    Malan cut off the comms channel and shuffled back to the grate, and waited, heart in mouth. Seconds of silence dragged by, and Malan started to worry something had gone wrong when an enormous boom shook the room, rattling the desks below. Guards leapt to their feet, scrambling for weapons when a second distant explosion rocked the room again. Alarms blared through the entire facility, drowning out the noise of the raging animals on the ground floor.

    The merc¡¯s radio crackled with the noise of half-panicked guards, and the man in charge swore loudly before addressing the room at large.

    ¡°Lunis and Serenity have been hit¡ªhow badly, we don¡¯t know yet. Likely the Starbound poking his nose in. Everyone on high alert¡ªwe¡¯re expecting an attack on Eidolon immediately. Cal and I will stay with the tech here to evac if things start to go south. The rest of you, reinforce the rest of the boys outside. Be ready, this guy¡¯s already wiped a team out in the jungle.¡±

    There was a chorus of agreements before the pairs of guards at each door filtered out, readying their weapons, leaving the pair closest to Iven.

    ¡°You,¡± the man continued, this time in the direction of Iven, who had a heavy film of sweat gathering across his brow. ¡°Keep working until we say. There¡¯s no guarantee it even is this guy, and even if it is, the moment we even get a sniff of him we¡¯ll be getting you out. He¡¯ll never even lay eyes on you, even if he tears through this entire damned building.¡±

    Malan watched Iven¡¯s grimace in mild fascination. He wasn¡¯t what Malan had expected at all. Well-built and grizzled, the man had short, neatly cut black hair and chiselled face whose left half was criss-crossed with scars. The exact opposite of how he¡¯d have pictured a lab tech in his head. Still, however out of place the fear in the man¡¯s eyes looked, it didn¡¯t change the fact that this man was terrified. He said nothing in response, merely turning back to his monitor and returning to work, and the two mercs remaining began to ready themselves in case a fight came to them.

    That alone was enough for his purposes. Their focus was now on the doors, and the near constant radio chatter as the tried to figure out how much damage Elena¡¯s well-placed explosives had done at the other facilities, and how much they needed to worry about an attack at Eidolon. The mercs weren¡¯t watching the screen, or Iven himself any more, and Malan intended to take full advantage.

 1.37

    Bringing up his gauntlet, Malan allowed some celestial energy to activate its interface and directed it to open a backdoor connection with Iven¡¯s computer using the security information he¡¯d already taken from Eidolon¡¯s systems.

    A subtle ding rang through his helmet to indicate the connection¡¯s success at almost presicely the same time Iven¡¯s fingers froze above his touch screen for just a moment, his eyebrow twitching in slight surprise. Malan watched for a moment as the man¡¯s eyes slid over to his guards and his fingers moved to pretend to feign work.

    This is the Starbound, Tanwen. Are you seeing this Iven?

    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed, but his fingers moved for real this time. I am receiving. Where are you? A connection like this would have to be short range¡ªyou are already here, aren¡¯t you?

    Iven¡¯s message flickered across his HUD, and Malan merely had to think his response to send it.

    Unimportant. I am here at Bessna¡¯s request.

    This time, Iven¡¯s hands froze, eyes widening before regaining his composure. Is she safe?

    She is. A few of Standarr¡¯s men made that difficult, but I was able to deal with them. She is in a safe place, and said you would know where that was.

    It felt a little shady to neglect Elena¡¯s more than significant role in things, but Malan did not fully trust Iven, and he saw no reason to disclose more than he had to.

    Then I owe you a favour, Starbound. I¡¯m afraid to say, though, I cannot come with you. They have my children on their main craft. If I leave, they will kill them.

    I¡¯m not here for you, Malan replied simply. Bessna has asked me to retrieve your children and get them to safety, but I need to know where they are.

    Iven grimaced, shaking his head as he responded. It is not possible. There is an entire Crimson Fleet Wing in-system. Several dozen ships. They have made a base of the research station on Cul. You will not be able to get to them before Standarr has them killed.

    Malan frowned. Those numbers were too high for a simple drug-running operation. The hallucinogenic they were making was a good score, but didn¡¯t need twenty plus ships.

    What else are you making here to warrant that kind of presence?

    Iven¡¯s head bowed, and despite his obvious strength, he suddenly seemed incredibly small hunched over his monitor.

    I am sending a data package. It will explain. I¡¯ll also include information about Eclipse¡¯s base. I should not have this, but Standarr is not the only one with a colourful past. Whatever you need to do to save my children, Starbound Tanwen, you do it. Damn the consequences.

    I intend to.

    Iven¡¯s eyes closed for a moment and he took a deep, shuddering breath. Thank you. Now go. Standarr has been called off-world. That gives you a window to get back to your ship before the colony¡¯s real security forces connect the explosions to you.

    I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t break you out.

    The man¡¯s head shook slowly. If you did, Standarr would carry out his threats. They are not empty, Tanwen. It¡¯s important you know that. I will likely not live long beyond the rescue of my children. It will not be long before Eclipse will be able to replicate what I am doing here. I have made my peace. This is the consequences of a life poorly lived. Penance, you might say.

    Malan sighed soundlessly, but said nothing more. Critiquing Iven¡¯s life choices seemed more than a little hypocritical after how he¡¯d spent his last two years. Instead he slipped away into the shadows of the vents. Moving through the facility on the way out was both more complicated, and easier than it had been the first time.

    Elena¡¯s diversion had achieved their goal of giving them access to Iven¡ªas well as putting some significant dents in Eclipse¡¯s operations here¡ªbut it¡¯d truly stirred the hornets nest. The security presence on the way out was hugely increased, and the patrol patterns had changed wildly. It had taken another hack, this time into Eidolon¡¯s camera coverage, to navigate his way through the bodies, and Malan had taken the time to wipe the footage of his break-in to boot.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    However, this now wasn¡¯t his first rodeo, and he found himself recognising doors and corridors fairly well, despite the sameness of the whole place, and so he found his path out fairly quickly.

    From there, it was a frantic groundsuit-powered sprint through the night-time jungle to meet Elena at their rendezvous point.

    His HUD pointed out Elena faster than he saw her with his own eyes. She leaned back against a tree in a dense thicket of undergrowth that lay at the crest of a small ridge that overlooked the port. She, too, had seen him well before he¡¯d spotted her, and she watched his approach with the whites of her teeth visible from the grin written large across her face.

    Slightly out of breath, Malan dropped into a crouch beside her. ¡°Have fun?¡±

    ¡°Explosions are always fun. Get what we need?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The situation¡¯s looking pretty fucked, though. The kids are off-world, for starters.¡±

    Her smile faded, but not the determined glint in her eye. ¡°Let¡¯s get safely into the sky. We can evaluate our options from there.¡±

    Malan glanced across the port below, already growing accustomed to the flickering data indicators that flared momentarily across his HUD as he looked at various objects and scattered night-shift workers. ¡°Security is light.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be for long. First responders are still heading out to the Eclipse facilities. Once its clear that it was attacked, we¡¯ll be the first suspects.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste the opportunity, then.¡±

    Nodding, Malan broke from the tree line, and made for the spaceport in a hurried crouch. There perhaps wasn''t the need for attempting to move with stealth this late into the night, especially since the bulk of the colony did not know he and Elena were responsible for the explosions at the facilities. However, there were still Eclipse mercenaries posing as security among the real deal at the colony, and if he could reach his ship without discovery, so much the better.

    With everything that had transpired, he¡¯d expected his muscles to burn more than they currently were. Even after several fights and infiltrating a laboratory, the dash towards the port felt smooth and easy. The groundsuit was still surprising him in its adaptability, and with the extent to which it bolstered his physical capabilities. Malan had never been unfit, necessarily, but an early life spent studying and researching, whilst maintaining the minimum physical requirements to be eligible for Starbound testing meant he had never been exactly fit, either.

    Physicality coming with such ease was a new experience for him, and it was one he was finding he enjoyed.

    The journey across the open field between the jungle treeline and the spaceport was crossed with little drama. As best as he could make out, nobody had seen them¡ªtwo dark shadows scurrying across the earth in the inky black. The landing pads themselves had no fences or physical constructions, and Malan and Elena were able to emerge from the dark with little hassle.

    The mechanics and engineers scurrying back and forth, servicing shuttle craft and other docked ships paid little heed, each appearing to assume they had simply not noticed the passage of the Starbound and his companion from the colony proper. There were several double takes, a few muttered comments of co-workers pointing them out to each other, but little actual fuss.

    Most appeared to simply assume they were there to check up on their ships, or perhaps even to leave, as almost none of these men and women were high up enough in the Caezo hierarchy to be kept up-to-date with such things.

    It made reaching Tanwen stunningly easy. Elena merely nodded to him as she boarded the Sparrow to make herself ready, allowing Malan to turn towards his own craft.

    It was still alien to say that. His own craft. He ran his eyes over Tanwen, carefully taking in the shape, with its sleek curves and rounded edges. Malan couldn¡¯t help but realise he''d never had the opportunity to stop and actually see what his ship looked like from the outside. It had sprung into life with him inside of it, and when he¡¯d disembarked for the first time, he''d been immediately harangued by two of the mechanics and Talorcan.

    Tanwen was a handsome thing. His hull was jet black, with the bridge section a large triangular segment, with tinted viewing screens, and a variety of sensors and instruments dotted across its surface. Behind that, the main bulk of the ship was crescent shaped, like a scythe, it''s pointed edges facing forwards. All along its body, the edges of the panels lining its surface shone with amber motes of celestial energy, giving the distinct impression that beneath the black armour panels, the ship itself burned with power.

    The hair on his arms stood up the longer he looked at it, the nascent energy of the ship calling to him, even from outside of it. He could feel the bond at all times, but now the connection between him and it seemed to sing through him, and he realised that once again Tanwen¡¯s consciousness was not only present within his mind, but active.

    ¡°Tanwen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, pilot. Welcome back.¡±

    "Thanks. Tanwen, do we have long-range communication capabilities?¡±

    "Negative. I am not currently capable of communicating outside of the system. However, with your current gauntlet interface skill level, I am able to hack into the communication facilities of this colony from the bridge once the groundsuit has been reintegrated into my main body.¡±

    "How about whilst in low orbit?¡±

    ¡°That should still be within the required parameters for me to achieve this, yes.¡±

    Malan nodded. ¡°Then you begin the hack, whilst I get us into space. I think I know how we can rescue those kids.¡±

 1.38

    Tarai bit back a yawn and continued her valiant fight to keep her increasingly heavy-lidded eyes open and focused on the flickering screens in front of her. She and Muin were sequestered away in a small, private study in order to limit interruptions as best as possible. It was comfortable as rooms went, with plush chairs set out before large monitors on either side, and walls lined with weathered texts and dataslates on a multitude of topics. Two lamps in either corner opposite the door provided just enough light to see without straining one¡¯s eyes, but not so much that it fully lit the room, creating a nice ambience within which to carry out one¡¯s studies.

    Since her unprecedented selection as Ananchra, Tarai had been buried beneath an avalanche of ancient documents and data regarding her new task which she had been forced to study at a rate of knots in between hurried meetings with a slew of people too numerous for her to have any hope of learning their names, let alone the information they had attempted to furnish her with.

    Even Muin, her eternally unruffled master¡ªthough, she supposed, he no longer really held that title¡ªseemed fraught and frayed. He had been as taken off guard by the Adepts¡¯ decision as she. His job had been to prepare her for the day, decades from now, she might be eligible for selection as Ananchra, and now his time scale to do so had decreased to a week or two at best.

    Tarai glanced across to his station, where he was matter-of-factly detailing the supplies she would need to join with this Tanwen with an incredibly flustered looking UGC clerk. He¡¯d never confided much in her, but this development had rocked him to his core, no matter how much he tried to hide it behind duty. Her selection had been unprecedented, yes, but a good Scribe was always ready for the unprecedented. Each of them could potentially be picked to guide one of the Fallen, and that was a duty that required a  certain¡­flexibility.

    What had disturbed both of them, however, had been the reasoning. Her Fallen and his pilot were to be held back intentionally by her appointment. A part of her rankled at the notion that her guidance would be enough to do that, but she couldn¡¯t argue the fact that she wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit prepared. She was a distinct disadvantage when compared to a guide  with decades of experience and learning at their back. The far larger part of her was simply afraid. Afraid of the dangers she would undoubtedly face, afraid of failing either her order or her Starbound. More than anything, she was terrified of the implications of her selection. What did it say about Tanwen that he was considered too dangerous to be given a properly trained Ananchra? Light, what did it say about the Adepts that they were willing to sabotage one of the Fallen so?

    She shook her head slightly, before returning her attention to her screens and her notes. The questions were valid ones, but there was no answer in reach now. All that she could do was prepare as best she could, and then go and do her duty.

    What she knew for certain was that the Starbound were the only thing standing between their world and the all-consuming dark of the Abyss. Whatever plans the Adepts were weaving behind those doors didn¡¯t change that her duty was now primarily to her Starbound, and to ensure they were both as ready as possible for whatever they would face.

    As a result, she¡¯d done all she could in the time she¡¯d been given to learn as much as she could about the Paths, and the challenges they presented. About the different parties she¡¯d be expected to liaise with on his behalf, how to requisition resources and supplies, and what their obligations would actually be come mission launch. As she did this, Muin was handling about a dozen tasks at once on her behalf. Sorting her own supplies was a huge relief, as was the fact he was handling rushing through the scores of permit-acquiring and certifications that were required for her new role.

    On top of all that, he was helping prepare a bank of information for her to study once she was gone. Much of their data and knowledge was stored on computer systems she could access as she pleased from the Archives, but that became a more complex endeavour once in space. Of course, there were existing data packs that were prepared as standard for Ananchra to take with them to aid their Starbound. Unfortunately, most of those were designed with an experienced, decades long in the tooth Scribe in mind¡ªnot somebody who¡¯d only been here for four years.

    The current page she was reading flickered away, and she swiped a finger across the data slate on the desk in front of her to create a fresh page of notes for her next area of study, regarding Starbound class evolutions, when the sliding doors to their study room hissed open, and a harried looking apprentice stumbled through, a light sheen of sweat across his forehead.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Tarai recognised him as a freshly arrived recruit, and winced. Inexperience would not save him from what came next.

    Sure enough, Muin stood and turned to face the intruder in one smooth motion, his face like thunder.

    ¡°I gave specific orders not to be disturbed! You should be well aware of the importance of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Apologies, Master Scribe, it¡¯s just¡ª¡±

    Muin¡¯s normally composed expression twisted into something ugly at being interrupted, and Tarai had to supress a smirk and getting to see somebody else on the other side of her former master¡¯s temper. However, before he could launch into his tirade, the apprentice managed to stutter out his message.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Ananchra¡¯s Starbound, Master  Scribe. He has been in contact with the UGC command. I was sent to summon the Ananchra urgently.¡±

    This time it was Tarai¡¯s turn to leap out of her seat, data slate clattering to the floor, as Muin¡¯s eyes widened, his rant dying on the tip of his usually razor sharp tongue.

    ¡°What has he said?¡± Tarai demanded.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know,¡± stammered the apprentice. ¡°Only that it has the UGC liaisons and the Council squabbling like I¡¯ve never seen.¡±

    Tarai¡¯s heart thundered in her chest, the words of the Adepts swirling through her mind. It is the nature of the Void to run wild. For some reason, she no longer felt scared. Instead, there was only the rush of unseen danger, and her pulse thrumming in her ears in response to her racing heart. Preparation, such as it was, was over.

    ¡°Take me to them. If a decision needs made regarding the Starbound, his Ananchra should at least play a part in it,¡± she said, with a confidence she didn¡¯t feel.

    The apprentice nodded, as Muin placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I should like to accompany you, but to have your master at your shoulder would undermine your own status and authority. You will be under enough scrutiny as it is because of your inexperience. You must find the balance between listening and learning, and asserting yourself as befitting your new station. It will be a tricky line to walk.¡±

    ¡°I will do my best to represent you well.¡±

    His hand squeezed her shoulder, and Tarai felt a swell of affection for her mentor. ¡°You have done so since first you came into my care. I see no reason why that should change. You may not have the knowledge or experience of any of your new peers, but you are clever, and capable. Those, I believe, will serve you well. I will make preparations in case you must depart immediately.¡±

    She swallowed thickly and nodded at Muin, before stepping out towards the robed apprentice now standing awkwardly just outside the doors in an attempt to give them some semblance of privacy.

    ¡°Lead the way,¡± she said to him, simply, declining to trust herself with more words than was necessary.

    It was not explicitly a goodbye, but Tarai knew one when she heard it, and Muin was usually so taciturn you might occasionally mistake him for a rock. For him to say so much, he was clearly not expecting to see her again¡ªat least, not for a good long while. Which could only mean it was time to leave the Nexus.

    Time to meet the Fallen she would be bound to for what was likely to be the rest of her life.

    <hr>

    Malan stood stone-faced in the centre of Tanwen¡¯s bridge, hands resting gently on the control arms. He could feel the ship¡¯s consciousness in the back of his mind, tense, but ready. It felt nothing like the fear that lingered at the back of his own mind, making his fingers twitch and his breath short.

    ¡°The Sparrow is ready on your signal,¡± Elena¡¯s voice crackled across their short range comms.

    He let out a deep breath, and forcibly squared his shoulders. Celestial energy thrummed, blazing through he and Tanwen as the ship¡¯s systems roared their way out of their idle state and came to life, powering up to full combat readiness.

    Both ships hovered in the adjacent system to where Standarr¡¯s Eclipse fleet waited for them, having spent the last twenty four hours pulling the fine details of Malan¡¯s plan together.

    ¡°Tanwen, initiate short range jump in ten. Share the countdown with The Sparrow over our com channel.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. Countdown initiated. Ten¡­¡±

    Malan swallowed, and focused his attention to his displays. He¡¯d already checked that all the ships systems were fully operational and functioning at full capacity about a dozen times in the last thirty minutes. He did it again anyway.

    ¡°Three¡­Two¡­One¡­ Jumping.¡±

    A tear opened in empty space, and reality flashed white as Malan felt the peculiar, omnidirectional tugging of passing through Celestial space, before everything lurched and suddenly they were in an entirely new location.

    Malan¡¯s displays lit up with dozens of flashing signals and warnings as Tanwen¡¯s systems quickly took in the data from their new location, before red marker after red marker flickered into life upon his screen, marking out dozens of Eclipse ships spread out before them, alongside their associated level data.

    At the back of his mind, Tanwen burned with eagerness, and suddenly Malan was finding difficult to tame the urge to throw himself headlong at the enemy. Instead, he waited.

    ¡°We keep it tight, Mal. Just as discussed. Your plan is a good one. Dangerous, of course, but that was always going to be the cost of rescuing those kids.¡±

    He nodded, more to himself than anything, as a fresh wave of warnings flickered across his screen, indicating the Eclipse ships had begun to pick him up on their sensors.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give them hell.¡±

 1.39

    Malan¡¯s hands remained steady upon the control arms, even as Eclipse ships swept towards them in small groups. Some arrowed directly towards them, to engage from the front, whilst others veered away to approach from different angles, aiming to encircle the two small ships and end the fight as quickly as possible.

    His eyes wandered beyond the approaching enemies briefly, towards the commandeered space station Standarr¡¯s small wing of the Eclipse had taken for their own. Once a research station monitoring atmospheric irregularities upon the inhospitable planet of Cul, the station was comprised of a spherical hub at its centre with several arms protruding from the core.

    Scientific instruments had been replaced with makeshift weapon emplacements and shield generators, making it an all but impossible breach for anybody without some serious firepower to their name. Firepower, Malan thought with a grimace, that they simply did not have.

    Of course, that was only really a problem if Malan ever actually managed to get close enough to try, and he suspected the several dozen small fighters soaring their way would have more than a few things to say about that. He glanced across his viewing display, observing as the various groups moved to trap them, noting the levels of each of the craft and how they compared. All were above his level of four, of course, but even being able to see something like levels in a situation like this where nobody else could was a ridiculous advantage.

    ¡°The group on the left attempting to hit us from below on that side is a vulnerability. We break their line there,¡± he muttered to Elena, with what he hoped was a touch of steel.

    ¡°Understood. You lead the charge, I¡¯ll cover the flanks and mop up after you. Don¡¯t let up. As soon as you¡¯re through, the rest will be right on our tail.¡±

    The comms clicked off and Malan¡¯s world narrowed to the targets he¡¯d picked out, and the sensation of his ship¡¯s systems ticking over, awaiting the thought that would send them roaring to life. Every pulse of the engines or surge of electrical energy that ran through the ship also ran through him, and if he focused closely enough, he knew he¡¯d be able to drill his awareness down to the smallest piece of circuitry that coursed with power.

    His fingers twitched on the arms of the panel, and suddenly they darted forward, engines exploding into life as he mentally ordered Tanwen to lock the ship¡¯s targeting systems onto the three ships that had veered out to their left. Fingers twitched over the control arms as though steering, but the reality was that controlling the Starbound had quickly become as intuitive as moving his own body.

    He allowed Tanwen to take the reins of the weapons systems themselves; he knew each pulse weapon affixed to his wings could be controlled and aimed independently of the ship¡¯s direction, as could the pair of new weapons that had appeared the moment his groundsuit had reintegrated with the main body of the ship. His Celestial Warden specialisation had, as promised in its description, altered the load-out available to him when piloting, with each of its skills able to be activated at a thought.

    They had tested this briefly before jumping as they had finalised Malan¡¯s plan, and it was one of the cornerstones of them actually being able to pull this rescue off and survive. He could use all three of his Celestial Warden skills from his ship, with surprising effectiveness.

    It was why, as Tanwen and the Eclipse vessels soared into range of each other¡¯s weapons, Malan allowed Tanwen to take command of the weapons independent of himself, despite their effectiveness being dimmed when he wasn¡¯t directing a task. Instead, he hurled them forward at full speed, barrelling to avoid the three pulse missiles fired by the central craft, and opting to soak up the small arms fire with his shields.

    The impact of the Eclipse¡¯s opening volley rocked the bridge, but only knocked a few per cent off of his shields, and Malan grinned savagely as he accelerated even faster. Steady pulses of light tore forth from his own ship, aimed at the right-most of the trio, a Lv 8 Eclipse Interceptor whose shields gave way under Tanwen¡¯s concentrated fire. It wheeled away as the plasma fire from his gauntlet skill rifle into its engines, leaving it helpless.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Malan ignored it, as well as the left most that was now attempting to wheel around to get a proper line of fire on Malan. Instead, he focused his entire concentration on the larger, central ship. This one was the best equipped of the three, and his systems equated that to being equivalent to a Lv 15 Frigate In a straight dogfight, there would be a serious risk of Malan being beaten by the more powerful ship.

    He had no intention of giving the pirate a straight fight.

    He cranked his speed as high as it would go, activating his drone and allowing it and Tanwen to pepper its shields as though he was making a close strafing run. Seeing its clear advantage in both shields and weaponry, the cruiser made to pull away and allow Malan to pass so it could come around behind him.

    Sensible. Predictable.

    Malan activated the only skill he¡¯d not used on Mykeser¡¯s surface [Engineer¡¯s Gauntlets: Melee, Lv 1] and a burst of amber light flickered across his shields, the majority gathering across the front of Tanwen¡¯s hull, the thin edge of a plasma wedge designed to cleave. Malan pulled up Tanwen¡¯s nose, intercepting the larger cruiser¡¯s flight path and accelerated.

    Perhaps if they had not been travelling at full tilt, or if the cruisers shields had not been pre-whittled away just enough by his guns, the manoeuvre would not have worked. But this was why Malan had made the choices he had. Tanwen¡¯s plasma cleaved through the cruisers shields like paper, and he was nearly knocked from his feet as he barrelled into the underside of the cruiser, the plasma edge from his skill tearing through its hull and bursting out of the other side in a shower of twisted metallic debris.

    Warning: Shields at 67%

    Eclipse Frigate [Lv. 15] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Alert:

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Melee Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 3]

    Alert:

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Sentry Drone Lv. 2 ¡ú Lv. 3]

    Alert:

    [Celestial Warden, Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 2]

    Stat Point Awarded, Lv 2 Celestial Wardens receive a +10% boost to Energetics and Cognizance.

    Alert:

    Pilot Lv. 4 ¡ú Lv. 5

    Stat Point(s) Available

    Skill Point(s) Available

    Pilot has unlocked the ability to choose a class.

    Malan¡¯s heart leaped at the pulse of celestial energy that jolted through him as his skills grew, and he had to force himself to stay concentrated on the battle he¡¯d only just entered. He blinked away several of the notifications and threw one stat point apiece into synergetics and energetics. As Tanwen¡¯s still shimmering hull soared away from the broken cruiser, the third ship cut in behind him, only to find Elena and the Sparrow immediately on their tail.

    Elena¡¯s vessel was slower and less agile than the other craft, and against the swift flying Abyssal creatures they¡¯d fought fleeing the Miotov, its refurbed mining laser had had limited effectiveness. Against a ship, however, its concentrated beam shredded its shields in moments, piercing the hull like¡ªwell, like a mining laser through just about bloody anything.

    The cruiser span away, its right flank separated wholly from the body for something in its engines burst, and it shattered into scrap.

    Alert:

    Your party has destroyed an Eclipse Corvette, Lv 12.

    Bonus Celestial energy awarded.

    Alert:

    Pilot Lv. 5 ¡ú Lv. 6

    Stat Point(s) Available

    Skill Point(s) Available

    Class Choices Available.

    Sinking another point into synergetics, Malan turned Tanwen about. The final ship, still damaged from his opening burst hung in open space, engines vainly stuttering to bring its body around and aim what would be its final attack Malan¡¯s way. He scanned his display, seeing the rest of the Eclipse ships speeding their way, and activated his Interfacing skill.

    Cracking the ship¡¯s security protocols was laughably easy, and in moments, Malan had control over the ship''s systems. He cut power to the weapons systems immediately, and scanned the Eclipse comms channels, linking his own communications with theirs. Just as he was preparing to activate his ranged gauntlets to finish it off, he had a particularly devious idea.

    ¡°Elena, start to pull back. Keep the stranded cruiser between us and the rest. I want to draw as many of them past their downed pal as possible.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯m trusting you¡¯re aware blowing their engines is unlikely to cause much in the way of damage to any of the others?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have access to their systems. Blowing their engines might not do much, but how about overloading their jump drive at the opportune moment?¡±

    He could almost hear the widening of Elena¡¯s eyes in the resultant pause. ¡°Out-fucking-standing.¡±

 1.40

    Malan set in the appropriate commands as several groups of the Eclipse fleet surged towards them, opening fire with a volley of pulse missiles from range, followed immediately with a barrage of gunfire. Job finished, he accelerated into a dive, before twisting away from several of the missiles, even as several more rocked his rejuvenated shields, followed by a peppering of the smaller weapons.

    Warning: Shields at 82%

    Warning: Shields at 64%

    Warning: Shields at 60%

    He swore, even as he torpedoed away from the chasing pack, spinning to evade as much of the opening salvo as possible. He¡¯d expected them to be a little more cautious of hitting their downed but still-living comrades, and had remained too close for too long. 40% was far more damage to his shields than he¡¯d intended to take, but his display told him he hadn¡¯t taken it for nothing. Half a dozen cruisers were just pulling level with the stranded ship, still firing, as more arced wide to cut off their escape.

    Malan swallowed, and allowed himself the smallest of prayers. If this didn¡¯t work, the chances of them holding out long enough with his shields as they were had slimmed considerably. However, just as he was beginning to worry he¡¯d made a mistake, a violent burst of energy rolled across his fleeing ship, sending him staggering briefly away from the control rods, as a burst of vivid white light consumed his displays.

    Alert:

    Eclipse Interceptor [Lv. 9] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Eclipse Interceptor [Lv. 12] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Eclipse Corvette [Lv. 15] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Alert:

    Pilot Lv. 6 ¡ú Lv. 7

    Stat Point(s) Available

    Skill Point(s) Available

    Class Choices Available.

    Eclipse Corvette [Lv. 14] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Eclipse Corvette [Lv. 10] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Alert:

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Interface Lv. 3¡ú Lv.6]

    [Celestial Warden, Lv. 1 ¡ú Lv. 2]

    Celestial Warden Lv 2 grants an additional 10% multiplier to Cognizance.

    A bubble of laughter slipped past Malan¡¯s lips at the first notification, even as his visuals remained bathed in white, which quickly grew to a throaty laugh as the notifications kept coming. Finally, as the alerts faded, so too did the light. He kept Tanwen accelerating away at speed, but couldn¡¯t resist a look back to a scene of utter chaos.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Where once the stranded ship had been, a violent rend had been torn in the very fabric of reality, as the craft¡¯s jump drives had opened a path to the Nexus whilst entirely overloaded. It hung in space like some kind of twisted star, a gaping maw of luminous diamond and sapphire coloured light, with several jagged arms that tore across space like reaching lightning.

    Chunks of Eclipse crafts drifted outward from the tears, caught in the path of the opening gateways and torn apart as reality itself divided in the space they were flying through.

    The chasing packs had slowed to a crawl now, the final dozen or so ships suddenly wary at finding their prey had a larger bite, and fighting far harder than they¡¯d expected. Malan knew it wouldn''t slow them for long, but there was a certain grim satisfaction to having taught these assholes to be wary of him.

    The buzz of someone hailing him had him answering eagerly, ready to hear Elena''s reaction to the carnage, only to hear a rattling laugh over the Comms channel and a grizzled, smirking face flash into life on the corner of his display¡ªa feature he hadn¡¯t been aware Tanwen had. He opted to keep his outgoing comms solely auditory when a small dialogue box presented him the option.

    ¡°Standarr.¡±

    The pirate''s amused chuckle faded, but there was an infuriating amount of mirth left in his gravelly voice when he finally responded.

    ¡°I have to say, Starbound, I am impressed. When I heard you''d been speaking to Iven¡¯s bint of a wife, I suspected you might try and do something stupid. I never expected you to be stupid enough to just fly right at us though, and I certainly never expected somebody so obviously green to do as much damage as you have. Even I have to admit, that jump drive stunt was fucking spectacular. Well played, boy.¡±

    Malan scowled, keeping his eyes focused on the positioning of the rallying enemy craft, pointedly ignoring the two terrified-looking children at the man¡¯s feet. Standarr was trying to rattle him, clearly. Push him into making a silly mistake to minimise further damage. He took a steadying breath. As much as he was growing to hate the man, talking to him had actually been part of the plan.

    Seeing the children had only solidified that his thinking had been correct.

    ¡°Boy. Green. Perhaps you¡¯d have been less surprised if you hadn¡¯t made so many assumptions about somebody you know nothing about?¡±

    Another irritating chuckle crackled across the channel. ¡°Who said anything about making assumptions, boy? Any man living outside of the UGC¡¯s reach worth their salt knows the basic profiles of their Starbound dogs¡ªeach of you are public record, after all. You have to be so you can be a part of their propaganda. So when one I¡¯ve never seen nor heard of before appears on my doorstep to beg for supplies, what conclusions should I have drawn?¡±

    Malan didn¡¯t answer, hands tightening around the control pillars. In the distance, the rest of the Eclipse fleet had finally regrouped and gathered the confidence to give chase, and he swung his ship back around to face them, Elena following close behind.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Standarr continued. ¡°I knew you were young from the way you spoke, which meant you weren¡¯t some kind of well-kept secret weapon, and there was no public record of you at all. That means you¡¯re new to this. No supplies means you weren¡¯t prepared to become what you are, either. All of which tells me the UGC don¡¯t even know you exist yet. You may as well be a child playing dress up.¡±

    ¡°An interesting theory. Maybe it¡¯s even true. I can¡¯t help but wonder what that would say about you as a commander, though. How many ships is it you¡¯ve lost to this child in a costume? How many men dead?¡±

    ¡°I did not claim you had shown no skill. As I¡¯ve said, you¡¯ve impressed me. But what do you really hope to gain here? What is it you think you can accomplish by attacking us so brazenly? The damage you¡¯ve done is surface level at best¡ªa few useless bodies and some low-grade ships it would take us little to no effort to replace¡ªyou can¡¯t possibly believe you will reach the station with just the two of you.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here to bring you down, Standarr. Nothing more, nothing less. Were you aware you¡¯d left your personal files at Eidolon? You may have been able to guess at who I am well enough, but I know who you are. What you¡¯ve done. You die here, today.¡±

    This was true enough. Only a cursory skim of the files stolen from Eidolon had told Malan more than he¡¯d ever need to know about the man. Since being dishonourably discharged from the UGC military for an undisclosed offence, Standarr had run a litany of criminal operations across the independent systems, and left an inordinate number of bodies in his wake. And this was before he¡¯d joined up with Eclipse.

    But, in the end, Malan knew Standarr was right. It was impossible for them to reach the station with the number of ships and defences stood in their way. That was why Malan had come up with a plan that meant they wouldn¡¯t need to. It needed only two things for it to work¡ªMalan and Elena surviving for long enough, and for Standarr to be as greedy as Malan thought he was.

    This time when Standarr spoke, all mirth had been stripped away, leaving only cold steel in its wake. ¡°So be it. Let me explain, in that case, how you¡¯re going to die: Wave after wave of fighter will whittle away at you unrelentingly. Sure, you may kill a few unexceptional men, but the result will be the same. Your precious ship will be left entirely at our mercy, at which point we¡¯ll tear it open and I will take your precious Starbound for my own. You will forever go down in history as the only pilot to ever lose their Starbound to a Pirate, and your ruined corpse will adorn the bow forever more as a warning to those that might cross me.¡±

    The communication channel closed, leaving a dense silence in its wake. His displays flickered, and sure enough, it showed a flurry of fresh craft launching from either docking bay on the space station in the distance. The swarm descended in the distance, even as the dozen already engaging he and Elena crossed into the effective firing range of their weapons.

    Missiles launched as the sound of Standarr¡¯s threat rang through his mind, and his enemies moved to surround him completely. Despite it all, a savage grin slid across Malan¡¯s face as he and Tanwen spiralled out of the path of the opening barrage, their own weapons blazing in grim answer. Unknowingly, Standarr himself had slid the last piece Malan needed for his plan into place.

    Now all Malan had to do was execute and survive.

 1.41

    It was odd to think of rhythm and patterns in the middle of a lethal fight to the death, but that was the best way Malan could think to describe the ongoing battle. Sweat rolled across his face, and his entire body ached with the exhaustion of tension, but it all existed at the back of his mind; a muted scream behind a wall of adrenalin and intense focus.

    Every available neuron in his brain dedicated itself to the task of taking in his expanded range of vision, the multitude of different display markers and flashing warnings, before interpreting them and converting them to plans and actions quickly enough to keep him alive.

    A roll down and to the left to avoid a flurry of missiles from a trio of Interceptors, actively choosing to absorb a second group of lower-level fighters¡¯ pulse fire with his rippling shields. His sentry drone peeled away from the hull, picking its moment to strike out at one of the ships, and Elena swept in behind, laser doing enough to break the ship¡¯s shields, before being forced into evasive action by another small unit of Eclipse craft.

    There was a peculiar ebb and flow to it. The sheer numbers of the Eclipse ships arrayed against them meant he and Elena spent the vast majority of time dancing away from constant oppressive fire until they could find moments to whittle away at their foes. His shields held, but were being forced into taking enough hits that they didn¡¯t have the time to recover before being forced to absorb another smattering of damage.

    He launched himself into a steep dive, and a trio of ships hurtled after him, only for Elena to pull away early, breaking their established pattern. A moment of hesitation and the Sparrow¡¯s mining laser cleaved through a Lv 9 Interceptor¡¯s shields. Malan focused on evading the flurry of pulse missiles spiralling after him, whilst Tanwen split their fire between two targets. His Gauntlet skill destroyed the shieldless interceptor, whilst his regular guns focused in on the shields of a Lv 12 Corvette.

    Elena¡¯s fire joined with his own, and the second ship split in two, seared through the centre by the Sparrow¡¯s  laser.

    Eclipse Interceptor [Lv. 9] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Eclipse Corvette [Lv. 12] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Alert:

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Ranged Lv. 3¡ú Lv.4]

    The fresh set of notifications brought a smile¡ªswiftly wiped away by the swift counter of the rest of the Eclipse group. Two sets of three came from above amidst a storm of pulse weaponry. His momentum slowed, he was unable to evade the worst of it, and Tanwen¡¯s shields were forced to absorb the bulk of it. Pulse missiles exploded against the shimmering blue barrier, alongside a peppering of small arms fire that produced series of ripples.

    Shrill alarms blazed through the bridge as his shields plummeted from just above seventy per cent to an alarming thirty two.

    Before he could react, he swore as another alert cut across his screen. A third group had performed a strafing run of the far less nimble Sparrow, and Elena¡¯s shield crumbled under the pressure, her hull taking several hits.

    Malan acted on instinct. Throwing all his power into acceleration, he hurtled after the group that had attacked the Sparrow. Faster than they were, he was rapidly on their tail. A thought was all it took to communicate his idea to Tanwen, and his own weapons blazed to life. Ranged gauntlet and sentry drone tore into the left-most ship¡¯s shields, whilst pulse guns hammered against the central Lv 10 Corvette.

    Not willing to wait, he activated his melee skill and powered forward, destroying the Corvette and emerging out of the other side of the explosion in a spin.

    Eclipse Corvette [Lv. 12] Destroyed

    Enemy of a higher level killed. Bonus Celestial Energy Harvested.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Alert:

    Pilot Lv. 7 ¡ú Lv. 8

    Stat Point(s) Available

    Skill Point(s) Available

    Class Choices Available.

    Alert:

    [Engineer Gauntlet, Melee Lv. 3 ¡ú Lv. 4]

    Warning: Shields at 22%

    He ground his teeth and checked his displays. As expected, the entire battle group had adjusted their course to hound him. Tanwen was their end goal, now, and unless Elena made a move to rejoin him, they would prioritise disabling him so they could take it.

    ¡°Elena, what¡¯s your status?¡±

    ¡°Uninjured, but our engine systems have taken some serious hits. I¡¯m not sure I can get back into the fight. Malan, it might be time to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck that,¡± he hissed, sending Tanwen into a sudden roll to avoid a sweeping thread of pulse guns at his back. ¡°You jump out. I came here to do a job, and I¡¯m not leaving until it¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done what you can, Malan. Staying for longer is risking too much for too little gain.¡±

    Malan shook his head in frustration, delaying his reply to avoid another strafing run from one of the remaining trios. This time, he was only half successful, and a smattering of shots thudded against his shields.

    Warning: Shields at 18%

    It seemed Standarr had been careful to emphasise the need to keep the Starbound from being destroyed. Now the craft harrying him kept to small arms, their pulse missiles forgotten, to ensure that when his shields eventually fell they would not accidentally destroy him.

    ¡°I saw them on the comms, Elena. He has the children bound at his feet. If I jump now, there¡¯s every chance he kill them the second he even begins to sniff that something¡¯s wrong. Jump out of here, Elena, before one of them picks you off as a precaution.¡±

    Elena said nothing for a moment, then a sigh came across their channel. ¡°Don¡¯t stay for a second longer than you actually have to, Malan. There¡¯s a reason we made the plan we did. Don¡¯t get yourself killed for no good reason.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Good luck, kid. See you on the other side.¡±

    The comm channel clicked off, and Malan saw in his rear displays the telling vivid lights of the damaged Sparrow jumping out of the system. At the same time, an entirely unrelated notification flickered across his vision¡ªa simple text comm.

    He let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been holding. It was time to move the plan forward. Still driving his ship as fast as he could, Malan allotted one of his two stat points into Synergetics, before letting up his pace just a touch. Balance was important here. One wrong move, one mistake, and his plan would mean nothing for him.

    The chasing pack caught up quickly, and soon Malan was swerving and rolling desperately, avoiding what he could of the veritable web of pulse fire streaking towards him from all angles. With a grimace, he noticed the wave of reinforcements from the station had joined the pack, and now fire came from all angles, and it was all he could do to avoid enough of the attacks to shatter his shields immediately.

    Warning: Shields at 15%

    Warning: Shields at 12%

    It was, however, a losing fight. There was only so much open space to evade into, and the swarm of ships had taken to cutting off his escape channels rather than solely focus on his actual hull. The only reason he¡¯d lasted so long was because of what the Starbound were. Even a low-levelled, newly bonded craft had capabilities that elevated it above most other basic craft, and his enhanced shielding had allowed him to last this long.

    He slid his eyes across to that text communication once more, and read the two simple words beneath an ominously headed message box.

    In position.

    Another burst of fire crashed against his paper-thin shields, and Malan knew he could wait no longer. He opened his comms and delivered two, carefully separate commands to his systems. One channel would open to Standarr, another, a one-way broadcast to the rest of the Eclipse ships in range.

    Standarr¡¯s snide, gravelly voice broke through the comms. ¡°The supposedly valiant hero, alone and on his last legs call his enemy to beg for mercy. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, but I am most definitely disappointed, boy.¡±

    Malan allowed himself a strained chuckle. ¡°Not exactly. You¡¯re right about one thing, though. I am on my last legs.¡±

    Another alert blared across his screen as another set of converging Eclipse strafing runs left him unable to evade¡ªWarning: Shields at 8%.

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what else you¡¯d have to talk about if you¡¯re not calling to beg.¡±

    Malan, despite his screaming muscles and the growing weight of exhaustion, tried to affect an air of nonchalance as best he could. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that I thought you had an interest in taking my Starbound for yourself. I hadn¡¯t realised you¡¯d intended to allow one of your men to take it. A generous commander indeed.¡±

    There was a pause, and when Standarr spoke again, there was a dangerous chill in his tone. ¡°Explain, boy. Now.¡±

    This time, his smirk did not need to be faked. ¡°Well, its just that when you bond with a Starbound unit¡ªit happens by touch. The first person to touch Tanwen¡¯s core will bond with it if they¡¯re compatible. Of course, the first pilot out here to try might not be, but who¡¯s to say that one of them won¡¯t be? Do you really expect the men and women who actually did the work of bringing me down not to try before you?¡±

    ¡°You lie,¡± the man hissed, but his voice told Malan he was far from sure of himself.

    ¡°Perhaps. I suppose that¡¯s your die to cast. Either way, my shields are sub-10%. How many here can take their shot at becoming Starbound before you can get here, I wonder? How long will your luck hold? For the record, I¡¯ve broadcast our little chat to all the surrounding ships.¡±

    Standarr snarled, and Malan laughed, trying to infuriate the man into making a decision.

    ¡°May the best man win.¡±

    The comms channel closed without another word from Standarr, and Malan held his breath as he ducked and dodged away from a chasing pack now moving with added urgency. Then, in the distance, Malan saw a marker appear on his screen, emerging from the station¡¯s docking bay, along with some attached information:

    Lancer-Class Fighter [Lv. 27]

    Designation: Ilyena¡¯s Fury

    Previously scanned lifeform detected.

    Designation: Julian Standarr.

 1.42

    The appearance of Standarr brought a surge of relief that was nearly entirely vanquished when his display informed him of the man¡¯s level. 27! More than triple his own was far more than he¡¯d been prepared for, and his thoughts turned briefly to how that number had been calculated. Obviously, the man wasn¡¯t Starbound, so he didn¡¯t actually have a level.

    As best as he could figure it, the number he saw for others was more of a way of assigning a threat level to an entity. Whatever background system the Nexus had constructed to allow all of this to function must be able to weigh up the threat of a being based on the available data and aggregate all of it to create a level, which allowed him to make a judgement on the potential dangers.

    Obviously, these levels were not the be all and end all. Malan had, after all, been combating being of a higher level than he since he¡¯d bonded with Tanwen. Strategy and tactics could sway things in his favour to a degree, as could the quality of equipment and weapons. Tanwen was simply too powerful, too agile, for a lot of the poor quality stolen vessels used by the Eclipse pilots he¡¯d so far done battle with so far.

    However, Malan knew there had to be a limit to the amount of wiggle room that gave him to punch up. He¡¯d been able to catch a Lv15 cruiser off guard enough to destroy it¡ªbut what percentage of that level score belonged to the danger presented by the cruiser itself, and what was down to the pilot himself?

    Whichever way the levels were calculated for entities outside of the system, he couldn¡¯t imagine there was enough flexibility there for him to have a chance against Standarr in an actual fight.

    Standarr¡¯s voice cut across the Eclipse comms channels suddenly, and Malan listened whilst continuing his desperate dance with the chasing Eclipse pack.

    ¡°Disable the bastard, but no more. If I so much as suspect one of you fuckers is about to make a move on that damn ship, I¡¯ll blow you out of the sky myself, and I¡¯ll do it with pleasure.¡±

    The man was still some distance away, but was closing far quicker than of the others had been able to. Still, it was with grim satisfaction that Malan wove a path between the stream of Eclipse fire. Standarr had left the station. An opening had been created.

    A handful of stray shots fizzed against his shields on the left side, and Malan hissed as his shields flickered, his display reading 4%. Just a little longer. He just needed a little long¡ª

    Another run of fire sent him spiralling to the right¡ªdirectly into the path of an Interceptor in a move that had clearly been pre-planned. Pulse fire cannoned into his centre of mess and his shields finally shattered into a blue mist, and several shots crashed against his hull.

    Malan gasped and staggered back, barely registering the blaring alarms, as the shots seemed to pound into his own torso, knocking the breath from him. Tanwen took control of the flight control whilst he recovered, but the surrounding Eclipse smelled blood. Two more carefully controlled bursts crashed against his engines, and Malan felt the blow like a kick to the back of his knees.

    He sunk to all fours, chest heaving for any ounce of oxygen he could find. He coughed and spluttered a breath and tasted copper on his tongue.

    Fuck it. Now or never.

    ¡°Tanwen, cut power to our engines and weapons completely.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Pilot.¡±

    He grimaced, as Tanwen¡¯s engines stuttered and choked, before descending into silence. Around him, the Eclipse ships circled like wolves, all of them able to read his system¡¯s lack of power, all of them¡ªhopefully¡ªconvinced he¡¯d sustained fatal damage.

    Malan stayed frozen on his knees, only moving to wipe the small trickle of blood away at the corner of his mouth, his eyes locked, unblinking, upon his display. Standarr sped towards them, and Malan suspected it was only his proximity that stopped his men from taking their chances on claiming Tanwen for themselves.Stolen novel; please report.

    His comms blazed to life as Standarr drew near, and the man¡¯s gnarled face grinned down at him in ugly triumph. Malan, this time, allowed Tanwen to open his own video feed, so Standarr could see him beaten.

    ¡°Ha! I may have to capture an image of this, boy. A reminder of what happens when you decide to stand against me.¡±

    Malan allowed him to sink back into a seated position, his back against one of the control arms. ¡°I bet you have a nice little collection of boys on their knees, you sick fuck.¡±

    Standarr was too full of the taste of triumph for the jibe to do any real damage, merely chuckling and shaking his head. ¡°Good to see you still have some backbone. You would have done well, I suppose. Unfortunately, you crossed the wrong man. As did your little friend. I do hope you know I haven¡¯t forgotten about Elena Vasquez¡ªshe will get hers too, in the end.¡±

    It was Malan¡¯s turn to laugh, and he hoped Standarr believed the tang of bitterness he tried to add to it. ¡°You¡¯re even more of a moron than I thought if you believe you¡¯ll ever get the better of her. You were right about me: green and na?ve. She is neither of those things.¡±

    Standarr smirked and rolled up a sleeve to reveal a faded UGC military tattoo¡ªthree stars beneath a raised fist¡ªthat was half covered by a lattice of nasty burn scars.

    ¡°Believe me, boy. I know all about what Vasquez is capable of. Now, I believe it is time for you to hand over control of your little ship now.¡±

    Just then, a notification slid across his screen, another text communication. Package secure. ETA 30 seconds. Malan sagged in relief, and hauled himself to his feet, beginning a mental countdown.

    25 seconds.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just the thing¡ªI don¡¯t actually know how to do that,¡± he said with a shrug, before opening his shirt to reveal the crystal embedded in his chest. ¡°You can¡¯t exactly transfer this by filling out a form.¡±

    20 seconds.

    Standarr¡¯s face darkened, mouth twisting into a snarl. ¡°Well then, I¡¯d better board so I can fucking tear it out of you.¡±

    The connection cut off, and Standarr¡¯s ship closed in.

    15 seconds.

    10 seconds.

    Malan raised his arms, gripping the control arms tightly.

    ¡°Ready, Tanwen?¡±

    ¡°On your command.¡±

    5 seconds.

    4¡­

    3¡­

    ¡°Do it, Tanwen!¡±

    Several things happened at once, then. Firstly, Malan allocated his final point into energetics, and his shields blazed back into life, albeit at a low percentage. At the exact same moment, Tanwen flooded his engine systems with power once more, and they lurched forward in a sharp dive.

    Malan, though, only had eyes for what was happening above. Eclipse ships wheeled around to give chase as a half dozen pearlescent rends tore their way through realspace behind them, through which came a dozen, sleek, black fighter craft, already firing.

    Their weaponry carved through the unprepared Eclipse ships like butter, and suddenly space was alight with the fires of the Eclipse crew being cleaved apart.

    Standarr¡¯s own ship barrelled away, faster than the rest, and hesitated only long enough to see the Eclipse space station erupt in a series of cataclysmic explosions in the distance. Malan¡¯s breath caught in his throat at the sheer efficiency of the destruction, even as Standarr himself jumped out of the system himself.

    The black fighters made short work of the stragglers, and Malan was only slightly frustrated to see them appear on his display as:

    Namhai Assault Craft, Lv ???

    The strange craft drew themselves level with his flight path, surrounding him at every angle but for the front, a clear escort formation. That might have had Malan on edge, but he only had eyes for the smouldering ruins of the station, where Bessna¡¯s children had been only moments before. Come on¡­

    Then he saw it. A shimmering behind the twisted metal debris now slowly spreading out into space. For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating, but then space itself seemed to distort, and the shimmering took gargantuan shape.

    Malan¡¯s jaw worked silently as what could only have been a destroyer class ship dissolved into view where previously there had only been empty space. It, too, was jet black and sleek, though it was about the same size of the now-ruined space station. As he looked at it, Malan couldn¡¯t help but think of an enormous dagger. Its engines sat far back like a hilt, and its body narrowed toward the bow like the tip of the blade.

    Even from here, though, Malan could make out a slew of likely lethal weapons dotted across its sleek hull, as well as the telltale domes of shield generators far more capable than his own.

    He glanced at the attached label on his display, and it confirmed for him what he¡¯d known the moment he¡¯d seen the support fighters that had destroyed the Eclipse fleet. At the back of his mind, he caught a distinct unease¡ªperhaps even fear from Tanwen.

    Starbound.

    Designation: Namhai

    Lv. ???

 1.43

    Malan pinned back Tanwen¡¯s unease and moistened his dry lips. The hulking ship drifted leisurely through the wreckage towards him, and for a moment, he wasn¡¯t sure how he was expected to respond.

    Then, mercifully, he received a comms hail from the Namhai. He didn¡¯t hesitate to accept, and his display shifted into a two-way video transmission. He couldn¡¯t stop the smile at the sight of the two children huddled to the side, unbound. Their blond hair was sweat-matted and their clothes were filthy, but both seemed to be well enough, but for the crying.

    His smile slid away as his gaze drifted to the centre of the image. A man in what seemed to be his mid to late twenties reclined on a captain¡¯s chair about as far back as possible, one leg drooped lazily over one armrest. Malan¡¯s eyes found his, and he was hard pressed to repress a shiver. He wore a lazy smile beneath swept back, raven hair, but his eyes were chips of pale blue ice.

    Of course, Malan knew who he was. What he was. Namhai was a name known across the known systems. A top tier Starbound, known for his stealth capabilities and devastating hit-and-run strategies, he was one of the many Starbound Malan had grown up idolising.

    Now, though, all Malan could think was predator.

    The smile widened almost imperceptibly.

    ¡°Well, haven¡¯t you just set the cat among the pigeons? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen anybody get the UGC command and Nexus both in such a tizzy since that bastard Aethnir.¡±

    Aethnir. The Starbound that had led UGC forces to victory against the last great united dependent collective. The way his teachers spoke of it, the only Dreadnought-class Starbound had near enough fought several fleet scale battles alone, such was the strength he wielded¡ªthough Malan had always assumed that to be hyperbole.

    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I truly didn¡¯t want that,¡± he said, leading with caution above anything else.

    The man waved him off. ¡°Don¡¯t apologise on their behalf. For my part, the trip was worth my while just for the chance to lay my eyes on the upstart with enough balls to threaten the Nexus with trading their Starbound to the Eclipse if they weren¡¯t given support.¡±

    The man¡¯s gaze became weighing, then, as though taking in not just what stood in front of him, but also what Malan may one day become. He couldn¡¯t tell if he¡¯d been found wanting or not, and shifted uncomfortably.

    ¡°Lying to them in our first conversation probably wasn¡¯t the greatest first impression, but we needed the support.¡±

    Namhai actually chuckled. ¡°Perfectly timed, I must say. Had they known you even a little, they¡¯d have likely called your bluff. Just hearing you talk to me I can tell you¡¯re far too sensible for that. But you¡¯re an entirely unknown variable to them. They couldn¡¯t afford the risk. It was a good play¡ªperhaps better saved for a worthy reward. You walk away with nothing but some paltry celestial energy and a victory to your name.¡±

    Malan frowned and found himself standing a little straighter. ¡°Neither of those things were why I did this.¡±

    The older man¡¯s eyebrow raised, and he followed Malan¡¯s gaze to the two cowering children, and seemed to only just remember they were even there.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Even less value than I had supposed. When I saw you had specified the children were the highest priority, I thought perhaps you¡¯d been offered a particularly rewarding quest for their return.¡± An amused smile slipped onto his face, then, and Malan swallowed. ¡°I look forward to seeing how long before your altruism is ground to dust by the life you¡¯ve now chosen for yourself.¡±

    Malan wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that, but Namhai barely seemed to notice his silence.

    ¡°Still, my own orders were to deliver them to you, so I shall see it done. Be aware, Tanwen: Several UGC and Nexus ships are headed this way. My orders also extend to ensuring you are still in this system when they arrive. Ensure that you are. I¡¯d hate to lose a new comrade so early in his career.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The word comrade was said with such a twisted sneer, it took Malan back for a moment, before the communications channel closed off completely, leaving him in a strangely tense silence.

    By any account, he should be thrilled. He¡¯d essentially just had a conversation with a childhood hero of his¡ªbasically the equivalent of an Old Earth child getting to speak with a superhero from the old vid archives. If he told twelve-year-old him he¡¯d have got the chance to speak with bloody Namhai, he¡¯d have been bouncing off the walls.

    Instead, he¡¯d been left with nothing but an icy pit in his stomach, and a trepidation about the immediate future one of the Starbound¡ªsomething he could never have dreamed of feeling until now.

    In the back of his mind, Tanwen rumbled in low agreement.

    <hr>

    Tarai hid her fidgeting hands beneath long robes. Plain grey and cool, off-white panels lined the bridge of the Atholl, the Nexus cruiser bearing them slowly down to the landing pads of Mykeser¡¯s sole colonial outpost. It was a droll-looking place, stifling jungle encroaching upon worn buildings, but their display told them the port was bustling with activity.

    An impatient sigh drew her eye. The only UGC military personnel from their party that had been approved to land stood over the vacant captain¡¯s seat with her arms folded, a scowl making her already crooked face look positively twisted.

    Major Odyll had been the highest ranking officer in duty when Tanwen¡¯s request for aid had come in, and had been quite content to call his bluff and allow him to get himself killed. Of course, word of a new Starbound travelled fast, and she had been swiftly overruled. Then she had fought like a dog to not send any UGC assets to help, only for Namhai to call attention to himself and volunteer to go himself.

    The enigmatic Starbound had apparently been in the room the entire time and had left to a silence so complete you could have heard an ant breathe.

    Evidently, being overruled twice had stuck in Odyll¡¯s craw, because Tarai could practically hear her teeth grinding from across the room.

    The Atholl¡¯s engines slowed to a low rumble, and her landing thrusters engaged, slowing their descent as the concrete landing pad below rose to meet them. An hour ago, and the Major¡¯s foul mood had irritated her beyond measure, now she could barely muster a vague sense of annoyance.

    How could she, when the Starbound her life was now sworn to would be down below? A life in service was one thing when it was some obscure, distant thing decades hence. It was quite another now she was staring down the barrel. Tarai had liked her life in the archives. No people, really, besides Muin, and a mountain of books, dataslates and other assorted knowledge so large it would have taken her three lives to read it all.

    Now it was gone far more prematurely than she could possibly have been ready for. And for reasons that had her more anxious than she¡¯d been willing to let on in front of Muin.

    The ship lurched, and she adjusted her feet to keep her balance whilst the engines slowed to a low whir, before cutting completely. Odyll turned on her heel and stormed off the bridge, and Tarai had to stop herself from rolling her eyes and before following suit, stomach churning.

    What was he like, this Tanwen? What she¡¯d heard of his brief communication felt as though it should tell her a lot about who he was, yet it actually told her very little, and that was more terrifying more than maybe anything else. She could make her peace with dedicating herself to her new role for life¡ªshe had always known that joining the order might entail that one day. Tarai had decided to roll the dice on that, and she had lost fair and square. She could even make peace with a life of travel and danger.

    But other Scribes liked to whisper in the darkened corners of the Nexus archives, and there were enough about particular Starbound¡ªeven among some of the most beloved by the public¡ªfor Tarai to knew it wasn¡¯t just idle talk

    Exactly who was her life now inextricably tied?

    She strode down the steel exit ramp, and the sweltering heat hit her like a wall, the already high tropical sun making a more than fair effort to bake her alive in her ceremonial robes. Already there, a battered cruiser sat smoking on the pad adjacent to them, and a flurry of mechanics buzzed around it. Sat on a crate, a stern woman that looked to be in her mid-30s pointedly ignored some sweaty bureaucrat that stood sheepishly nearby, his eyes shifting back and forth between her and the Atholl¡¯s landing party.

    Tarai this time could not control the grimace as Odyll made a beeline directly for the woman, her face still like thunder.

    She thought of walking with her, attempting to mediate, when the low purr of another engine caught her ears. Tarai stopped dead, momentarily frozen, before jerking her head around to catch sight of its source.

    Vivid blue filled her vision for a moment, before she finally saw it, and her breath caught in her throat.

    She didn¡¯t need to be told¡ªTarai could feel it, even from so far below. This was Tanwen. This was her Starbound.

 1.44

    Malan frowned as he brought the ship down towards the planets landing pad at a gentle clip. Below, he could see an array of new ships clustered in the planets port. Several planetary security craft lay idling on the outskirts of the cluster which was more than to be expected with the uproar he''d caused. But what really drew his gaze, was the cruiser that bore the mark of a single eye in the centre of a nine-spoked wheel, inlaid upon the centre of each of its wings in rich gold.

    It rested ominously across from the worse for wear Sparrow, his display already highlighting a series of scurrying mechanics carrying out repairs to the hardy craft, whilst the landing pad he was on course to arrive at sat directly between the two.

    The displays magnified in response to his desire, and Malan was able to pick out a series of new figures clustered around Elena and the wide-eyed Lugh Talorcan. One of the new arrivals, a grizzled military type, read as Lv. ???, just as Standarr and Elena did, and Malan found himself wishing he had been able to slow down his descent and choose his class before coming here.

    He studiously ignored the subtle itch at his shoulder¡ªthe subconscious awareness that Namhai had descended with him, stealth engaged, in order to ensure his compliant return to the Nexus. On the other hand, he was grateful to the cold aspected Starbound for allowing Bessna and Iven¡¯s children to be transported to his own ship. His displays told him they still slept huddled together in his own bed, resting after their ordeal.

    In the end, it had taken him at least ten minutes to land and equip his groundsuit, but it had felt like seconds. Somehow, the idea of meeting people from the UGC and the Nexus for the first time as Starbound had him just as anxious as diving headfirst into combat. At least up there, he¡¯d known Eclipse¡¯s intentions¡ªeven if those intentions had been to blow him out of the sky.

    This was an altogether different beast.

    Tanwen¡¯s exit ramp began its descent, and Malan flexed his fingers, marvelling at the feel of an increase in strength and dexterity since the last time he¡¯d worn it, before stepping down into the jungle air.

    Glancing around at the assorted, sweat-coated individuals, he was immediately glad for the cool air flowing around his suit. Elena nodded at him from a crate sat haphazardly beside the Sparrow, whilst Thaddeus¡ªwho Malan had almost forgotten about¡ªavoided his eyes and wrung his hands.

    On the other side, he watched the military woman he¡¯d seen from Tanwen¡¯s bridge draw up her chest and square her shoulders. Now he was closer, he could see the coloured stripes and various uniform accruements that were indications of rank for UGC personnel on diplomatic detail. However, the athletic build and hard-lined face, spoke to what was perhaps years of field experience.

    He was reminded of Elena, to an extent, though absent of his former Captain¡¯s cool composure. This woman¡ªa major, if he wasn¡¯t mistaken¡ªstalked towards him as, snarl on her face, as though he¡¯d crossed her personally. His lack of a level context for her had him on guard, but where he would have been backpedalling a month ago, he ensured his body language gave no sign of trepidation or fear as she approached.

    ¡°What in the fuck made you think you had the right to call us and make demands, you ignorant, self-important¡ª¡±

    The Major had begun her half-hissed tirade several steps away from him, but the moment she was close enough, she had reached out a finger to jab at his chest. Malan hadn¡¯t meant to react at all, but just for a moment he¡¯d thought of Beric, and his arm snapped out and grabbed her wrist tight, cutting off her little speech.

    Her eyes widened, and she tried to wrench her arm free, only to find him totally immovable. He was glad that she was unable to see his face, because it was split by an enormous, satisfied grin. The system measured her threat level as above his own. She likely had years of combat experience, training and other things that made her a deadly enemy to make.

    But whilst he was wearing his groundsuit, and bolstered by his own stat growth? She was just an ordinary human. His augmented reaction time and strength now eclipsed hers by far.

    The Major must have realised the same thing, because her face contorted into a furious snarl before her free hand darted to the pistol holstered at her thigh. Unbeknownst to her, the gauntlet attached to the hand pinning her blazed into life, ready to blow a hole in her stomach should she draw her weapon.

    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t needed. Another woman had appeared beside the Major, crimson robed and stony faced. Her hand lay upon the Major¡¯s shoulder, and she smoothly slid into place between the pair of them.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I would not recommend that as a course of action, Major¡ªunless, of course, you intend to die on this planet?¡±

    Malan¡¯s head shifted to take in the newcomer properly, unable to completely disguise his surprise. She was shorter in stature than the Major, with a subtly paler skin tone that spoke of one who had not spent much time exposed to the sun. Her crimson robes gave her away as a Nexus Scribe¡ªresearchers that spent their lives sequestered away in archives looking for information on celestial phenomena and the Starbound. They worked closely with the UGC, given the importance of their areas of expertise, but were not strictly part of, or under, them.

    What surprised him most, however, was this woman¡¯s age. She was just as young as he was. Shoulder-length coppery hair framed smooth features marred by the lightest dusting of freckles across her cheeks.

    The Major¡¯s mouth had snapped shut at the Scribe¡¯s words, but she quickly re-found her footing. ¡°This¡­Pilot¡­Disobeyed a direct order from UGC command. Put his craft at direct and immediate risk of capture¡ªeven threatened to hand it over to Eclipse of all people. By all rights, I should cuff him here and now, so the Starbound can be awarded to a proper Pilot.¡±

    The Major made another attempt to wrest her grip from his, whilst also abandoning her attempt to draw her sidearm¡ªthe only reason that Malan allowed her the use of her arm back. He might have said something to defend himself, but the Scribe was faster to the proverbial draw.

    ¡°Even UGC citizens in Independent Space are not required by any law to obey UGC military directives, Starbound or not. This Pilot is bound to no command of yours or any UGC personnel until he has returned to the Nexus and sworn his oaths. Until he does so, he is simply another free citizen who also happens to Pilot a Starbound craft. A craft which, as it was found in Independant Space, the UGC holds no rights over. Unless, of course, you are insinuating that part of your role here is to coerce this free citizen into the UGC¡¯s service?¡±

    Malan could have scoffed. That was most likely exactly why the Major and her little escort were here, but to make that open would mean the UGC admitting to breaking just about every foundational law they had been formed with.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the Major bit out, attempting to climb down. ¡°I¡­ merely wish to emphasise the extreme irresponsibility of the Pilot¡¯s actions.¡±

    The scribe raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you required your sidearm to do so?¡±

    Malan could almost hear the grinding of her teeth. Instead of responding, the Major turned back to him. ¡°Make ready to leave within the hour. We will be escorting you directly to the Nexus.¡±

    Malan squared his shoulders, and looked the woman dead in the eyes, though she couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°You are free to leave whenever you please, Major. My ship will set off for the Nexus, however, when I decide.¡±

    The Major¡¯s face devolved further into a mask of fury, but she merely clicked her teeth at them, and turned on her heel, marching briskly back to the ship she had arrived in. Only once she was fully gone did Malan notice Elena in the background subtly sliding her own sidearm back into its holster.

    He turned to the Scribe who had intervened on his behalf. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°Tarai,¡± she said, inclining her head slightly. ¡°And you¡¯re welcome. We need to talk, you and I. Preferably aboard Tanwen. But it can wait until you have completed the final part of your task.¡±

    Malan followed Tarai¡¯s gaze, and found an anxious-looking Bessna peering at him from beside Talorcan, who seemed to flinch as he realised Malan was looking in his direction. He raised a hand to wave her over, and the woman was rushing across the landing pad before his arm had made it even halfway above his head.

    He made a mental request to Tanwen, and his Starbound played a noise in his quarters to signal to the children it was safe for them to follow him down the exit ramp. It probably hadn¡¯t been a necessary precaution to leave them behind, but with so many unknown factors waiting for him, he hadn¡¯t been willing to take any risks.

    Now, they flew down his ship¡¯s exit ramp arms outstretched, eyes trailing silvery tears. The pair blew past him without a word, and intercepted their mother halfway across the pad, barrelling into her arms.

    Bessna collapsed to her knees, as she cradled her children close, her own tears streaming down her face as she whispered to them. After a moment, her eyes found his, and though she did not smile, the level of emotion conveyed to him from just one look stole his breath.

    If he died now, having just accomplished this one good thing, part of Malan thought he could be satisfied with that. An entirely different part blazed with the rush of it. This was what he had been born for. What he¡¯d survived the Jauda, and the Miotov for.

    For another look like that, Malan would have done it all again in a heartbeat.

    Eventually, Bessna stood, still clutching the hands of both children as though they might be snatched from her at any moment, and walked across to him. As they approached, the children hid themselves partially behind the older woman¡¯s legs, but she smiled tremulously at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to even begin thanking you for what you¡¯ve done,¡± she said, head shaking slowly.

    ¡°Unnecessary. I¡¯m glad I could help. What is your plan now?¡±

    She glanced back towards Talorcan, frowning slightly. ¡°We leave. Lugh meant well for the colony, really. But I can¡¯t stay here with him making decisions.¡±

    ¡°I had wondered how Eclipse had managed to get such a strong foothold here.¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t told that¡¯s who they were for a good while. We¡¯d been attacked by raiders multiple times. Lost a lot of people. Lugh told us he¡¯d hired a private mercenary company as security¡ªwhat he¡¯d really done was cut a deal with Eclipse. Standarr was smart enough to get leverage on all the prominent scientists before we could get out.¡±

    ¡°Is Iven¡­¡±

    ¡°Gone already. He knew the UGC would never look beyond his past, no matter how or where he was living his life now. And no, I don¡¯t know where he has gone, for the record.¡±

    Malan shook his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to ask. I¡¯m sorry you can¡¯t be leaving together.¡±

    She shrugged and pulled her children tight to her once more. ¡°Of all the possible ways this could have shaken out, any option where my children live is one I¡¯m beyond grateful to have. Are you sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Go and live your life. Raise your kids well. Be safe. That¡¯s plenty of reward for me.¡±

    Bessna¡¯s mouth quivered, as more tears threatened to spill. She slipped her hand away from her son¡¯s, who hugged tightly into her leg, and cupped his helmet where his cheek would have been.

    ¡°You¡¯re young, to have a conviction as strong as yours. Don¡¯t let this path you¡¯re walking change you as it has so many others. Thank you, Starbound.¡±

    And with one last shaky smile, Bessna took her children and led them off toward the main colony. Toward their new life.

    Alert:

    Mission Complete

    Sins of the Father:

    Rescue Bessna and Iven¡¯s children from the clutches of the Eclipse

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