《The Cost of the Galaxy: Blade of Rebirth》


 Cracks Begin to Show

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    The night was as thick as spilled ink, and the glass curtain walls on the top floor of Federation Corp¡¯s headquarters reflected the distant lights of the colonial fleet, like a row of greedy eyes overlooking the ruins on the planet¡¯s surface. Inside, the harsh white lights were blinding. The long table in the center was covered with star charts and data terminals, and the air was filled with the scent of metal and disinfectant. Ethan Cross leaned against the window, hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed. His tall figure exuded exhaustion, and his gaze pierced through the glass, landing on a plunder ship slowly ascending in the distance.


    Victor Kane sat at the head of the conference table, his suit impeccable, his fingers tapping the surface leisurely. A habitual faint smile played on his lips, but his eyes glinted with a cold light. Around the table sat several board members, each wearing a cautious expression. Some buried their heads in investment reports, not daring to make a sound, while others stole glances at Victor, their palms sweating with tension. Only Derek Voss¡ªa scrawny man with sly, gleaming eyes¡ªheld a coffee cup, sidling up to Victor with a fawning smile. He lowered his voice, ¡°Boss Kane, this colonial plan is a real game-changer! Once we tap into that resource planet¡¯s minerals, our fleet can expand threefold, and the entire system¡¯s resource distribution will be in your hands. This move not only solves our current resource crisis but also forces those smaller companies to come begging for partnerships, giving us a total monopoly on the market! It¡¯s a strategy that kills two birds with one stone!¡±


    Ethan let out a cold snort and turned around, his voice low but unable to suppress his anger. ¡°Threefold fleet expansion? Are you planning to burn the entire system to ashes, Victor? There are three hundred million civilians on that planet¡ªare you really going to turn them all into slaves?¡±


    Victor¡¯s fingers froze mid-tap, his smile unchanged, but his tone grew colder. ¡°Ethan, you¡¯re still so naive. Civilians? They¡¯re just numbers. This universe is a game for the strong. If we don¡¯t seize resources, we¡¯ll be the ones crushed underfoot.¡± He stood, walking over to the star chart and pointing at the glowing resource planet. ¡°Look at this data¡ªrare metal reserves enough to build ten headquarters like this one. You want to let it go? I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ethan clenched his fists. He¡¯s lost his mind. We built this company together to make humanity¡¯s lives better, not to turn us into a pack of plundering beasts.


    He recalled a memory from ten years ago: he and Victor crammed into a rundown workshop, the air thick with the smell of engine oil and welding sparks. On the table lay the blueprint for their first ship, its edges yellowed from sweat. Victor had clapped him on the shoulder, his eyes shining like starlight. ¡°Ethan, this ship will take humanity farther¡ªit¡¯ll become a symbol of peace and prosperity for everyone.¡±


    The memory of Victor¡¯s voice overlapped with the image of the cold-blooded businessman before him, snapping Ethan back to reality.


    He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his anger in check. ¡°Federation Corp is already strong enough. Plundering will only breed rebellion. Aren¡¯t you afraid the entire system will unite against us?¡± Unconsciously, he touched the scar hidden beneath his shirt on his chest¡ªa permanent reminder of the lab accident three years ago. ¡°Do you remember that explosion in the lab, Victor? I was trapped in the burning workshop, and you rushed in to drag me out. Back then, you told me we were building Federation Corp to make people¡¯s lives better, not to make them suffer. How could you forget that so completely?¡±


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    For a fleeting moment, Victor¡¯s expression softened, as if touched by the memory, but it quickly hardened again. He stepped closer to Ethan, his voice low. ¡°That accident was exactly what made me see reality, Ethan. When the engine exploded and the flames consumed everything, I learned a lesson¡ªin this universe, kindness is a luxury. I risked my life to save you because you were valuable to the company, not out of some noble sentiment. I told you back then, ¡®No matter how good the idea, it¡¯s useless if you¡¯re dead,¡¯ remember? Sometimes, tough choices have to be made.¡±


    Ethan frowned, the scar on his chest throbbing faintly. ¡°That¡¯s not the same, Victor. Saving me is one thing¡ªplundering an entire planet is another. Since when did ¡®tough choices¡¯ become your excuse for cruelty?¡±


    Victor scoffed, turning to stare at him, mockery flashing in his eyes. ¡°Rebellion? Who would dare? Those ragtag fighters don¡¯t even have a decent ship. One move from my colonial army, and they¡¯re done for.¡± He paused, his tone darkening. ¡°Ethan, don¡¯t forget¡ªthis company was built by both of us. If you go against me, don¡¯t blame me for not honoring old ties.¡±


    Derek interjected, his voice sharp like a knife scraping glass. ¡°Exactly, Mr. Cross, your thinking is too conservative! Boss Kane¡¯s strategic vision is unmatched! Look, with these resources, we can not only expand our military advantage but also control the entire system¡¯s energy distribution. Other companies will have to bow to us, and we¡¯ll set the prices for interstellar trade¡ªthe profits will be unimaginable! Even if there¡¯s some minor unrest, with our strength, we can easily crush it. Why worry about those insignificant risks?¡± He glanced at Ethan. He really thinks he¡¯s some kind of savior? Boss Kane has been fed up with him for a while¡ªI need to pick the right side and grab some benefits.


    Ethan shot Derek a look, disgust flashing in his eyes. This guy, always spouting nonsense¡ªI never should¡¯ve let him into the tech department. He turned back to Victor, his voice hard as steel. ¡°I¡¯m not against expansion, but plundering and colonizing aren¡¯t the only way. We can negotiate, cooperate, buy the resources from that planet, and give them a chance to rebuild. If you insist on using force, I¡¯m out.¡±


    Victor¡¯s smile finally vanished. He slowly approached Ethan, shorter by half a head but exuding an oppressive aura, his voice low as if squeezed from his throat. ¡°Out? You think this company can¡¯t function without you? I¡¯ll give you one last chance, Ethan¡ªeither work with me, or get out.¡±


    The room fell so silent that breathing could be heard. The executives lowered their heads, some nervously shuffling already-neat papers, others pretending to focus on terminal data, terrified of being dragged into the storm. The silence was deafening as the executives played dead, while Derek could barely contain his excitement. Fight, fight¡ªbest if they break completely, then I can climb a bit higher!


    Ethan stared at Victor, the memory of their past flashing through his mind one last time¡ªthe ship lifting off, the two of them standing on the deck, the wind tousling their hair as Victor laughed, ¡°We¡¯ll be legends of the system.¡± That light from back then had now turned into cold, ruthless calculation.


    He gritted his teeth. I can¡¯t let him destroy everything, even if it costs me my life¡ªI have to stop him. He spoke slowly, each word deliberate. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll leave. But mark my words, Victor¡ªthe path you¡¯ve chosen today will come back to haunt you.¡±


    He turned, pushed the door open, and walked out, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. Victor watched his retreating figure, a cold smirk on his lips as he muttered to himself, ¡°Haunt me? We¡¯ll see about that, Ethan.¡±

 Initial Glimpse

    At the end of the corridor, a tall figure leaned against the wall, holding a polished wrench, gently tapping it against his boot, producing a low ¡°thud, thud¡± sound. His name was Jake Riley, an old friend of Ethan Cross and an early mechanic at Federation Corp. His skin was dark, a faint scar marked his face, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes bore the traces of time, exuding a steady air. His broad shoulders and casual yet solid stance were like a deeply rooted tree¡ªunassuming, but reliable. The mud on his boots and the calluses on his hands told the story of his years¡ªfrom assembling Federation Corp¡¯s first ship to repairing broken engines in the ruins of colonies, his skills had never rusted.


    Seeing Ethan push the door open and step out, Jake raised an eyebrow, stopped tapping the wrench, and walked forward, his voice low and slightly hoarse. ¡°Done arguing? Judging by your face, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve completely broken ties.¡± He leaned against the wall, his tone carrying little surprise, as if he had long anticipated this day.


    Ethan nodded, his tone heavy. ¡°He wants to colonize the system, Jake. I couldn¡¯t stop him¡ªI can only do this on my own. What about you?¡± His gaze landed on Jake, carrying a trace of expectation. He knew Jake wasn¡¯t the type to sway with the wind; no matter how chaotic the situation, Jake had always gotten the job done steadily over the years.


    Jake lowered his head to glance at the wrench in his hand, then grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. His smile held a hint of bitterness but remained candid. ¡°Victor, that guy, his ambition¡¯s too big¡ªhe¡¯ll end up ruining himself sooner or later. I¡¯m with you. Back in the workshop when we were fixing ships, you gave me a hand¡ªI owe you.¡± He patted the wrench, his tone calm yet firm. ¡°Besides, following you gives me peace of mind. At least I know what I¡¯m doing, instead of living on edge every day.¡± He paused, then looked up at Ethan, a glint of trust in his eyes. ¡°Back then, you said you wanted to make humanity¡¯s lives better¡ªI believed you. Now that you¡¯re taking this path, I still believe you.¡±


    Ethan gave a bitter smile. ¡°Big plans? We¡¯ve got to survive first. Victor¡¯s colonial army already controls half the system¡ªwe¡¯re starting from scratch.¡± He rubbed his temples, exhaustion tinged with a trace of unwillingness.


    Jake shrugged, his tone light but carrying the confidence of a seasoned veteran. ¡°From scratch, then. My hands can still fix things. That bunch at Federation Corp looks down on me, saying my skills are outdated, but these ¡®outdated¡¯ tricks have saved lives more times than they can count¡ªwhat do they know?¡± He tapped the wrench against his boot again, grinning. ¡°So, what¡¯s the first step? These tools of mine don¡¯t like sitting idle.¡±


    Ethan fell silent for a moment, his gaze resolute. ¡°Find people, build a team. I want to show Victor he chose the wrong path.¡± He patted Jake¡¯s shoulder, just like back in the workshop days¡ªno more words were needed between them.


    Jake nodded, hoisting the wrench onto his shoulder, his voice low. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this. I¡¯m good at fixing ships, and I can manage a fight too¡ªwe¡¯ve got to show him a thing or two.¡± He turned and walked toward the end of the corridor, his steps steady, still the dependable old partner who could shoulder any burden at a moment¡¯s notice.


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    The meeting room door slammed shut with a ¡°bang,¡± and Ethan Cross¡¯s footsteps faded into the distance at the end of the corridor, leaving behind a heavy silence in the room. Derek Voss held a half-cup of cold coffee, his eyes darting toward Victor Kane. He quickly stepped closer to Victor, slightly bowing, forcing a fawning smile as he lowered his voice. ¡°Boss Kane, Ethan really doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him! You gave him so many chances, and he still dares to go against you here¡ªhe¡¯s asking for trouble.¡± He glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, lowering his voice further. ¡°Was my performance today satisfactory, sir? I laid out the advantages of your plan clearly¡ªthose board members should be fully convinced.¡±


    Victor didn¡¯t respond, standing with his back to Derek in front of the large screen, his fingers slowly rubbing the edge of the table. His shoulders slumped slightly, as if suppressing something, the creases on the back of his suit rising and falling with his breathing, revealing a hint of fatigue. After a moment, he turned to look at Derek.


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress in the tech department?¡± he asked, completely ignoring Derek¡¯s flattery.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s going smoothly, Boss Kane! The new colonial ship prototype has entered its final testing phase, and efficiency has improved a lot. Without Ethan, we can actually speed things up! He was always bringing up those pointless ¡®humanitarian concerns¡¯ for every piece of tech, wasting so much time.¡± Derek grinned, growing smug on his own. ¡°With my technical brain at your service, I¡¯ll make sure the colonial plan goes off without a hitch¡ªwho in the system would dare defy us?¡±


    Victor scoffed, turning to stare at him, a flash of contempt in his eyes. ¡°Technical brain? Don¡¯t overestimate yourself. All you¡¯re good for is running errands.¡± He waved his hand as if shooing a fly. ¡°Go, clean up the project files Ethan left behind¡ªI don¡¯t want to see a single trace of him.¡± His voice was cold as ice, yet there was a faint, barely noticeable tremor in it.


    Derek¡¯s smile froze for a moment. This old fox, looking down on me? Fine, I¡¯ll hold back for now¡ªsooner or later, I¡¯ll show him what I¡¯m worth! He nodded hurriedly, turning to rummage through cabinets, frantically gathering Ethan¡¯s old files, though his eyes kept sneaking glances at Victor.


    Meanwhile, in the lobby downstairs, a short-haired woman walked slowly, her steps brisk yet steady, clutching a large stack of files to her chest. Her name was Rebecca Shaw, a technical analyst at Federation Corp. Rebecca scanned her surroundings, noticing her colleagues¡¯ hurried, expressionless faces, and felt a twinge of discomfort.


    She looked up at the lights of the top-floor meeting room, muttering under her breath, ¡°Another argument?¡± It was the third time in two weeks. She adjusted the weight of the files and continued walking. Just as she reached the elevator, her communicator buzzed¡ªit was a message from Evan: Confirmed departure for the resource planet tomorrow, mission duration about one month. She frowned.


    She had heard from Evan that Ethan had repeatedly opposed aggressive colonial plans in high-level meetings, while Victor pushed for harsher expansion. Now, with the lights still on so late, it was undoubtedly another heated dispute. Rebecca speculated that the rift at the top was growing wider, while ordinary employees like them were kept in the dark, tasked only with carrying out increasingly dangerous missions. How much of the ideals this company was founded on still remain?


    Hearing the sound of arguing from the meeting room, she shook her head. Federation Corp might look polished on the surface, but beneath it, dark currents surged. Everyone played their role in this power game, while the real decisions always happened behind closed doors. She let out a soft sigh, pressed the elevator button, and prepared to return to her workspace to continue working late.

 The Starting Point of Rebirth

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    On an abandoned mining planet, the air carried the scent of sulfur and engine oil, the sky stained a grayish-yellow by dust and mist, as if forever draped in a heavy shroud of mourning. Ethan Cross stood before the wreckage of an old ship, holding a charred circuit board, his brow furrowed. The ship was named Dawn, the first prototype vessel he and Victor had designed together in the early days of Federation Corp. Back then, it had carried their dreams, rough but brimming with hope¡ªits engine hand-welded, its hull pieced together from recycled metal, even the control panel¡¯s buttons scavenged from a junk market. Now, discarded by Federation Corp, it lay abandoned in this desolate mining zone, as if it were a forgotten relic. Ethan¡¯s gaze swept over its rusted hull, and he murmured, ¡°Victor may have thrown you away, but I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡± He patted the faded characters of ¡°Dawn¡± on the ship¡¯s side, then turned to look at Jake Riley behind him.


    Nearby, Jake Riley crouched on the ground, using a wrench to pry open a rusted engine cover, a cigarette dangling unlit from his mouth. He waved a hand to disperse the rising dust, inspecting the old propulsion system, occasionally letting out a thoughtful hum.


    ¡°With this pile of scrap metal, can it even fly?¡± Jake glanced up at Ethan, his tone half-joking, half-serious.


    Ethan gave a bitter smile, tossing the circuit board aside. He paused for a moment, This thing can¡¯t even take on a colonial scout ship, but we¡¯ve got to start somewhere. He brushed the dust off his hands. ¡°Fix it up, and it¡¯ll fly. We¡¯ve got no money, no fleet¡ªwe can only start by picking through the scrap heap.¡±


    Jake spat out the cigarette, stood up, and wiped the oil smudge from his face. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got nothing better to do anyway. Building a team to take on Federation Corp sounds insane as hell, but I like a challenge.¡± He looked around at the desolate scene, the ground littered with discarded mechanical parts and cracked, dry soil. ¡°But do you really think we can recruit anyone? In this system, people are either Victor¡¯s lackeys or terrified refugees.¡±


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    Ethan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the colonial army outpost faintly visible on the distant horizon. That bastard Victor already has half the system in his grip, but I refuse to believe no one wants to fight back. He said firmly, ¡°There are always those who won¡¯t submit. Yesterday, I contacted a guy named Nick¡ªhe says he¡¯s a deserter from the colonial army and is willing to bring a few people over. As long as we can get a working ship, they¡¯ll join us.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s gaze fell once more on the scarred hull of the Dawn, a spark of hope igniting in his heart¡ªshe had been Federation Corp¡¯s earliest success, a symbol of his and Victor¡¯s original ideals, and now, she would become the starting point of their rebirth.


    Jake raised an eyebrow. ¡°Deserter soldiers? Can we trust them?¡±


    ¡°How will we know if we don¡¯t try?¡± Ethan turned, picked up a metal plate, and handed it to Jake. ¡°First, let¡¯s get this pile of scrap in order. Nick arrives tomorrow¡ªwe need something decent to show for ourselves. Step one is to repair the communication system and the engine, then we need to find a permanent base and start recruiting more people.¡±


    Ethan looked toward the distant horizon, his expression heavy. These days were especially tough. Fuel was scarce, food was limited, and they constantly worried that the colonial army¡¯s patrols would discover their makeshift camp. Jake and Ethan took turns keeping watch at night, repairing the ship while listening to system communications, searching for potential allies.


    Jake took the metal plate, grinning. This kid, he¡¯s got a real stubborn streak. Whether this works or not, we¡¯ll see what fate has in store. He tapped the engine with his wrench. ¡°Alright, give me three days¡ªI¡¯ll make sure it flies. But you¡¯ve got to promise me, once it¡¯s up, the first shot we fire is at Victor¡¯s pack of mutts.¡±


    Ethan nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a given. We¡¯re not just building a team¡ªwe¡¯re building a company: Rebirth Company. Not to plunder resources, but to restore balance to the system and give people a real choice.¡±