Wild Space - Hound
"This asteroid belt is way too damn dense. Even a standard nav computer's algorithms can't crunch through that density."
Bani jabbed at the holographic map with a grim expression. The red zone sprawled across it like scattered grains of sand—countless asteroids of all sizes, hurtling along erratic orbits. A cosmic minefield if there ever was one.
"Standard survey ships all detour around this sector. Safety first, after all."
His finger traced a wide berth around the asteroid field, marking the safe route.
"How much extra time would that add?"
I asked, and Bani paused to run the numbers before shaking his head.
"The Night Raven's tuned for speed—way faster than your average freighter—but it'd still tack on about two days. Price you pay for playing it safe."
"Two days..."
I propped my chin on my fist, lost in thought. We'd sailed smooth so far, but something about this stretch had my spine tingling. Lingering a few days in the Echoes of the Dead Nebula hadn't sat right either.
My gut's screaming no.
That razor-edge scent of death I'd sniffed out countless times on the battlefield. Instinct was flashing red lights—delaying here was a bad call.
I drew a straight line right through the heart of the red zone on the map.
"We punch through the asteroids. Head-on."
"What? Kal, you deaf or something? That's suicide! Get caught between those rocks, and your shields'll flatline in seconds—the hull'll crumple like tin foil!"
Bani recoiled in horror, but my gaze didn't waver.
"I've got tech I trust for it."
"What tech? I know you're a wizard pilot, but this ain't some stunt-flying detour."
"Couldn't tell you the exact mechanics... but it's tied to Eve."
That violet shield I'd seen back when we first hit the Outer Rim, clashing with those pirate ships. A barrier that danced between science and the supernatural. If that power could hold, we could blast through.
"Eve?"
"Those crystalline deposits coating the hull right now? All handmade by her."
"Handmade...?"
"Close enough. Don't know the nitty-gritty myself, but Nahibi called it something near creation itself. A rare gift, even among queens."
"Holy hell... so the xenoform queens are even more beyond-the-pale than I figured."
Bani whistled low.
"That's what I'm thinking. Words won't do it justice—see for yourself."
> SHIELD SYSTEM ON
A low hum vibrated through the hull from outside. Beyond the bridge viewport, the familiar blue glow of Federation-standard energy shields unfurled. Nothing special so far.
Then, moments later, a thick violet membrane rose over the blue like an aurora. Hexagonal honeycomb patterns, densely woven—like the scales of some living beast.
"What the—!"
Bani shot to his feet.
"Violet shields... I've never even heard of tech like this."
"Let's test it."
I gripped the controls and swung the nose toward a house-sized asteroid dead ahead.
"Kal?! Hold up—you're not seriously gonna ram it?!"
"Brace yourself!"
The ship slammed headlong into the rock. Normally, the whole vessel would've shuddered, alarms blaring like mad.
But instead of a crash... something soft yielded, pushing back.
The violet shield touched the asteroid, and it crumbled to dust or slid away like butter. Not even a tremor registered on the internal sensors.
Damage Rate: 0.3%
"No way..."
Bani's jaw hung slack.
"Good enough to punch through?"
I asked with a grin. He blinked, then lit up with that explorer's fire and nodded.
"Hell yeah. No sweat with this tech! Alright, Kal—recalculating the shortest path. Full throttle, let's rip through!"
"Roger that."
The Night Raven barreled ahead on the revised course, shredding the asteroid field without mercy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At the same time, far from the bridge's tension, the lounge hummed with scholarly peace.
Lydia and Eve sat side by side on the sofa, peering at a hologram.
"Okay, Eve—what about this one? Too pretty, right?"
Lydia's screen displayed a Federation rare creature compendium.
A butterfly with wings like jeweled glass flitted across the display.
"Look at those wings—thin as stained glass, transparent crystal that casts rainbow shadows in sunlight. And when it flies, the wings chime together like crystal wind bells. Pure magic, huh?"
Lydia gushed, eyes sparkling. Eve stared holes through the screen.
"Yeah. Shiny pretty."
Simple words, but behind those red eyes churned calculations Lydia couldn't fathom.
Shiny. Like candy. Crunchy if I bite the wings? Crystal wings? Organic silicon compounds? That structure could refract light for optical camouflage. Wings so pretty, hehe. Wanna hear the chime~
"Sis, show me more!"
"You got it—curious little thing, aren't you? How's this?"
Lydia, assuming Eve just loved cute critters, eagerly swiped to the next.
A deep-sea jellyfish, body transparent black flecked with galaxy-like glowing specks.
"Deep-sea jellyfish. Transparent black body packed with stardust cells that shimmer like a Milky Way. Sprinkles comet-tail light from its tentacles—looks like the ocean's got a slice of space, hence the name."
"Whoa... so shiny."
Eve zoomed in. Tiny lights bobbed inside the black gel.
"Sis, what do they eat? Why the glow? What's with the sparkles?"
"Uh... let's see. Plankton, apparently. Proteins and calcium mix for the light—usually blue down there? But Star Jelly's got this NoKemi compound that makes it gold. Rare color fools predators."
Lydia read aloud, inwardly impressed. Eve's a genius. Not just looks—diving into the biology. Should I tutor her?
Eve fidgeted her fingers unconsciously.
Want those glowing bits. Array for hive lights? Boost energy storage? Shiny genes... tasty.
She beamed up at Lydia.
"Sis, can we see inside closer? Like, sliced-up pics?"
"Sliced-up? Oh, dissections! If you want, I'll dig 'em up!"
Lydia pulled up anatomical diagrams and gene maps, mistaking it for kid curiosity, and dove into explanations with gusto.
"Here's the photophore organ..."
"Mhm. Got it. Hehe."
Eve nodded with a sunny smile, eyes scanning the gene code hungrily beneath it all.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Breaking through the forward dense pack!"
As Bani shouted, the gray boulders choking the viewscreen receded.
The last massive asteroid stubbornly blocking our path shattered against the violet shield. We burst through the dust cloud into open void.
"We did it! Clear!"
Bani pumped his fist. I eased off the controls with a relieved exhale.
"Faster than projected. Under eight hours."
"Incredible. Shaves off damn near two days."
Bani thumped the console in excitement.
"That's our warp point ahead. Next one's Money—get us in there."
"On it. Warp sequence initiat—"
Bweeep-bweeep!Bweeep-bweeep!
Radar alarms screamed bloody murder.
"What the hell? Asteroid collision?"
"Negative! Heat signatures!"
I slapped up the tactical overlay. Empty space near the warp point. Then, from the dark, dozens of red dots swarmed us.
MISSILE APPROACH WARNING!
Multiple guided missiles detected!
"Shit! Ambush!"
I bellowed as a thunderous boom rocked the ship.
The Night Raven bucked wildly. Untouched by asteroids, but this hit made her scream.
"Nngh!"
Safety harness bit into me as I groaned. Shields plunged to 40%.
"Shields that ate rocks whole, rattled by a few missiles?"
"Not standard ordnance. Military shield-piercing warheads!"
Apex goons, no doubt—mil-spec tech. I killed the shields to fake a kill.
Through smoke and fire, sleek black-stamped ships emerged. Not one—a destroyer-class lead with escort frigates closing in.
And on that destroyer's flank: a glowing red wolf-head emblem.
I'd seen it on the battlefield.
"Hound!"
The name slipped out like a groan. Apex's elite hunter pack. Gut had been right.
Lucky for us, they hadn't banked on the asteroid breakthrough—still distant at the warp point.
The comms screen hijacked itself. Static cleared to a red-visored commander's face.
A modulated mechanical voice chilled the bridge.
"This is Apex Industries' Hound. Night Raven, cut engines and surrender."
"Refuse, and next time it's not your shields—it's your bridge."