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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 470
Since the dawn of human history, one thing has never changed.
That is territorial consciousness. Even after humanity expanded into space and nations vanished, the notion of territory remained the same.
In the past, people claimed land ownership to farm crops or raise livestock.
Now, they lay claim to entire planets to extract resources and to herd humans.
On the boundless ocean of space, sliced apart by invisible lines, there floated a single spacecraft.
It was a MegaCorp-manufactured mining vessel, having just succeeded in a warp jump.
“Jump successful. Entering engine stabilization phase.”
“Any Outsiders nearby?”
“None detected, Captain.”
Even though the faster-than-light jump had been completed without incident, tension lingered on the bridge.
“Surveillance Chief?”
“I’ll check.”
The one called the Surveillance Chief wore a specially-made helmet and waved her hand. The cables trailing from the back of the helmet swayed like living snakes.
“...Hmm. Nothing that looks particularly dangerous.”
A moment later, the Surveillance Chief removed her helmet, revealing two horns atop her head unlike the other crew.
“Phew.”
At her words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good news. Mining team and material management team, get ready.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Captain Hanseong Samyuel finally allowed herself to relax and issued the mining order to her crew.
“And the Surveillance Chief did good work again this time.”
At the captain’s commendation, she only nodded in reply instead of speaking.
It was a rather arrogant attitude, but Hanseong paid it no mind. The horned woman, Heinri, was worth it.
About a month ago, Hanseong had captured a civilian ship of the Cult that had drifted into MegaCorp territory. That vessel carried refugees fleeing from the Outsider offensive Heinri among them.
‘So it’s true she’s from Verzan-02. She’s been very useful.’
As a Third Capital native from Titan’s satellite, Hanseong knew well what Verzan-02 had been like.
Once one of the Empire’s economic pillars, the place had mysteriously fallen to ruin.
Heinri had been an information broker in that world. Thanks to that background, she was well-versed in alien machinery and weaponry.
The Cult-style surveillance radar mounted on the mining vessel was entirely her doing.
Because of it, the ship was able to travel relatively safely even amidst the height of Outsider incursions.
Han had been exploiting that dual detection system to illegally mine in safe star systems.
‘Heh. While everyone else hides, I’ll make a killing.’
She smiled faintly as she watched her crew working hard.
“Mining complete.”
“Hmm.”
Minutes later, the results of the operation appeared as a hologram on the bridge. Hanseong nodded.
“Just as predicted. Good. Let’s move to the coordinates of our next target.”
The resting engines roared back to life. The hull shivered faintly under the strain of faster-than-light travel.
The next mining target was located in the same stellar system just a few minutes away, barring any unexpected trouble.
“Uh? Captain... the target’s gone.”
“What?”
“Instead, a new celestial body has appeared at that location.”
The crew member operating the console brought up a holographic map.
The marked mining target had vanished, its place taken by the signal of an unfamiliar asteroid.
“I think this calls for a closer look. Stop the ship.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The crew hurriedly disengaged from the faster-than-light drive, and soon the mining vessel came to a halt.
“Where did that thing come from?”
“No idea. It’s an unregistered object with no record of it in this system’s charts.”
“Hmm. Let’s run a mineral scan to see what it is.”
“Mineral scanner ready.”
｢It’s very important. Please spare me a moment.｣
Hanseong was slightly taken aback; Heinri's face was as pale as a corpse.
“Navigation Chief. I’ll be stepping out for a moment when you have the bridge.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Leaving command in her subordinate’s hands, Hanseong stepped out of the bridge alongside Heinri.
｢Recall that probe at once. Immediately.｣
The moment they were outside, Heinri spoke in a trembling voice thick with urgency.
“What?”
｢We need to get out of here this instant even a second counts. There’s no time.｣
“Where’s this coming from? Did the Outsiders?”
｢Damn it! What’s out there is more dangerous than they are!｣
More dangerous than the Outsiders? The sudden claim left Hanseong momentarily at a loss.
“What do you mean by that? Explain yourself.”
｢…The day I escaped from Verzan-02, I met a customer at my shop.｣
Heinri’s words faltered, and suddenly her face looked a decade older under the weight of memory.
｢It was… something, wearing the shape of a Cultist. In all my years, I had never met a presence so utterly dangerous. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to get off that planet immediately.｣
“And what does that have to do with this?”
｢The fear I felt back then… I’m feeling it again.｣
Han simply could not fully grasp what the aged Cultist was speaking of.
But there was one thing she understood without question
The same terror that had devoured Verzan-02 was close.
“Captain? You’d better come take a look at this.”
A crewman from the bridge emerged and called to her.
“Captain! Believe me we must”
“That’s enough. I understand you. Once we’re inside, we’ll deal with it.”
｢Please! I’m begging you remember my words!｣
Leaving the desperate Surveillance Chief behind, Hanseong followed the crewman back into the bridge.
“This is the bridge. The probe is too close to the target. Repeat the probe is”
“Communications are unstable, Captain.”
“Idiots! I told them not to get any closer. What the hell are they doing?!”
In the short time she’d been gone, the atmosphere had shifted sharply.
“Navigation Chief, what’s going on?”
“The mining team disobeyed orders they’re approaching the target.”
As the Nav Chief spoke, he pointed toward the holographic display.
The asteroid that had been no larger than a fingernail moments ago now loomed massive, filling the entire projection.
The probe’s feed showed it closing in on the strange, black sphere.
“Tell them to stop immediately!”
“Impossible we’ve got an unknown comms interference!”
“What do you mean, comms inter”
｢crkkhereMining Teamcrkk｣
The sudden transmissions froze the bridge in silence.
“Mining Team, return at once. Repeat, abort and return immediately.”
｢Capcrkkun…derstoodcrkkbeginning sample collection..crkk｣
“Sample collection? Did you authorize this, Navigation Chief?”
“No, Captain!”
“Mining Team! Do not approach, return to the ship immediately!”
｢crkkNocrkkmust gocrkkthe starsare calling...crkkit...uscrkk｣
“What the hell is that nonsense?! Mining Team! Return now!”
｢Negative. We… crkk… must go… crkk… must go…｣
The voice from the long-range comms had changed repeating the same words over and over, each syllable dripping with a mad, feverish devotion.
Everyone on the bridge felt the creeping dread envelop the air.
Then Hanseong’s eyes, almost against her will, turned to the hologram
And what she saw made them go wide, almost tearing at the corners.
“E–Engage warp right now! Hurry!”
“W–What? But we haven’t”
“Out of the way!”
She shoved aside the hesitant crewman and slammed her hands on the controls herself.
The probe’s feed was abruptly cut off, replaced by blank space the ship had entered FTL transit.
“Captain! Compose yourself!”
“It’s dangerous!”
｢It might follow us!｣
“Follow us? What do you mean by?”
“We have to get as far away as farther farther”
“Damn it! Restrain the Captain!”
“Reset the course to the nearest safe zone!”
The crew scrambled, wrestling her away from the controls.
An FTL jump without a properly set destination was suicide Hanseong knew that well as captain.
But right now, she didn’t care; she had no room in her mind for anything but escape.
Just before the feed cut out, the last thing she saw… was a mouth.
A vast, gaping maw rising from the “surface” of the black sphere, closing in to devour its prey.
“Course input error! Engaging emergency drop from warp!”
“Sh! Everyone, brace for impact! Brace!”
｢Emergency! Attention all hands! Emergency!｣
Shouts from every corner of the ship.
Red warning lights bathing the bridge in blood-colored urgency.
The chaos was deafening but Hanseong, buried in her panic, barely registered any of it.
“We have to run. We have to run. We have to”
“Fortress ahead! Collision in five seconds!”
“Captain! Watch ou...!”
“AAAHHH!”
Mercifully, the fear didn’t last long.
The screech of tearing metal was the last thing Hanseong ever heard.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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