Kai listened intently as Isaac explained that the Nexus was essentially Drakmoor’s version of a supercomputer.
Isaac had combined the power of over two-thousand personal computers into one colossal machine capable of solving problems at impressive speeds. A large portion of the funding for this setup had come from Eliana’s father, Kevin. In return, Isaac had designed a custom system that made the daily operations of Draco Mining far more efficient.
Kai thought back to his time in the mines. The most challenging aspect was logistics. Draco Mining’s reliance on low-cost, on-foot mining methods made it difficult to schedule shipments efficiently for each site. Yet, Kai had never noticed a single logistical error in the months he’d worked there. Now he knew who to thank for that.
At present, the Nexus was running at full power, crunching data to calculate Earth’s coordinates. Using a complex formula, it compared the strings of coordinates found in the buried ship to the known map of the galaxy. The process seemed almost magical to Kai, far beyond anything he’d ever experienced.
“Here, take a look at this,” Isaac said, kicking off the floor with his feet. His chair slid smoothly backward to a control panel. His fingers flew over the keyboard, entering a rapid series of commands. Two images appear side by side on the massive screen: one was a simulation of the coordinates from the buried ship, the other a map of the known galaxy.
“Here’s what’s interesting,” Isaac said, his enthusiasm palpable. “The known galaxy map—the one we created—is based on coordinates relative to Aurelia Prime, our home planet. But the coordinates from the buried ship? They’re based on an entirely different point of reference. Now we know that point was Earth.”
Kai nodded, glancing at Eliana and Baiyan, who were also listening closely.
“The computer had to create a completely new model,” Isaac continued. “It had to match the coordinates with star patterns across the galaxy. It’s a complex and tedious process that, honestly, could take years to complete.”
“And yet, you found a match?” Kai asked, leaning forward.
“Yes!” Isaac exclaimed, grinning broadly. “The system just notified me this morning. It found a match, and the probability of it being correct is extraordinarily high!”
“So, you’ve found Earth,” Baiyan said, his voice trembling slightly. “The birthplace of humanity.”
Isaac hesitated. “Well… about that.” He tapped a few more keys, and the screen updated. Lines shot out from the identified location of Earth toward their current position. Most of the lines faded out before even reaching halfway. Only one line stretched farther than the others, but even it cut off before completing the journey.
“These lines represent possible routes from Earth to here,” Isaac explained. “Even with the best commercial jump drives today, capable of covering about 75 light-years per jump, it’s still going to take at least a year. And the buried ship… it didn’t have any jump drive at all.”
The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the implications. The discovery of Earth’s location was monumental, but the realization of its inaccessibility cast a heavy shadow over the moment.
Just as Kai was about to question the legitimacy of the calculations, a thought struck him—something so absurd he almost laughed at the silliness of its implication. But he decided to share it anyway.
“What if they traveled through a wormhole?” Kai suggested, a faint grin forming on his face.
Eliana chuckled at that. “Everyone learns in school that traveling through wormholes is pure fiction. They’re too unstable to be used safely and far too random to access consistently.”
“But you have to remember,” Kai countered, “the crew of that buried ship was desperate. They were humanity’s decoy, the last hope for survival. I think they would’ve tried anything, no matter how risky.”
Eliana nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe there’s something in the diary you found that mentions it?”
“No,” Kai said, shaking his head. “I’ve gone through the diary multiple times. There’s not a single word about wormholes—or even Earth.”
Baiyan, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “Perhaps it was done deliberately, to protect the others. If they feared the thing chasing them could decipher human language, they might have left Earth out intentionally.”
“Possible,” Isaac agreed, leaning back in his chair. “But I think there’s no point debating it here. The only way to know for sure is to find out for ourselves.”
Kai turned to Isaac, confused. “How?”
Isaac adjusted his glasses and looked at him calmly. “We should go to Earth.”
---
“Go to Earth?” Kevin raised his eyebrows after Isaac explained the plan again. He glanced at the others in the room, half-expecting someone to laugh and call it a joke. Instead, he found only serious faces staring back at him.
Kevin sighed, frowning deeply. “The planet you’re talking about is nearly 5,000 light-years away, in uncharted space. There’s no way the Black Swan could handle such a mission.”
Kai nodded in agreement. That was exactly what he’d said to Isaac when the idea was first proposed. But Isaac had countered every objection, revealing that he’d been planning for this moment even while the computer was calculating Earth’s location.
Now, Isaac pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolding it carefully. On it was a detailed blueprint for a starship—familiar in shape yet noticeably different. He grinned as he presented it to the room.
“I give you the upgraded version of the Black Swan,” he announced.
Isaac’s voice brimmed with excitement as he pointed to the key upgrades.
“First, the biggest change: the ship will be fitted with two jump drives instead of one. This will allow the Black Swan to perform two jumps per day, cutting travel time in half.
“Second, a fuel collector capable of harvesting fuel from stars. The more massive the star, the faster it can refuel the ship, meaning we’ll never run out of energy on long stretches.
“Third, a complete overhaul of the ship’s body. The modified Black Swan will be larger, with additional crew space and increased inventory capacity. It’ll be able to host two rotating crews, enabling continuous operation without exhausting anyone.
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“And finally,” Isaac continued, tapping the blueprint, “a new power plant to ensure no power shortages for the upgraded ship. It’s the heart of the design, and it’s efficient enough to support every upgrade we’ve planned.”
Kevin shifted his gaze to Commander Grayson, searching for his opinion.
Grayson studied the blueprint for a moment, his brow furrowed as he considered the logistics. “It’s going to be a stretch,” he admitted, “but this… just might work.”
Kevin was still skeptical. The journey seemed impossible, and the risks were immense. But as he glanced around the room, he saw the determination in everyone’s eyes.
Isaac was visibly excited, practically glowing with enthusiasm for the project. Kai carried that resolute look of someone who felt a profound sense of duty. The Black Swan’s crew seemed ready, their expressions filled with anticipation.
Then Kevin’s eyes landed on Eliana.
She was his daughter, his world, and the thought of not seeing her for a year was gut-wrenching. Without relay stations where they were going, there would be no way to communicate. Yet, as he looked at her, he saw the same determined spark in her eyes that he’d seen before: when she told him she wanted to study martial arts, when she decided to perfect her front-desk skills, and when she announced that she wanted to go with Kai.
Her mother was right. Eliana wasn’t a little girl anymore, and Kevin knew he couldn’t treat her as one.
“Alright,” Kevin finally said, exhaling deeply. “Then it’s decided. The Black Swan will undergo an overhaul and embark on a journey to Earth. Commander Grayson will oversee the modifications and select the crew. Everything should be ready in two weeks.”
The room buzzed with excitement, and Isaac grinned like a man who had just won a personal victory. Eliana smiled softly at her father, silently thanking him for trusting her.
Kevin looked away, trying to hide the ache in his chest. He had made his choice, now he only hoped that they would all return safely.
---
Commander Grayson frowned as he exited the room, leaving behind the celebratory cheers of the Black Swan crew. Baiyan joined in their enthusiasm, while Kai and Eliana spoke in length with Isaac about the upcoming modifications to the ship.
Grayson had agreed to the expedition to Earth, but the risks weighed heavily on his mind.
There was a saying among seasoned pilots in the Federation Space Force: “Never fly out of the bubble; the No Man’s Land will not be kind to you.” It was a warning for anyone tempted to venture far beyond the safety of civilization.
Outside the bubble, there would be no space stations to dock at, no support systems to rely on. They would be entirely on their own, forced to gather every resource they needed to survive.
Grayson wasn’t afraid of risks. Nor was he afraid of taking responsibility. Quite the opposite—he wanted to ensure that every member of the Black Swan returned safely.
And that’s why he needed to find a secondary crew. Most critically, he needed an exceptional pilot.
His first thought was Kai. The young man had demonstrated impressive flying skills during the mission. But Kai was still too young, too green. Grayson doubted he would make the right calls under the kind of pressure this mission would entail. No, he needed someone more experienced, more seasoned. Preferably someone who had seen combat.
Grayson’s thoughts wandered as he sifted through his memories, searching for a name. Finally, a man popped into his mind. He didn’t know the man’s real name, only his call sign: Dust Devil.
The name alone brought a small smile to Grayson’s face. Dust Devil was a dropship pilot known for his low-altitude flying style that always left a trail of dust and smoke behind. The man had pulled off the impossible during a recovery mission, rescuing Grayson and his team from a deadly ambush. He had flown like their lives truly depended on it, skimming just above the ground, darting under bridges, and evading barrages of anti-air shots with precision that bordered on artistry.
Grayson had heard rumors that the man was also on Drakmoor, but tracking him down would be no easy task. Finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—or, in this case, a planet sized desert.
Grayson shook his head. Perhaps it would be simpler to post a hiring notice and see who showed up. But deep down, he knew a pilot like Dust Devil wasn’t someone you recruited through a job posting.
---
The crew of the Black Swan was granted a day of leave to pack up and prepare before their departure. Of the crew, Teresa was the only one who had her home on Drakmoor, so she took the opportunity to visit her family and say her goodbyes. Ivan and Robert, both from other planets, decided to head into the city together. Judging by the mischievous grins on their faces, Kai could only imagine where they were going.
Kai and Eliana exchanged a knowing smile as they watched the two men leave.
“So immature,” Eliana said, pulling a mock disgusted face.
“Let them be,” Kai chuckled. “This will probably be the last time they get laid for a very long time.”
“Well, you’re probably right about that,” Eliana smirked, shaking her head. She turned to him, her tone softening. “So, do you have somewhere you want to go? Anyone you want to say goodbye to?”
Kai paused, thinking. He hadn’t formed many close connections during his time working in the mines. But then, Lily’s face came to mind. She had been kind to him, someone who truly listened when he poured his heart out about his past. She was probably the closest thing to a friend he had on Drakmoor.
Then there was Ray, the transport pilot who had brought him to Drakmoor on his very first day. When Ray learned that Kai was a refugee from Velmorra, he had refused to take a single credit. In fact, Ray was the one who told Kai about the mining job in the first place.
“Maybe I should head back to the town near the mine,” Kai said, meeting Eliana’s gaze. “There are a few people I’d like to say goodbye to.”
Eliana smiled warmly. “Then I shall go with you, you know, just in case one of them was a girl.”
Kai and Eliana took the four-seater craft from the Black Swan. It was the fastest way to reach the small town near the mine. Kai piloted this time, feeling much more comfortable with the controls of the nimble craft. Eliana rode beside him, chatting with him for most of the flight. At some point, however, she stopped responding. When Kai glanced over, he realized she had fallen asleep.
Her face was peaceful, her hair framing her cheeks as her head rested lightly against the seat. Her slightly parted lips and soft, steady breaths gave her an almost childlike innocence. Kai couldn’t help but smile at how adorable she looked, her usual sharp focus replaced by a rare moment of vulnerability.
They had already been through so much together. Eliana had been his constant support, always at his side, even risking her safety to rescue him and Baiyan when they were being chased by the elites.
As they approached the town, Kai brought the craft lower. The town was just barely visible in the distance, a humble collection of structures surrounded by the endless expanse of desert. The craft hummed quietly as its engine powered down slightly, descending closer to the ground.
The town came into clearer view, just as Kai remembered it—small and seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of the planet. Yet it had been his sanctuary during his time working in the mines.
Then something caught his eye. A thin trail of black smoke curled into the sky from the north side of the town.
Frowning, Kai tried to place the location. He brought the craft closer, scanning the ground. That’s when he saw it: a shape lying in the sand, partially obscured by the smoke.
Kai’s heart dropped as recognition hit him. It was Ray’s modified dropship, the same one that had ferried him into the city when he first arrived.
He quickly lowered the craft, bringing it to land a short distance from the dropship.
The dropship was tilted awkwardly in the sand, one side slightly sunken. Its door hung open, swinging gently in the breeze, and the cockpit was also open. The interior was empty—no one was inside. The sight sent a chill through Kai.
“What’s going on?” Eliana asked, her voice groggy but quickly sharpening as the descent woke her. She caught sight of the dropship and immediately frowned, her worry evident.
Kai’s mind raced, trying to piece together what might have happened. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be Lily. Without hesitation, he turned the craft around and flew toward the bar.