All sounds faded as the Tugboat left the station and entered the vacuum of space. Kai sat strapped into his seat, feeling strangely vulnerable, like he was exposed to the void itself. The only thing keeping him from becoming another piece of drifting space debris was the harness holding him in place.

Through the open sides of the ship, Kai could see the cosmic maelstrom in the distance. It looked like a surreal painting, with the space beyond it distorted, as though reality itself was bending under its influence. If Kai had to rank places he wanted to visit in the universe, this would undoubtedly sit at the bottom of the list.

To even exist near the maelstrom was dangerous; to live within its influence, as the people of the Maelstrom Forge did, was unthinkable. To thrive, as they had managed, was nothing short of miraculous.

And now, Kai was heading straight for the danger. He thought he could almost feel the gradual tug of the vortex’s gravitational pull. The ship was cruising slowly away from the station. The silence was unsettling, broken only by the occasional creaks and groans of the Tugboat’s hull.

“You see those tiny dots floating in and out of the vortex?” Earl’s gravelly voice broke the silence.

Kai squinted, “Yeah. Are those what we’re after?”

“No,” Earl said, shaking his head. “Those are too close to the vortex. If we get that near, we’ll get sucked in ourselves. What we’re looking for...” He pointed outward, his finger steady.

Kai followed Earl’s gesture, his eyes searching the turbulent space. It took him a moment, but he finally spotted it—a single dot moving faster than the others, a rogue fragment flung from the vortex. It appeared small from this distance, but Kai knew better. In space, perspective was everything.

“That’s what we want,” Earl said with a satisfied nod. “A rock like that will provide enough rare metals for a whole ship.”

Kai’s curiosity piqued. “How big is it?”

“About half a kilometer in length, width, and height,” Earl replied casually.

Kai swallowed, the sheer scale of the task dawning on him. Five hundred cubic meters. That was more than ten times the size of the Tugboat.

Earl noticed Kai’s reaction and chuckled. “Don’t let it intimidate you. Think of it like catching a fish jumping out of the water. Except this fish weighs a thousand ton. You’ve got to catch it on its upward trajectory. If you try to grab it when it’s falling back, you’ll go down with it.”

Kai nodded, trying to suppress his nerves.

“All right,” Rachel’s voice crackled through the comms. “We’re making a short jump to put us closer to the vortex. Heads up, Kai—this might get a little trippy.”

The ship accelerated, and the space around them began to warp and distort. The maelstrom loomed larger in Kai’s view, expanding until it dominated his entire field of vision. Lights, colors, and shapes twisted in impossible patterns, bending and shifting as if reality itself was being torn apart.

Kai gripped his harness tightly, his pulse quickening. For a fleeting moment, he felt as though he were falling into the vortex. Then, just as abruptly, the ship slowed, and the disorienting sensation passed. Kai exhaled a shaky breath, relief washing over him.

“How far are we from the vortex now?” Kai asked, still staring at the swirling chaos.

“It’s hard to gauge by sight,” Rook, the engineer, replied. “But we usually stop about a thousand clicks outside the danger zone. Far enough to avoid being pulled in.”

Kai’s eyes widened as he processed the distance. “A thousand kilometers?”

“That’s right,” Rook confirmed, tightening a strap on his suit.

Kai turned his gaze back to the vortex, the kaleidoscope of colors and lights stretching infinitely before him. He could barely comprehend the scale of what he was looking at, let alone the danger that came with it.

“Having second thoughts?” Johnson, the copilot, asked with a smirk.

Kai shook his head. “No.”

“Good,” Johnson said with a chuckle. “Because it’s a little late to back out now.”

"New guy is in, alright. Rook, begin scanning," Johnson’s voice came through the comms.

"Already on it," Rook replied, his eyes locked onto a handheld device linked to the ship's sensors.

Kai turned his gaze to the vortex. The tiny dots he’d seen earlier were now much larger, tumbling in and out of the maelstrom’s chaotic grip. The rocks were jagged and uneven, their surfaces glowing faintly from the intense gravitational and magnetic forces that had shaped them. If sound could travel through the vacuum of space, Kai was sure he’d hear a deep, resonant rumble, like molten lava boiling in the heart of a volcano.

"Got one," Rook said, his voice tinged with excitement. "Two o’clock, below us. Still on its upward trajectory."

The ship accelerated instantly, its engines roaring as it closed in on the target. Kai leaned forward, peering down as the massive rock came into view. It was enormous, its surface a mixture of dark, metallic sheen and glowing orange veins. It shimmered unnaturally, almost alive, as it flew in an upward arc while curving horizontally. The Tugboat matched its path, hovering just above it with precise maneuvers.

"Kai, get ready," Earl instructed.

Kai nodded, his breath steadying as he unstrapped himself and moved to the side door. The ship's frame vibrated subtly beneath his boots as it maintained its position. He stood by the opening, staring into the chaos below. The swirling vortex stretched endlessly, a kaleidoscope of violent colors and distorted light. He inhaled deeply. Now, he truly understood what it meant to be standing at the edge of death.

"Kai, take the cable," Earl said, gesturing toward a thick tube-like cable hanging by the opening.

Kai grabbed it, his grip firm. The cable was surprisingly heavy. It looped around the ship, running from the point where he held it all the way to the rear. He wrapped his arms around it, feeling its steady weight.

The Tugboat adjusted its speed slightly, pulling ahead of the rock. Kai’s heartbeat quickened, a rush of adrenaline coursing through him. The warmth of the strange liquid in his body spread, sharpening his senses and steadying his hands.

Earl’s voice cut through the comms. "Stay calm, Kai. Watch the rock’s movement. Remember, you’ve only got one shot at this."

Kai nodded again, focusing intently on the massive object below. The swirling chaos of the maelstrom faded from his mind. All that mattered now was the rock and the cable in his hands.

"Wait for my signal," Earl said. "Not yet… not yet…"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Kai crouched slightly, ready to leap into the void. The gravitational pull of the vortex tugged faintly at him, a chilling reminder of what lay below. The ship flew a little closer to the rock.

"Now!" Earl shouted.

Without hesitation, Kai launched himself out of the ship. The propulsion system in his mining suit activated, stabilizing his movements as he descended toward the rock. The airless void was eerily silent as he approached, his every breath amplified in his helmet.

The rock loomed closer, its jagged edges and glowing veins pulsing faintly. Kai adjusted his trajectory, aligning himself with its surface. The warmth in his body surged, guiding his movements with uncanny precision.

He reached out with the cable, the tube-like material extending as he approached the rock. His gloves connected with its cold, rough surface, he tried to connect the cable to the rock, but the lights on the end of the device flashed red, signaling an unstable connection point. Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced up. The Tugboat was already positioning itself, its engines revving, ready for the pull.

Panic bubbled up inside him. He took a few hurried steps in another direction and tried again, pressing the cable’s anchor against the rock. Again, the light blinked red—no good. His breaths came quicker as doubt crept in. Was he doing something wrong? Was he going to fail?

“It’s taking too long,” Rook’s voice crackled through the comms, tense with urgency.

“Give it one more try, Kai,” Earl said, his voice steady,.

Kai sprinted further along the rock’s jagged surface, his eyes scanning desperately. He spotted a patch of stone with a faintly different texture, its surface smoother, the color slightly lighter. Without hesitation, he slammed the anchor into the spot. The device beeped and flashed green. The cable straightened itself with a mechanical whir.

“I got it!” Kai shouted into the comms, relief flooding his voice.

“It’s too late!” Earl’s voice came back sharply. “Abort the mission! We’re out of time!”

Kai looked up, and his stomach dropped. The rock had passed its peak and was beginning to fall back toward the vortex. The ship had already started rotating itself, ready to pull the rock out, but they were drifting too close to the vortex's pull. He could feel it—the gravitational force tugging at him, dragging him toward certain death.

“Kai, disconnect the cable!” Earl’s voice was louder now, tinged with urgency.

His hands fumbled at the release lever, his heart pounding. The pull of the vortex was getting stronger. Every second felt like an eternity. Kai kicked at the release mechanism with all his strength, and the cable detached with a hiss. Gripping the tube tightly, he shouted into the mic, “Pull me out!”

The Tugboat’s thrusters roared to life, the ship straining to pull away from the vortex’s grasp. Kai hugged the cable with everything he had, his suit's propulsion system struggling to stabilize him. He could feel the gravitational pull intensifying, pressing down on his chest, making it harder to breathe. Panic clawed at him as he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Thrusters at maximum!” Johnson’s voice came through, tight with concentration. The comms fell silent after that, no one daring to speak.

Kai held his breath, his body trembling with fear. Eliana's face appeared in his mind, he wanted to see her again. Then, gradually, he felt the weight on his shoulders lighten. He opened his eyes to see the Tugboat climbing away from the vortex, the ship’s speed increasing with every passing moment.

A collective cheer erupted in his ears.

“That was damn close,” Rook said, his voice thick with relief.

“This is why I love this fucking job!” Johnson hollered, his tone a mix of exhilaration and adrenaline.

The Tugboat finally broke free of the vortex’s gravitational pull, its engines humming steadily now. Kai exhaled shakily, his body still tense from the near-death experience. The ship slowed, and moments later, Earl and Rook exited the ship to meet Kai in space.

“Good job, kid,” Earl said, patting Kai’s shoulder as they secured him and brought him back to the ship.

“You alright?” Rook asked, grinning as he helped Kai remove his gear.

Kai nodded, though his hands still shook slightly. “I’m fine... I think. But I thought I messed up?”

Rook chuckled, shaking his head. “No, you didn’t. It’s a success as long as we get out alive. Sometimes it takes more than a dozen tries to snag even one rock. You did fine.”

Earl clapped him on the back. “You’ve got guts, kid. And that's already half of the success in this kind of job.”

Kai managed a faint smile in acknowledgement, he looked towards the vortex again. A part of him wanted to escape, to go back to the station and the mission be damned. Who cares about the delay. Anything—anything was better than what he was about to face again.

Earl and Rook left Kai to reset the cable, giving him a moment to rest. Kai leaned against the wall of the Tugboat, his breaths slowing as the adrenaline began to subside.

But then, an unfamiliar sensation surged through his body. The liquid inside him—whatever it was—felt alive, more than ever before. Warmth flooded his veins, rising from his core to the top of his head. His vision blurred for a moment, and then a voice echoed in his mind.

"Conquer fear."

The words came in his own voice, louder than any thought he’d ever had. It startled him, freezing him in place.

"Conquer fear."

There it was again, the phrase reverberating in his skull. Kai’s eyes darted around, searching for something—anything—that made sense. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breath, but the voice returned, louder.

"Conquer fear."

He opened his eyes again, and his breath caught in his throat. Earl was gone. Rook was gone. The Tugboat, the cables—everything—had vanished.

He was falling.

The vortex spun below him, its chaotic pull promising destruction, a beast waiting to claim him. The swirling lights and shadows drew closer with every heartbeat.

Kai inhaled sharply, his breaths becoming quick and shallow. His hands instinctively moved to activate his suit’s thrusters, but nothing happened. He hit the button again, harder this time. Still nothing.

"Conquer fear."

The voice repeated, unrelenting. Kai’s chest tightened as panic began to claw at him. He screamed, but no sound escaped his lips. He clenched his fists and stared into the vortex, refusing to close his eyes.

"Conquer fear."

He exhaled a shaky breath and muttered, "Take me, then." He crossed his arms over his chest, angling his body into a dive. The gravitational force grew stronger, pulling him faster. Rocks the size of buildings hurtled past him as he weaved and dodged, the chaos of the maelstrom engulfing him.

"CONQUER FEAR!"

"Sorry, Eliana," Kai murmured, his voice barely audible over the roar in his mind. "I have to do this."

The pull of the vortex felt like it was ripping him apart. His body screamed in protest, his muscles trembling as if they were about to give out. It was the same unbearable pain he’d felt the day the liquid first entered him—sharp, invasive, like claws raking through his very being.

But he stood firm.

"Conquer fear," he murmured, gritting his teeth against the onslaught. Another wave of warmth surged through his body, even stronger than before. It spread to every fiber of his being, burning away the pain.

Then, everything shifted.

A sudden light blinded him, and the noise of the vortex fell away. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. Earl and Rook's faces appeared before him, their expressions filled with worry.

“Kai!” Earl’s voice was urgent, pulling him back to reality. “Are you alright? You weren’t responding to our comms.”

Kai blinked, disoriented. His breaths came in shallow gasps as he tried to process what had just happened.

“Your eyes,” Rook said, his tone uneasy. He leaned closer, staring directly at Kai. “They’re... glowing.”

Kai froze, his hand instinctively brushing over his face.

Earl turned off the light shining into Kai’s face, but the glow persisted. It was a faint soft, eerie luminescence radiating from his eyes.

“What the hell just happened to you?” Rook asked, his voice trembling slightly.

The warmth was still there, lingering in his veins like a quiet hum. He couldn’t explain it, but something inside him had changed again.

Kai stood at the edge of the Tugboat, his body slightly leaning out. He stared into the swirling chaos of the vortex below, his lips curling slightly upwards. The vibrant, shifting lights of the maelstrom seemed to challenge him.

“Target found, ten o’clock low,” Rook announced.

The Tugboat’s engines roared as it adjusted course, aligning itself with the target. Kai’s eyes locked onto the distant rock, a jagged mass spinning erratically as it arced upward.

“Kai, you ready?”