Warning: Capital-Sized Signal Detected.

Kai tensed as the alert flashed across his screen. Around him, the crew snapped into action, rapidly working to ready the Black Swan for any potential threats. The hum of the engines rose sharply, and Ivan’s fingers flew across the controls, maneuvering the ship defensively.

Kai’s gaze darted between the radar and the viewport, expecting the massive vessel to appear at any moment. The small dot finally materialized on radar, causing everyone on the bridge to turn their eyes toward the viewport.

Outside, all they could see was a small, cylindrical object hanging motionlessly in space that's was innocuous at first glance, but Kai felt an instinctive unease as he stared at it.

Suddenly, the cylinder began to glow, faintly at first, then more brightly, a strange light emanating from within as it rotated rapidly. Ivan immediately reversed the ship’s thrusters, pulling them away.

Everyone held their breath, preparing for an explosion that never came. Instead, the cylinder’s glow slowly faded, its rotation slowing until it once again floated motionless in the darkness.

Kai exhaled sharply, relief washing over him.

A deep vibration surged through his seat, resonating through the deck beneath his feet. For a second, confusion overtook him. There was no air in space to carry vibrations.

Then it hit him, it was the ship's own gravity generator was reacting to something, trembling under some invisible strain.

His eyes shot to the viewport, widening as space itself seemed to split apart before them, tear opening like a wound. Dark "Smoke" oozing out from the gap, hiding whatever was behind it.

Slowly, the tip of a massive ship began to materialize from the void, hidden until now. Just the nose was the capital ship itself was the size of the Black Swan.

Ivan’s voice broke the silence. "What the hell? The sensors showed nothing!"

Commander Grayson’s jaw tightened. "It must been cloaked. Kai, identify that ship immediately. All crew members prepare to engage."

"On it. ." Kai called back, frantically accessing the Black Swan’s database. Before he could complete the search, a new alert flooded his screen:

Mass Lock in Effect. FTL jump canceled.

Kai swallowed hard, his throat dry as he forced himself to look away from the sheer size of the capital ship looming before them. Its hull swallowed the stars, it's overwhelming presence made the Black Swan feel insignificant in comparison. He tore his gaze away, trying to focus on identifying it, looking for anything that could tell them what they were up against.

Kai considered himself an expert when it came to ships, and that wasn’t just an empty boast. There weren’t many vessels Kai couldn’t name on sight. He knew their models, their classifications, their manufacturers. He could break down their weaknesses, their structural integrity, even recall minor details— even down to the brand of coffee machines installed in their galleys or the number of rivets holding their hull plates together.

But this one? He honestly didn't know.

Just like the pirate ship they had fought in the asteroid belt, this capital ship seemed to be built from adding parts on an existing ship until it became the monstrosity that it was now.

The radar flashed again.

Five new contacts appeared in perfect formation, spreading out around them. They had been flanked, surrounded on all six sides. The bridge fell into a heavy silence, only Teresa still worked to get their defense ready.

Commander Grayson exhaled slowly. "What are our chances of getting out of this one?"

Ivan shook his head, jaw tight. "FTL is still mass-locked by the capital ship. There's no way we’ll clear the range before they engage us."

Kai clenched his fists. Just yesterday, No Man’s Land had felt vast, empty, eerie. Now it felt suffocating.

And for the first time, he found himself wishing for that emptiness to return.

The screen flickered, and a man appeared. His face was hidden behind a dark, polished wooden mask, etched with intricate patterns like ancient symbols. Small bone fragments and metallic charms dangled from its edges, swaying slightly as he moved.

His attire was equally strange. Layered robes in deep blues and purples, decorated with swirling pattern. Beaded necklaces and talismans of carved stone and metal hung around his neck, clinking softly with each movement.

His arms were wrapped in braided cords and strips of cloth, layered over gloves that concealed his skin entirely. Rings of carved bone and dull silver sat on most of his fingers.

Behind him, thick smoke curled through the air, making it impossible to see much beyond his immediate surroundings. Somewhere in the background, deep, rhythmic music pulsed slow but heavy bass, muffling the distant murmur of voices and laughter.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Kai barely had time to take in the surreal image before the man spoke.

"Wha’ di rass unnu doin’ out yah? Dis nuh di kinda place fi stray likkle ship dem. Unnu lost? Or unnu lookin’ fi trouble?"

The words hit the bridge like scrambled static. The accent was thick, the slang rolling together so fast that neither Kai nor Commander Grayson could make sense of it. The crew exchanged uncertain glances, the weight of confusion heavy in the silence.

The man adjusted his intimidating mask. When he spoke again, his accent remained, but the words were clearer.

"Lemme ask again—why unnu here? Uninvited, jus’ show up at mi place like yuh own it. So tell mi now, yuh workin’ fi di Empire or di Federation?"

Commander Grayson straightened, his expression unreadable. "No, we’re not with either."

The man chuckled, deep and raspy. He leaned back into the thick haze, fingers tapping idly on his armrest.

"Stop playin’ games," he said, amusement lacing his voice. "Nobody come all di way out here to di Hollow Deep jus’ fi sightseeing. No, no. People come fi two reason—dem come fi trade somethin’ illegal… or dem come fi drop off dead body where nobody goin’ find it."

His masked face tilted slightly, like he was sizing them up, "So… which one is it, eh?"

Commander Grayson spoke calmly and clearly, "We mean you no harm, we are just passing through. We are an expedition team aimmed to explore the deep space."

The masked man chuckled, the sound deep and knowing. "Goin’ to di space beyond," he repeated, his tone dripping with amusement. "So ya seekin’ death then?"

Commander Grayson remained composed, his hands resting on the console in front of him. "And what do you know about the dangers in No Man’s Land?"

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned forward, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "Nah, nah, yuh nuh get it. Mi di boss here. Mi ask di questions, not di other way round."

A sharp beep from Teresa’s station interrupted the exchange. Her voice was tight with tension. "We’re being locked by all six contacts. I’m working on scrambling their locks, but it’s going to take time."

The masked man exhaled slowly, as if considering his next move. Then his tone dropped, the amusement fading. "Mi ask one last time—what unnu really doin’ here? Speak di truth, or mi done chat. An’ if mi done chat, mi done yuh ship too."

The weight of his words sank heavily into the bridge. The tension was thick, an invisible pressure pressing against everyone as they braced for the worst.

Kai took a breath and spoke up.

"You're True Kin," he said, his voice steady. "And you're from Earth, that's where we are going."

The man didn’t respond immediately, but Kai saw the slight tilt of his masked head.

Kai pressed on. "We’re not your enemy. We’re on a mission, tasked by the True Kin to find the truth about Earth." He let his words settle before continuing, "I'm sure you know a storm is coming. If you don’t start preparing for it, we’re all going to meet our demise."

The masked man leaned back, fingers drumming against his knee as he considered Kai’s words.

A beat passed before the man finally spoke. "Ya should feel lucky mi not on di other side."

One by one, the targeting locks disappeared from their screens, but the surrounding ships remained in position. Then, without warning, a massive hangar door began to open on the side of the capital ship, revealing a cavernous docking bay large enough to swallow the Black Swan whole.

Commander Grayson exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable. "Seems like you’re not going to let us leave."

The masked man’s laughter echoed through the comms. "Of course not. How could I pass up di chance to speak wid di blessed one?"

All eyes immediately landed on Kai. His stomach tightened. He blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard. But really, he should have expected this the moment he’d brought up the True Kin and his knowledge of Earth.

At least this he has brought them some more time.

The Black Swan moved cautiously under the escort of the surrounding ships. Even with its recent upgrades and expanded hull, it still fit comfortably inside the vast hangar bay of the capital ship.

Kai’s eyes darted around, analyzing the interior. The hangar looked old, its walls worn and battered by time. The large identification number painted across the far bulkhead had faded, its once-bold characters chipped and peeling.

Despite its age, there was something strangely familiar about this place, be had seen this ship somewhere before.

His gaze swept across the walls, searching for anything that could tell him where they were. Then he saw it.

A faint marking, almost completely worn away by time, yet unmistakable.

His breath hitched. "No way..."

Commander Grayson turned toward him. "You found something?"

Kai swallowed and nodded. "Yeah… I think this used to be the Imperial stealth ship ISS-Nightfall." His voice was confident, despite the disbelief still settling in his chest. "I recognize the markings on the hangar walls."

His hands moved quickly over the console, pulling up archived records of the ISS-Nightfall. Within moments, an old image of the ship appeared on his display. The markings matched exactly. He sent the image over to Commander Grayson’s screen.

Ivan leaned back, shaking his head. "I thought that ship was demolished and stripped for parts decades ago."

"It was supposed to be," Kai confirmed, his fingers hovering over the console. "But there were rumors that it was stolen just before it was scheduled to be decommissioned."

Robert let out a low whistle. "Well, I guess we finally know who stole it."

"That also explains why we couldn’t detect their ship," Kai said, exhaling as the realization settled in. "They were literally hiding in quantum."

Commander Grayson turned towards them, arms crossed. "They want the blessed one to meet them outside."

Kai frowned. "Just me?"

"No," Grayson clarified. "They said they don’t care how many of us come, but the ‘blessed one’ has to be there."

Kai ran a hand through his hair. "I don’t know about this…" His voice lowered as he leaned on the console. "Last time we set up a meeting like this, we ended up getting chased by elite soilders. And let’s not forget there’s still an assassin out there looking for us."

Commander Grayson shook his head. "Let’s also not forget that they could’ve killed us at any time if they wanted to. I’m sorry, Kai, but I don’t think we have much of a choice. At least this time, we’ll be able to protect you."

The bridge doors slid open. Eliana strode in, already fully geared, her rifle slung across her chest. Behind her followed Baiyan, Ray, Lily, and Isaac, each with the same hardened look of determination.

Derniere came into the bridge last. Bell had his head sticking out of her uniform pocket—a special design made just for her. She had changed her old rifle to the standard issued rifle onboard, it looked too large in her hand, which made it even more intimidating.

"What are your orders, Captain?" Eliana asked, her stance firm.

"You’re all staying on the ship. I don’t trust my crew’s safety in the hands of someone who stole their ship in the first place." Grayson's said then added, "Kai and I will go meet these people."

Eliana’s jaw tightened. "Then I’m going too."

Kai turned toward her, but she didn’t give him a chance to argue. Her voice was unwavering, her eyes locked onto his. "You promised me you’d never leave my side again."

He felt his throat tighten, but he knew there was no changing her mind.