Scene 1: Turbulence in the Great Static Field
The Aetherwind 's command deck shook violently. The old starship, a patchwork of brass and circuitry, groaned under the onslaught of the Great Static Field . Jax Stellaris , the captain, gripped the controls with a forced smile. His Dawn Compass spat out incoherent data amid the cosmic auroras. Pyxis , Jax's Lifewing, whirled frantically around the navigation hologram, its flames shifting from bright yellow to an unstable blue.
"Hang on!" Jax shouted over the roar of the engines. "This starstream is even more vicious than the Librarian promised!"
In the back, Anya Bolt was pounding furiously on a diagnostic panel. "Vicious or not, Jax, we're at 80% saturation! If I force the Steam-Ion engines one more time, the boilers will fail."
“Fortune favors the bold, little engineer,” Jax retorted.
"Fortune favors ships that don't melt, dreamer," Anya replied, her Astramau Circuits emitting short pulses of green light along a bare cable. Circuits clearly indicated the breaking point.
Kaelen Rion , leaning calmly against a bulkhead, his Staff of Knowledge vibrating gently, spoke in a low voice. "The Oathwreck is never easy to access, young Starborn. Its Remnant is not meant to be found by chance."
Scene 2: The Solus Interference
"Speaking of bad luck," Anya grumbled, "I've got massive shield interference. It's not Static, it's... Solus hardware."
Jax's smile disappeared. "The Solus Corporation was waiting for us? But how?"
Pyxis landed heavily on Jax's shoulder, her flames darkening. "Someone sold us out, or Silas Vane anticipated our move," Kaelen murmured, her gaze fixed on Anya's data.
Anya pointed at a screen: a sleek black icon was approaching at high speed. "Jax, forget the wreck, we have to jump! They have a Spectre- class interceptor."
"Never!" Jax clenched his fist. "If Solus is here, that means this Remnant is even more important than we thought. Anya, you stabilize the shields, I'll take the risk."
Scene 3: Facing the Hunter
A chilling voice ripped through the ship's speakers, rising above the roar of the boilers. " Aether Wind . Cut the engines. You are in violation of Navigation Treaty 7."
The Solus Corporation patrol ship, piloted by Admiral Silas Vane himself, appeared through the nebula. It was surrounded by small combat drones, and beside it, his Astramau Spectre hovered, barely visible.
"We're not stopping for paperwork, Vane!" Jax called into the microphone, his eyes shining with excitement.
Silas Vane didn't respond. His Solus Control Gauntlet began to glow.
"He's hacking us!" Anya shouted. "He's locking the rudder!"
The Aether Wind suddenly plunged towards the Oathwreck, not by choice, but by the will of Silas Vane.
--- Continued Next Time: The Engineer's Maneuver ---
