*Drrrgg!
Rox's ship rattle once more, releasing one prominent—
*BANG!
as it finally dropped out of slipspace, halting in an unknown sector of space.
The vibration slightly hummed through the frame—
*sigh!
as Rox let out a long exhale, easing the stiffness from her shoulders.
Her gaze then swept across the canopy of stars just in front of her…
but something unusual caught her eye.
Thin streams of black mist drifted lazily through the void, though not thick enough to completely obscure her view.
Yet it was dense enough to slightly cover the horizon in patches.
"Shit…" Her eyes widened as realization struck.
"We're in Black Veil territory… or somewhere close to it."
The Black Veil.
A territory where eidra is very thin and scarce to the point that venturing within its territory would surely corrupt any living creature.
A place of death… and of course, monsters.
Though fortunately, Rox had noticed that the black mists weren't that thick.
"We must have landed along the edges of the black veil… still, better be sure than sorry."
"Rhaul," Rox said sharply, her hand tightening around the ship's handle as she nudged it forward with caution.
"Search for possible nearby hostiles."
*Beep!
"Performing perimeter scan," AI Rhaul replied with a calm synthetic voice that echoed through the cockpit.
"Allocating one energy core."
*click… *beep!
The console then flickered to life with a low beep as green glyphs scrolling rapidly across the glass.
*beep! *beep! *beep! *beep! *beep!
The soft beeping sound continued and echoed throughout the cabin as the scan began to probe the surrounding mist.
Rox narrowed her eyes, the ship gliding ever slowly into the haze as she focused on any threats that may pop up.
*vrrrrrrr!
Seconds bled into minutes as Rox's ship slid silently through the mist, her eyes locked on the void outside her windows.
Every shift in the haze, every faint distortion felt like it could hide a predator waiting to strike.
*Beep!
At last,
Rhaul's voice broke the tension.
"No signs of hostiles detected, ma'm. However, I have located a suitable planet within range—potentially safe for landing if you wish."
"Perfect," Rox replied promptly, a slight relief present in her voice.
*click! *tap! *tap! *click!
Without wasting any more time, her fingers flicked quickly across the console in front of her, flipping switched one after another.
*whirr!!!
The ship then hummed in response.
"Commencing cloak," she added,
*Clack!
before switching the final lever.
*vwooooooooom!
A ripple of light then bent across the hull, and in seconds the vessel melted into near invisibility.
Disappearing into void as if her ship was a phantom.
"Just making sure…" Rox muttered under her breath.
Her gaze then flicked into another console.
"Celer, take control. Set autopilot to follow the path Rhaul just calculated."
"All righty!" Celer's synthetic voice chimed in as the ship gave out a subtle whirr as the systems aligned, engines shifting smoothly as it began to follow Rhaul's projected course.
"Phew…"
With her hands finally free from the controls, Rox leaned back in her seat.
She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms high above her head, joints popping faintly.
The escape from the empire and being chased by Velen had left her body stiff.
Now, in this brief respite, she let herself ease.
For a moment…
only the quiet hum of her ship's engines and the faint crackles of scanners filled the air.
.
.
.
Her ship then continued forward on autopilot, cutting carefully through the low visibility mist.
Black veil's tendrils, albeit thin and small, clung stubbornly to the hull and slightly obscured what Rox could see in front of her.
But Rox had faith in her crew of AIs.
With Rhaul's state of the art scanning protocols and Celer's precise piloting subroutines, the vessel moved like a blade slipping between shadows.
.
.
.
*vrrrrrr!
Minutes later, the haze began to thin even more, revealing the curve of a planet below.
Rhaul's voice then rang out, steady and clear.
"Perimeter clear. Hostiles: none detected as announced.
Planetary atmosphere: stable.
Eidra levels: stable.
Terrain suitable for habitation."
"Allright,"
Without hesitation, Rox then pushed the throttle.
The ship broke through the mist and pierced the atmosphere,
*rattle! *whirrrrrrrrr!
the hull rattled as fire streaked across the viewport.
Rox narrowed her eyes as the clouds finally parted, her gaze fixed on the landscape unfolding below.
Vast fields of emerald colored grass stretched endlessly, visibly swaying as massive streaks of lines stirred the grass.
Towering mountains were also present, their jagged peaks cutting into the sky.
And there—
Catching the light of the sun, lay a massive lake, glimmering.
Rox's lips curled into a half smile.
"This planet… ain't half bad.," she muttered as her eyes glinted with cautious excitement as the grassland became even more larger in her view.
*WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
*RATTLE!
*Hisssssssss!
The ship descended fast, wind rushing against the hull until finally—
*BANG!
The vessel jolted hard as its landing struts hit dirt.
Steam vented in bursts along the sides, stabilizers kicking in as the ship grounded itself.
For a moment…
silence followed
.
.
.
only broken by the faint hum of cooling systems.
"Landing successful," Celer chimed, her tone cheerful.
*click…! *beep! *clack
The console around Rox then ticked and clicked, internal systems adjusting after the rough entry.
A few warning lights flared in amber, reminders of the damage taken during her earlier escape from Velen.
*phew…
Rox exhaled slowly, releasing tension from her shoulders.
She scanned the scarred panels and cracked surfaces across her ship's interior, then leaned back into her seat with a faint grunt.
"Guess we'll need to patch you up… but first—let's see what kind of home this place can be."
"Performing long-range sensor sweep…" Rhaul's synthetic voice droned as the terminal before Rox lit up with thin arcs of green light.
*beep! *beep!
The grid shimmered outward in pulses, combing through the atmosphere and the terrain beneath.
"Scan complete," the AI continued, its tone precise and measured.
"Detected multiple signs of fauna across the surrounding region.
Eidra readings—stable.
Dark Veil contamination—low.
Assessment: this planet is safe for ground traversal."
"Perfect." Rox's hands moved quickly over the controls,
*snap! *click! *beep! *tap!
flipping a series of switches before unbuckling herself from the seat.
Her body ached faintly from the constant tension of the chase, but she ignored it as she reached for her energy rifle, the weapon gleaming dully in the dim light of the cockpit.
"I'll be scouting for a bit—see if I can secure food and check the terrain," she said as she slung the rifle over her shoulder.
"Copy," Athena chimed,
*Hissssssssss!
her calm tone contrasting the hiss of the ship's doors as they unlocked and split apart, venting a sharp gust of recycled air into the cabin.
Rox tapped the small control node on her chest plate.
With a mechanical whirr, her cloak adjusted as a hood unfolded and locked into place, enclosing her head within the elongated, beak-like helmet.
The visor shimmered faintly with violet light as the helmet activated its atmosphere-conversion function.
*Hissss…
The first breath she drew came filtered, breathable, her lungs shielded from the alien gases swirling outside.
The faint sound of the helmet's respirator hummed in her ears—a constant reminder that she lacked the eidra-born ability to naturally adapt.
She lingered at the threshold of the hatch for a heartbeat, eyes narrowing as she peered into the unknown expanse beyond.
The air shimmered faintly with particles from the Black Veil, even if weak.
"You handle the ship, Athena," Rox said, her tone clipped but steady. "I won't be gone long."
"Understood. I will maintain vigilance," Athena replied.
Rox stepped out, boots pressing into soil that crunched faintly beneath her weight, the hiss of the closing hatch behind her sealing her into silence.
*fwoooooosh!
As soon as Rox stepped outside, the wind greeted her with a sudden rush, tugging at her cloak as it carried with it blades of grass torn free from the field.
They spiraled into the air, glinting faintly in the light before scattering.
A smell hit her almost immediately—fresh foliage, wild soil, the untouched scent of nature.
For the first time in what felt like centuries, her lungs filled with something that wasn't recycled air or the acrid stench of war.
Beneath the hiss of her helmet's respirator, she caught herself lingering on it.
Freedom.
The thought carved through her chest, deeper than any blade could.
No orders barked at her, no eyes watching her every move, no chains binding her to the cursed empire that had stolen centuries of her life.
She took a slow step forward,
*crunch…
the grass crunching faintly beneath her boots.
Her grip on her rifle eased as her body loosened, and for the briefest moment, her battle hardened posture softened.
"I feel… lighter."
Her voice came out quiet, almost alien to her own ears.
Closing her eyes, Rox spread her arms outward as if to embrace the wind itself, letting it wash over her.
A faint smile tugged beneath her helmet's visor—
a fragile piece of joy she had long thought lost.
Her first taste of freedom.
But it didn't last.
*buckle!
Her ears twitched.
A sound—faint, deliberate—slipped through the wind.
Rox's instincts snapped her back into focus.
Her hand immediately tightened on the rifle, raising it halfway before her gaze darted to the source of the disturbance.
A voice cut through the grasslands, sharp and commanding.
"Who the hell are you?"
The sound of cloaking devices powering down crackled around her.
Figures shimmered into visibility—
first one,
then many.
A half-circle of individuals, each clad in heavy cloaks, stepped forward with blasters drawn and trained on her.
Their movements were disciplined, precise.
At their center stood a woman, her sharp features marked by elongated, pointed ears.
Her presence commanded the others without words.
Even through the cover of her hood, her gaze bore into Rox like a blade.
"Shit…" Rox muttered, lowering her rifle slowly—
*thud!
before letting it fall to the ground with a deliberate clatter.
She raised both hands, palms open.
"I can never rest, can I?"
She forced a smirk beneath her helmet, though her voice carried calm instead of defiance.
"I come in peace. No need to be hostile."