The Ruins of Nebska Minor – Nightfall
The shattered towers of Nebska Minor were silent now, their twisted frames silhouetted against the dying embers of the sky.
In the distance, the Red Radiant gleamed faintly under a broken starlight — a sleek marvel of salvaged god-tech and raw cosmic power, hidden in an abandoned shipyard.
It waited.
And fate moved closer with every breath.
⸻
Two Wanderers by Firelight
In a ruined plaza near the shipyards, Zaraya Starheart sat cross-legged by a crackling scrapfire, sharpening the edge of her gauntlets with a casual hum.
Across from her, Kaelen Veylor stood in the shadows, his tattered wings folding around him like a dark shroud.
They had fought together again — cult hunters trying to ambush them on the path here —
and once again, they had survived together.
And now, for the first time, silence sat between them not as an enemy…
…but as an understanding.
Zaraya didn't push.
She simply waited, tossing sparks into the night with every stroke.
Kaelen's voice finally broke the quiet:
"You don't give up, do you?"
Zaraya grinned without looking up.
"Not my style."
Kaelen's fists clenched, then loosened.
He thought of the old battles.
He thought of the broken banners he had followed.
He thought of the way she stood against the darkness — not because she believed she could always win…
…but because she refused to kneel.
He stepped forward, the firelight catching the ghost-scars along his armor.
"You're reckless," he said. "You're loud.
You're infuriating."
Zaraya flashed him a toothy smile.
"You're not wrong."
Kaelen extended his hand.
"And you're right.
The storm's coming.
Better to stand together…
than die alone."
Zaraya grabbed his forearm in a soldier's clasp — strong, certain.
"Welcome to the crew."
"It's not much of crew if there's only two of us." He said.
Zaraya let out a contagious roar of laughter
Kaelen smiled, something he has not done in a long while
And somewhere, among the broken moons, a new legend stirred awake.
⸻
Meanwhile: A Different Kind of Storm
Across the forgotten docks, Jaxen Rhane crouched behind a rusted loader, eyeing the Red Radiant through a cracked visor.
"Sweet cosmic hell," he whispered, biting down on a half-burnt space cigar.
That ship wasn't just good.
It was beautiful.
• Advanced shielding systems.
• Gravity modulation thrusters.
• Cosmic pulse engine — black-market tech nobody had anymore.
He adjusted the neural jack at his temple, interfacing with his stolen black-glove hacking tool.
Tonight, he'd steal himself a future.
"Sorry, old girl," he muttered to the ship with a wink. "Nothing personal."
⸻
The Heist Begins
Jaxen sprinted toward the Red Radiant, cloak snapping behind him.
He slid under the outer defense scanners, slicing through lockdown nodes with brutal precision.
"Almost too easy," he said, smirking as the last firewall cracked open.
The Red Radiant's main bay hissed open — welcoming, gleaming.
Jaxen whistled low.
"Daddy's home."
He vaulted onto the gangplank, boots ringing softly on the polished metal,
fingers already dancing over the startup commands.
⸻
Wrong Move
A bright light exploded behind him.
And a voice — laughing, almost delighted — rang out:
"Wow. I knew someone would try it eventually, but this fast? That's gotta be a record."
Jaxen spun around, reaching for the plasma pistols at his side.
Zaraya Starheart leaned casually against the gangway door, arms crossed, cosmic energy crackling faintly along her fingertips.
And next to her, stepping from the shadows with an almost inhuman grace,
Kaelen Veylor — cloaked in shadow and flame.
Jaxen's grin didn't falter.
If anything, it got wider.
"Hey there, gorgeous," he said, nodding to Zaraya.
"And you, terrifying dark angel.
Nice ship.
You mind if I borrow it… permanently?"
Kaelen said nothing — only raised a hand, letting the dark mist coil around his fingers ominously.
Zaraya rolled her eyes.
"Tell you what, hotshot," she said.
"You beat me in a fistfight, and you can have the ship."
Jaxen blinked.
"…Wait, seriously?"
"You're gonna —"
"Oh hell no."
He turned and bolted for the bridge.
Zaraya's laughter chased him up the ramp.
"Chicken!"
⸻
The Chase
The Red Radiant's interior became a blur of flashing lights and racing footsteps:
• Jaxen scrambling through maintenance hatches, flipping every override he could find.
• Zaraya bounding after him with almost playful ferocity.
• Kaelen cutting him off in perfect silence at every turn, herding him like a ghostly wolf.
Finally, cornered between a locked bulkhead and a rapidly approaching cosmic liberator,
Jaxen threw up his hands.
"Okay, okay! I surrender!
Mostly!
Kind of!"
Zaraya smirked, catching her breath.
"You're fast," she said approvingly.
"For a thief."
Jaxen shrugged, nonchalant.
"Gotta stay ahead of bad luck.
And angry bosses.
And angry… death angels."
He nodded at Kaelen, who still hadn't lowered his blade.
Zaraya tapped her chin theatrically.
"You're not bad with a ship either, I bet."
Jaxen's eyebrows rose.
"Best in the sector.
Best in two sectors, if you count the part I crash-landed.
Wait, is this… is this a job offer?"
Zaraya grinned like a supernova.
"It is now."
⸻
The Pact
By sunrise,
the Red Radiant's engines purred under their touch.
In the captain's chair, Zaraya leaned back with a victorious sigh.
At the pilot's console, Jaxen Rhane whistled a happy, cocky tune — neural implants syncing beautifully with the ship's systems.
And in the shadows behind them, Kaelen Veylor stood watch, silent but not hostile — not anymore.
The first real crew of the Red Radiant had been born:
• The Cosmic Liberator.
• The Soul Reaver.
• The Rogue Pilot.
And somewhere far beyond the dying suns,
a tiny, brilliant mind called Plo
and her strange companion Drex
waited unknowingly for their paths to cross.
The hunt for the future —
the chase for destiny —
had truly begun