Chapter 8: Breach

Lucas slammed his fist against the steel bulkhead, the metallic clang echoing through the cramped escape pod. Sweat beaded on his brow despite the frigid air, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He wasn't claustrophobic, not usually, but crammed inside the tiny capsule with Captain Astraia, her normally composed demeanor replaced by a grim set to her jaw, did little to ease his growing anxiety."How bad is it?" Lucas rasped, his voice raw from shouting orders moments before the Stellar Horizon, their once magnificent battleship, was ripped apart by a volley of energy blasts from Nebulon's flagship, the Harbinger.Astraia, a shimmering construct of blue light that represented the ship's AI, flickered momentarily. "The hyper warp core is breached. Without it, interstellar travel is impossible." Her voice, usually laced with a touch of dry humor, was now monotone.Lucas cursed, the word echoing in the confined space. He'd barely begun to master his powers, to understand the true potential of the Quantum Accelerator, the alien battle suit that pulsed with borrowed starlight on his skin. Now, stranded light-years from Earth, they were sitting ducks for Nebulon's armada."We need a plan," Lucas said, forcing a calmness he didn't quite feel.Astraia hummed, her processors whirring as she scanned the surrounding space. "There's a dormant relay station a few sectors from here. It's Xalorian tech, offline for millennia. Theoretically, with enough power..." her voice trailed off."Enough power to do what?" Lucas prompted, a flicker of hope igniting in his chest."To send a distress beacon. But activating it will require a massive energy surge. More than the escape pod can handle."Lucas swallowed, the weight of their situation settling in. He glanced at the small control panel, a single red light blinking ominously. Time was running out. He closed his eyes, focusing on the Quantum Accelerator. The suit hummed in response, a comforting thrum against his skin. It was a symbiotic bond, this alien technology and his body, a connection that pulsed with raw energy."There might be another way," Lucas said, his voice steady. "The suit... it channels hyper warp energy. Maybe..."Astraia's form flickered with renewed interest. "You think you can use the suit's power to jumpstart the relay station?"It was a gamble, a dangerous one. He wasn' t sure if his body could handle such a raw influx of energy, but it was their only shot. "There's no other choice," Lucas said, a grim determination settling in his gut.Astraia guided him through the complex process, her instructions a rapid stream of data flooding his neural interface. He took a deep breath, picturing the dormant relay station, willing the Quantum Accelerator to channel its energy outward.The world dissolved into a maelstrom of light and sound. Pain, a white-hot searing agony, lanced through his body. He screamed, the sound lost in the void, his vision blurring at the edges. But he held on, channeling the energy, pushing it outwards until...There was a blinding flash, then silence. Lucas gasped, his body wracked with tremors, his vision slowly clearing. He found himself floating in the inky blackness of space, the escape pod a mangled wreck a few meters away. Before him loomed the relay station, a colossal structure of obsidian spires, its dormant systems now pulsing with a soft blue light.Astraia's voice, laced with awe, filled his mind. "You did it, Nova Velocity. You jumpstarted the relay station."Relief washed over Lucas, so intense it almost knocked him unconscious. But the victory was short-lived. A new, ominous hum vibrated through the void. He turned, dread pooling in his stomach, to see the Harbinger emerging from the shadows, its massive cannons swiveling towards them."Nebulon won't be happy," Astraia remarked dryly.Lucas gritted his teeth. He was injured, exhausted, but he wouldn't give up. Not yet. He focused on the Quantum Accelerator, the alien energy coursing through his veins. He was Nova Velocity, the protector of Earth, and he wouldn't let Nebulon win.