[MYSTERIOUS ANNIHILATION OF A FLEET]

[Ascendance: The Journey to Type 7. Ch_021]

As the Astral Vanguard hurtled through warp drive, its lights dimmed and engines humming with a steady pulse, an unexpected tremor shook the ship violently.

[BOOM]

A massive explosion echoed through the vessel, and the ship jolted out of warp drive, throwing crew members from their stations.

Alarms blared throughout the control room. Red warning lights flashed ominously as Kael steadied himself, gripping the edge of his command chair. "Report!" he barked, voice sharp and tinged with alarm.

Novea, trying to recover her footing, frantically scanned the control panel. "We… we're out of warp drive, Captain! It looks like—" She stopped short, her eyes widening as she looked out of the viewport. "Captain… look."

Kael turned, his gaze following hers to the vast scene outside the viewport. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as his hand fell away from the control console.

Outside, an enormous field of debris floated before them. Massive ship hulls, remnants of starships that seemed larger than anything they'd seen before, drifted eerily in the darkness, their forms twisted and shattered.

Fires flickered in the black void, casting an orange-red glow over the remnants of a brutal battle. At the center of the wreckage, a colossal, dark structure loomed—a fortress-like ship with jagged edges and massive cannons, scarred from the recent carnage.

The massive ship immediately vanished from sight, engaging its warp drive and disappearing into the vastness of space in an instant.

Voss took a shaky step forward, his face pale. "What… what in the stars happened here?"

Alaric's face was drawn, his usual smirk replaced by something far more solemn. "Looks like a graveyard," he muttered, voice low. "Whoever did this… they didn't just want victory. They wanted total annihilation."

Mirae let out a shaky breath, clutching the edge of her console. "Captain, these ships… they bear the insignia of the Stellar Syndicate." Her voice faltered. "This is… this was an ambush. A massacre."

Kael clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the twisted remains of the fleet. "Rax," he whispered, his voice carrying a rare edge of raw emotion. "If the Stellar Syndicate was here, he might've…"

Astrid leaned forward, her face a mixture of horror and curiosity. "Captain, what do we do? Should we send a signal? Look for survivors?"

Kael took a deep breath, his face hardening as he forced himself to refocus. "Check for life signs, but keep the shields up and weapons ready. If this was a coordinated attack, then whoever did this might still be out there."

Zyra's fingers flew over the control console as she scanned for any signs of life. After a tense pause, her screen beeped softly. "Captain, I'm picking up a faint distress signal. It's weak, but it's coming from a nearby escape pod."

"Patch it through," Kael ordered, his voice tight.

The crackling signal cut through the silence, distorted and faint, but a voice could be heard. "...This is… Admiral Rax Veylan of the Stellar Syndicate. We were… ambushed. Unknown enemy… heavily armed. They… knew our coordinates." The voice faded, replaced by static.

Kael's jaw tightened as he stared into the wreckage. "So it's true," he muttered. "Someone knew about this meeting, knew exactly where they'd be."

Alaric placed a hand on Kael's shoulder, his face filled with a rare solemnity. "Kael, if this is a trap, they could be watching us right now. We can't risk—"

"I know," Kael interrupted, his voice strained but resolute. "But I'm not leaving Rax, not if there's a chance he's alive."

Yuna, her voice filled with concern, spoke up. "But, Captain, if this enemy knew the Stellar Syndicate's coordinates, then… they could know ours too. What if we're their next target?"

Kael took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he looked out at the debris field, his mind racing. "Then we face them," he said, his voice calm but fierce. "If there's a force out there powerful enough to wipe out a fleet like this… then running won't save us. We need answers."

He turned to Icarus, his gaze intense. "Prepare a shuttle. We're going to that escape pod. If Rax is there, he might be able to tell us who did this—and what they're after."

Voss stepped forward, his voice firm. "Captain, let me come with you. If Rax is in danger, we'll need backup."

Kael nodded. "All right, but keep it quiet. The rest of you, stay on high alert. Zyra, I want the Vanguard ready to jump at a moment's notice. If anything—anything—out of the ordinary shows up on sensors, you have clearance to pull us out."

The crew exchanged tense glances but nodded in agreement. With a final look at the silent graveyard outside, Kael turned, determination etched across his face.

"Let's find out who's responsible for this."

Suddenly, the distress signal vanished as if it had never existed, leaving Kael and the crew in stunned silence.

Kael broke the tension, his gaze steady. "The distress signal may be gone, but we still need answers. Let's search the debris and find out what really happened here."

As Kael suited up, preparing to head out into the cold void of space, the crew gathered anxiously in the control room, their faces a mix of worry and disbelief. Voss was the first to speak up, his voice laced with barely concealed frustration.

"Captain, are you serious? You're really going out there alone? We don't even know what we're dealing with!" he argued, fists clenched. The others nodded in agreement, casting glances at one another.

Kael adjusted his helmet, his face unreadable. "I know what I'm doing, Voss. I have the skills of the Secretive Plotter—enough to survive out there without a suit and for long enough to investigate the wreckage. We need answers, and I won't risk any of you until we know more about this threat."

Astrid shook her head, her eyes pleading. "Captain, even if you can survive the vacuum, you don't have the tech to maneuver out there. You'll just be… floating. That's dangerous!"

Kael looked back at them, giving a reassuring nod. "That's why I'll move slowly. I know the risks, but right now, our priority is to understand what happened to Rax and his crew."

Reluctantly, the crew fell silent as they watched him step into the airlock, each of them tense. As the chamber depressurized, Kael took a final glance back at them, and a ghost of a smile crossed his face.

"Keep the ship on standby. I don't plan on getting lost out there," he said, his voice crackling over the comms.

[Vent release]

The outer doors opened, and Kael drifted out into space.

As Kael drifted through the silent void, carefully making his way toward the wreckage, the crew aboard the Astral Vanguard anxiously watched his progress on the monitors.

The dim light from the broken ships reflected off Kael's suit, casting long shadows across the control room screens. Voss and Alaric were huddled near the main console, watching every move Kael made with bated breath.

Astrid's voice broke the silence, tense with concern. "He's just floating out there. This is reckless... I can't believe he'd do this without a tether or any way to maneuver."

Alaric sighed, his hands resting on the edge of the console. "You know Kael. Once he sets his mind on something, nothing can stop him," he said, though his words did little to ease the tension in the room.

Novea, monitoring Kael's vitals, shook her head. "His heart rate's steady, but he's still drifting. Captain or not, he's got no means to control his position. One wrong move and he could end up stranded out there."

Meanwhile, Kael continued to carefully inspect the debris around him, looking for any sign of what might have caused the explosion. He floated near a twisted piece of metal, examining it for burn marks or signs of external tampering.

Inside the ship, Zyra was pacing back and forth, unable to shake the anxiety gnawing at her. "Is there no way we can communicate with him more directly? Or at least reel him in if he drifts too far?" she asked, glancing at Novea.

Novea checked the systems. "Our comms are functional, but with the ship's warp drive disabled, we can't project a field strong enough to pull him back from this distance. We'll just have to hope he doesn't stray too far."

Icarus, tapping a few buttons on his console, chimed in. "I've linked his camera feed to our main display. At least we'll see what he's seeing in real-time."

The screen flickered as Kael's point of view filled it, displaying the cold, jagged fragments of starships scattered around him.

The crew watched in silence, each holding their breath as Kael's helmet lights swept over the twisted metal and remnants of control panels, signs of a violent, recent battle etched into every surface.

As he scanned a massive hull fragment, Kael noticed a strange marking scorched into the metal—a symbol he recognized. His eyes narrowed, and he reached out, his gloved hand brushing over the mark. "This… this is a Syndicate insignia," he muttered to himself.

Onboard, Voss squinted at the screen. "Is that a symbol? Can anyone make it out?"

Alaric leaned in, studying the strange emblem. "Looks like something from one of the Syndicate factions, but I can't quite tell which one… Maybe Stellar or Parallel? They're the only ones bold enough to leave marks like that."

Kael's voice came over the comms. "It's definitely Syndicate-related. If we're seeing their insignia out here, something major happened, and recently. But… it doesn't add up. These ships are destroyed, scattered… as if they were taken by surprise."

Astrid frowned, looking between the screens. "And that explosion… something doesn't feel right about this."

Suddenly, Kael spotted a metallic box floating amid the wreckage. It was battered and partially burnt but mostly intact, with cables trailing behind it. Intrigued, he reached out, pulling it toward him to inspect it. The crew watched closely as Kael rotated the box, revealing a blinking light on one side.

Novea's eyes widened. "Captain, that looks like a data recorder! If it survived, we might be able to pull information from it."

Kael's voice came through, calm yet determined. "Exactly. This could tell us what happened here."

As he carefully detached the box, another metallic fragment floated too close, causing him to spin slightly in the weightlessness. 

As Kael drifted back, a notification flashed across his HUD:

[Secretive Plotter is laughing at you]

[A gift has been received from Secretive Plotter for making him laugh]

[Would you like to open? Y/N]

Kael sighed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Secretive Plotter never fails to be amused," he muttered, still slightly curious despite himself. He selected "Yes."

[Skill Learned: Void Step]

[Description: You can walk in air or space whenever you desire.]

Kael's eyes widened as he took in the message. "Void Step..." he whispered, barely able to believe the power now at his fingertips. With this skill, he could effortlessly traverse open space or any void, walking on nothing but air as though it were solid ground.

A slow grin spread across his face, but he quickly schooled his expression, glancing back at the ship. "If the crew finds out I have this skill now, they might think I've been hiding it all along," he mused, feeling a strange mix of excitement and caution. "No need to reveal it just yet."

He tucked the knowledge away, determined to keep Void Step as his secret ace—at least, until the perfect moment.

He managed to stabilize himself.

Back on the Astral Vanguard, Mirae looked around, unable to shake her unease. "I don't like this. Something's wrong—there's no way a Syndicate fleet would just go down without warning. There's something we're missing here."

Kael's voice came over the comms again. "Hang tight, team. I'm heading back. Whatever took these ships down could still be around."

Zyra exhaled in relief. "Finally. Let's get him back inside," she muttered, tension easing slightly from her posture.

As Kael began drifting back towards the ship, holding tightly onto the data recorder, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye—a faint, distant light pulsing slowly, like a heartbeat. He paused, watching it. It was unlike any beacon or signal he'd seen before.

"Captain, what's that?" Icarus asked, noticing Kael's visor had turned toward the strange glow.

Kael hesitated. "Not sure… it doesn't look like a distress signal or anything standard."

"Leave it, Captain," Astrid insisted. "Whatever that is, it's not worth risking yourself any further."

After a moment's consideration, Kael nodded. "You're right. We've got enough to work with for now. I'm heading back."

The crew watched with growing relief as Kael finally floated back to the airlock, data recorder in hand. As he stepped inside and the airlock began to repressurize, they crowded around him, eager to hear his report.

As soon as Kael removed his helmet, Voss clapped him on the back, relief in his eyes. "You gave us all a scare, Captain."

Kael managed a half-smile. "Just another day in the life," he replied, trying to shake off the lingering tension from his time in the void. "Let's get this recorder analyzed. I want to know exactly what brought down those Syndicate ships. Whatever it was, it wasn't a small force."

Novea nodded, already moving to plug the recorder into the ship's analysis system. As she did, Kael took a final look at the viewport, the haunting glow of that distant light still burning in his mind.

In the background, Astrid was murmuring, "This mission just keeps getting stranger… I have a feeling we're on the edge of something huge."

Kael's expression turned serious, his eyes darkening. "We are, Astrid."

TO BE CONTINUED.