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-Beep-

-Beep-

As the massive battleship entered the range of the Extraterrestrial Defensive System (EDS) in low-Earth orbit, alarms blared inside the I-CA High Command's control room on the moon. The I-CA High Command maintained a vigilant watch over space with various probes and sensors, especially around their satellites and the EDS.

The command room doors slid open, and Rear Admiral Amelia Valerie strode in.

"Status," she commanded.

"Reporting! Sensors have detected a massive battleship entering low-Earth orbit. It has stationed itself near the EDS," the officer in charge reported.

"Do we have a visual?" Rear Admiral Valerie asked.

"Probes are being repositioned. Real-time imagery will be available shortly," the officer replied.

The room buzzed with activity as officers analyzed incoming data, including energy readings, trajectory projections, and potential origin points.

"We have the footage. Initiating projection," the officer in charge announced.

On the main screen, a sleek, black battleship appeared, hovering near the EDS.

"Threat analysis," Rear Admiral Valerie commanded.

Quantum computers zoomed in on the battleship, highlighting its weapon systems. Red squares locked onto the railguns and mini-cannons, while detailed analyses appeared alongside.

"Reporting. The battleship is armed with eight weapons emitting radiation consistent with railguns and sixteen mini-cannons presumed to be energy weapons. Heavy nuclear radiation is being detected from the engine, but no reactor radiation is present. The hull composition and shield integrity are unknown. Threat level is indeterminate," the officer explained, his voice wavering.

"Simulate a battle scenario to determine the threat level," Rear Admiral Valerie ordered.

All eyes turned to the screen as the simulation ran, displaying a flurry of parameters and calculations. After what felt like an eternity, a message in ominous red letters flashed on the screen.

"Total annihilation," the officer read aloud, his voice filled with despair.

But as expected of a battle-hardened Rear Admiral, there was no change in her expression as she quietly commanded, "Trace the origin of the battleship. Given their proximity to the EDS, it's likely they don't have hostile intentions. Attempt communication." Her calm voice and steady demeanor brought the officers in the room back from their despair.

"Roger that, initiating transmission," the officer said, nodding toward the communications officer.

The communications officer tapped his console and began.

[Unidentified battleship, you have entered a restricted area under the authority of the Inter-Continental Alliance. This is I-CA High Command. Identify yourself.]

Typically, this message would include a threat, but given the evident disparity in power, it was omitted.

"Status on the origin?" Rear Admiral Valerie asked.

"This...!" The officer was stunned as he read the report.

"Officer. Report!" Rear Admiral Valerie raised her voice slightly.

"Roger. The data from the probes suggest the battleship originated from the planet," the officer said.

"Recheck the data," Rear Admiral Valerie ordered.

"Affirmative," the officer responded, quickly getting to work.

"Rear Admiral! Abnormal activity detected from the EDS. The energy spike has surpassed the threshold and is increasing. Footage is on the screen," another officer from the opposite side of the room reported.

On the screen, the EDS displayed a wave of energy gathering at the bottom of the structure, concentrating intensely. After a moment, the energy wave began pulsating, stunning everyone in the room.

"Analysis," Rear Admiral Valerie ordered, her heart in turmoil. As a Rear Admiral, she was well aware of the threat posed by the EDS but kept her composure, a mark of a strong leader.

"Unknown. This energy is entirely unclassified, not present in any known energy spectrum," the officer reported.

Just when it seemed the situation might worsen, the pulsations stopped.

"It disappeared," another officer reported. "The EDS is back to normal."

The earlier commotion had driven everyone to the edge of their seats.

"Reporting! The battleship has started moving. Predicting destination: I-CA High Command," another officer said, now convinced they were on the brink of annihilation.

"What about the communication request?" Rear Admiral Valerie asked.

"We are transmitting on every known frequency, but there's been no response," the officer replied.

Just then, the screen flickered.

"Rear Admiral, our transmission has been picked up. They are requesting communication," the officer reported, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"Connect," Rear Admiral Valerie commanded.

The officer connected and nodded toward the Rear Admiral.

[This is Rear Admiral Amelia Valerie. Unidentified battleship, you have encroached upon a restricted area under the control of I-CA High Command. Under the constitution of the I-CA, you are to shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded, or we will open fire.]

Rear Admiral Valerie nodded to the officer, who then fiddled with his console.

Outside, several defensive ports opened on the surface of the moon, and railgun turrets lifted their muzzles, aiming at the approaching battleship. Energy began to gather, preparing to fire.

Many of the officers in the room gulped nervously as they listened to the transmitted message. After a few tension-filled seconds, a voice responded from the other side.

[Since when did the so-called I-CA possess the guts and bravado to point their railguns at the 'Sins'?]

The tone was full of dominance and arrogance.

Upon hearing the name 'Sins,' Rear Admiral Valerie's expression turned somber. She quickly gestured to the officer to halt the defensive measures and then sent a transmission, saluting deeply.

[Rear Admiral Amelia Valerie, I-CA High Command, salutes Captain.]

The railguns on the moon's surface retracted, the ports sealing themselves. Although the I-CA High Command base on the moon possessed about a dozen railguns, firing them required immense energy. Just a single railgun shot would deplete their energy source by ten percent; firing a dozen would likely render their base inoperable. The previous display had been merely a threat.

[At ease, Rear Admiral. We shall be boarding the I-CA High Command, as we need detailed information.]

The voice, now cold and commanding, echoed through the communication channel.

[Understood, Captain. We shall await your presence. I-CA High Command is honored to have you here.]

Before she could finish her flattery, the communication channel was cut.

A few minutes later, Rear Admiral Amelia Valerie stood inside the docking tube of the landing bay. The sheer size of the battleship prevented it from fitting into the landing bay, so it was parked above the I-CA High Command base. Lucifer and James remained on the ship while Percy, Jason, and Captain Brad boarded a small landing craft to enter the base.

As the doors opened and the airlock completed, R-Ad. Valerie fixed her gaze on the door, anticipation evident in her eyes.

Percy and Jason, clad in black combat suits, entered first, followed by Captain Brad.

Captain Brad saluted R-Ad. Valerie, who ignored him, making him feel discarded—a predictable reaction given the reputation of the 'Sins.'

"Captain, it is a pleasure to meet you," she said, extending her hand like someone meeting their idol for the first time.

Percy calmly extended his hand and completed the handshake.

"Let's get to business, Rear Admiral. The more time we waste, the greater the danger becomes," Percy said, his eyes locked on hers.

"Yes, right away. Please, this way," R-Ad. Valerie said, guiding them toward her office.

Once seated inside her office, Rear Admiral Valerie cleared her throat and said, "Captain, Vice-Captain Jason must have given you the gist of the situation, so I will not go over it again. Here are the coordinates of the location and all the data we have on the black zone." She handed Percy a small data card.

Percy nodded, taking the card.

Very soon, Percy and the group boarded their battleship. Due to the insistence of Rear Admiral Valerie, Captain Brad was allowed to tag along with his battleship to provide support.

On the command deck of the battleship, Percy handed the data card to Lucifer. Lucifer inserted the card and retrieved the data from it.

"Hmm, these coordinates?" he mumbled.

"Any problem?" Percy asked.

"This zone lies on the border of the current habitable zone, almost ten Astronomical Units away. It is expected to be somewhere in the triangular zone between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. Even with our advanced energy systems and propulsion, using conventional travel methods, it would take us more than a week to reach the zone, not to mention factors like deceleration and space anomalies," Lucifer explained.

"Can't help it, we have no other way," Percy said.

Lucifer furrowed his brows but nodded in agreement.

The battleship made its way out as the reactors pumped energy into the propulsion systems, which spewed purple flames from its tail.

"Aria, chart a direct course to the coordinates," Lucifer instructed.

[Affirmative. Accessing I-CA transport beacon array.]

Aria replied.

The transport beacon array consisted of all the locations where the I-CA had placed their beacons, acting as markers for traveling within the solar system. The beacons were typically placed in locations with stable spatial passages.

[Course charted.]

"Captain, the course is set," Lucifer reported to Percy, who was standing on the command deck. Jason and James were seated in the seats beside him.

"I can hear that. We're waiting for Captain Brad and his ship," Percy replied nonchalantly, dampening Lucifer's enthusiasm.

"Che, at least you could play along. I wanted to feel like those science fiction movies from before the Reboot," Lucifer mumbled, annoyed.

Then, remembering something important, Lucifer added, "By the way, Captain, I forgot to mention: if we let an I-CA battleship tag along, it will drastically reduce our time to reach the destination."

Hearing this, Percy frowned. He hadn't considered this point. There was a significant difference in the specs of their battleship and those of the I-CA. The disparities ranged from reactor types and propulsion systems to energy field generators and weapons systems, not to mention their communication and auxiliary systems.

"Hmm, right. I forgot about that," Percy replied, trying to sound as cool as possible.

Jason's face twitched at his response. "Don't try to act cool while accepting your mistake," he mumbled in frustration.

Despite the situation, everyone on board was very excited. This was going to be their first deep-space journey, even though it was a rescue mission.

[Receiving communication request from an I-CA battleship,] Aria announced.

"Finally, they're here," Lucifer sighed in relief.

"Accept it," Percy instructed.

[This is Captain Brad, transmitting from battleship CL-01.]

Outside, in close proximity to their battleship, another enormous vessel of similar size could be seen approaching.

The I-CA battleship, with its sleek design reminiscent of a submarine, was coated in black paint that helped it blend into the dark environment of space. Despite its similar size to the seven-person team's battleship, the differences between them were significant.

The I-CA battleship was equipped with a conventional fusion reactor and an ion drive propulsion system, making it weaker in regions with enhanced gravity. It was capable of achieving a maximum constant acceleration of about 1g, with an integrity limit of around 300 km/s. The reactor power was sufficient to power a single main mini-railgun mounted at the front. Secondary weapons included a series of energy cannons for self-defense and close-range combat. Additionally, the battleship had torpedo tubes that fired conventional thermal missiles and, in severe cases, carried a nuclear payload for emergency situations. However, the fusion reactor's large size occupied most of the ship's volume, and the I-CA lacked the technology to produce an energy field to protect the ship from interstellar travel threats. The human crew also couldn't handle the strong g-forces produced by high acceleration.

"Captain Brad, the course is set. Shall we set off?" Lucifer asked, excitement visible on his face.

[Affirmative. Our reactor is warming up. We shall be ready in a few seconds.]

"Alright," Lucifer conveyed.

"Aria, activate the gravity control systems and the energy field generators," Lucifer said, punching in various commands on his console.

[Affirmative.]

The command deck lit up with a purple hue as various patterns flashed across its surface. Outside the ship, the hull began to glow with a similar purple hue. Upon closer inspection, one could see small interconnected patterns emanating purple light, which later solidified into small purple spots covering the battleship. This was the result of an advanced and unknown technology under the control of the seven-person team.

[Captain, we are ready.]

Captain Brad's voice echoed from the radio.

"Understood," Lucifer replied, turning his seat towards Percy.

Percy, seated in his chair, nodded at Lucifer.

"Captain Brad, follow our battleship closely. This will reduce the hassle of maneuvering through the safe zones," Lucifer instructed.

[Acknowledged.]

"Alright, here we go," Lucifer said, sliding his fingers on the console.

A trail of purple fumes ejected from the thrusters, accelerating their battleship deeper into the darkness of space.

The black I-CA battleship followed closely, spewing out blue fumes from its ion thrusters and propelling it with similar acceleration in the same direction.

Thus began their journey, deep into the abyssal darkness of space.