Chapter 11: A Mad Scramble

The eerie silence of the asteroid field was only broken by the faint hum of Destiny's damaged engines and the clanking of welding tools echoing through its halls. The crew was pushed to their absolute limits, working around the clock to patch up what remained of the battered 5th Fleet. Shattered hulls floated beside makeshift dry docks hastily constructed from scavenged materials. The asteroid belt provided some semblance of a defensive position, but every officer knew it was temporary. It was only a matter of time before the Coalition tracked them down.

In the engineering decks, Kia and Elias worked side by side, sweat streaking their faces and grease smudging their uniforms. Around them, sparks flew as welders repaired ruptured panels, and technicians barked hurried commands.

"Kia, hand me that plasma cutter!" Elias called; his voice strained.

Kia passed the tool, taking a moment to wipe his brow. "I never thought I'd miss doing design work. This is exhausting."

Elias chuckled despite the grim atmosphere. "You and me both. But hey, at least we're not getting shot at anymore—small victories, right?"

Kia gave a half-hearted laugh, but his mind wandered. The battle had left scars on everyone, and even amidst the chaos of repairs, the weight of their losses hung heavily over the crew.

On the outer edge of the asteroid field, one of the remaining scout ships, the Vanguard, darted between the massive rocks. Its pilot, Master Sergent Jaxon Reed, guided the vessel with precision, keeping a sharp eye on the scanners. The Vanguard had been dispatched to map the asteroid belt and search for resources—fuel, metals, anything that could buy the fleet more time.

"Anything interesting out there, Reed?" his co-pilot, Airman Marla Quinn, asked, stifling a yawn.

"Nothing but rocks and—hold on," Reed said, leaning forward as the scanners lit up. A massive blip appeared on the screen, far larger than any asteroid.

"What the hell is that?" Quinn asked, her eyes widening.

The Vanguard edged closer, its floodlights piercing through the darkness. As the object came into view, both pilots gasped. Before them loomed a vessel of unimaginable size. Its hull was black as onyx. The ship dwarfed even the mighty Destiny, its shape an elegant yet intimidating fusion of sharp angles and sweeping curves.

"Command, this is Vanguard. We've found… something," Reed reported, his voice shaking. "Sending visuals now."

On the Destiny's bridge, Admiral Velan leaned forward, his sharp eyes narrowing as the images appeared on the main display. Gasps rippled through the command crew.

"By the stars…" Velan muttered. "That's no ordinary ship."

Commander Belvoir stood beside him, her face pale. "It's enormous, Admiral. The size alone—what is it?"

"I have no idea," Admiral Velan admitted. "But I intend to find out. Get Professor Roman up here. We're organizing an expedition."

Word of the discovery spread like wildfire through the fleet. Despite the dire circumstances, the prospect of uncovering something so monumental injected a rare spark of excitement and curiosity into the weary crew.

In the research deck, Professor Roman paced back and forth, his mind racing with possibilities. The images from the Vanguard had already captivated him.

"Kia!" Roman called, spotting him entering the lab. "Have you heard?" "Yes sir, just now actually" Kia replied, still catching his breath from a long shift. "You think it's real?"

Roman nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Real and ancient. If the readings are correct, this ship could predate anything we've ever encountered. Its design is completely unknown, but the precision and scale… Ensign, this could be a galactic-class ship."

Kia's breath caught. Galactic-class ships were the stuff of legend—vast vessels capable of traversing entire galaxies, their technology far surpassing anything humanity had ever developed.

Roman placed a hand on Kia's shoulder. "The Admiral has authorized a boarding expedition, and I've recommended you join us. Your design expertise might prove invaluable."

Kia blinked in surprise. "Me Sir? But—I've never been on a mission like this, I haven't been on any missions actually." Roman laughed. "There's a first time for everything. Besides, I trust your instincts. Now, gather your gear."

The expedition team assembled in Destiny's hangar bay, a mix of scientists, engineers, and security personnel. Kia stood nervously among them, his heart pounding. Elias, Sam, and Ally were there to see him off.

"Don't get yourself killed out there," Elias teased, clapping Kia on the shoulder.

"Yeah, we still need you to fix half the stuff down here," Sam added with a grin.

Kia managed a nervous laugh. "I'll do my best."

The team boarded a small transport shuttle, its engines humming softly as it launched into the void. The ancient ship grew larger with every passing second, its details becoming clearer. The hull was scarred in places, but the glowing lines suggested it still retained some level of functionality.

"Look at that thing," one of the security officers muttered. "It's like a floating super city."

"More like a fortress," Kia replied, marveling at the sheer scale of it. The ship's exterior was adorned with intricate patterns, each line and curve seeming to serve a purpose. Massive platforms jutted out from its surface, some appearing to house weapons, while others resembled fins.

As the shuttle approached a potential docking port, the team held their breath. The docking mechanism activated seamlessly, as if the ancient ship had been expecting them.

"That's… unsettling," one of the scientists murmured.

Professor Roman grinned. "This ship is full of surprises."

The airlock hissed open, revealing a cavernous interior bathed in dim blue light. The walls were made of an unknown alloy, smooth to the touch yet impossibly strong. Symbols and markings lined the corridors, their meanings lost to time. Kia recognized some of them though, "Are these markings from 'The Ancients' professor?"

"Possibly but stay close," Roman instructed. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet."

The team moved cautiously, their footsteps echoing through the silent halls. Every now and then, faint pulses of light traveled along the walls, as if the ship were alive and observing them.

Kia couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. "Do you think it's… operational?" he asked Roman.

"Hard to say," Roman replied. "But if it is, we need to figure out how to interface with it."

The group entered a massive chamber, its ceiling stretching hundreds of meters above them. In the center of the room stood a towering structure that appeared to be a control center. Dozens of consoles surrounded it, each glowing faintly.

"This is incredible," Roman whispered. "It's obviously one the ship's computer arrays."

Kia approached one of the consoles, his fingers hovering over the strange symbols. "What do you think it does?"

"Careful," Roman warned. "We don't know that is the problem."

Kia hesitated but couldn't resist the urge to investigate further. As his hand brushed against the console, the room suddenly came to life. Lights flared, and a low hum filled the air. The team froze, their weapons at the ready.

"Stand down," Roman ordered, his voice calm. "It's responding to us."A holographic projection appeared in the center of the room, displaying a vast star map unlike anything they'd ever seen. Roman's eyes widened in recognition. The chart in front of them was three to four galaxies wide, with clearly marked crossings and routes flowing between them.

"This ship… is a void-jumper," he said. "It's designed to traverse galaxies."