Chapter 6: Fenrir's Status

"Esme? Tell me I'm not hallucinating?"

Cassian slowly sat up. If the surroundings didn't completely match his ship, then he would have really thought that he had entered an entirely different ship altogether.

"I'm afraid it's hard for me to check your mental state yet. Would you like to be escorted to the Medical Bay for a checkup?"

Cassian shook his head lightly. Although Esme seemed more advanced than he had assumed, there was still a childlike innocence in her answers. She was having a hard time understanding his intent.

On the other hand, the humanoid robot sat next to the door, and started welding the small gaps with a precision that even the Union Mechanics couldn't achieve.

Cassian cautiously approached the android, and reached out his hand. His fingers gently brushed against the cold hard metal.

"It really exists."

The robot didn't react to his touch, and focused on his work. Meanwhile, Cassian slowly turned around.

"Esme, where did this robot come from?"

"ERAs were designed for emergency repairs and maintenance works on the ship. They had always existed on the ship."

"They? You mean there is more than one?"

Cassian had barely finished his question when he came across another robot. The second robot was walking in a rush, carrying a few thick wires.

The robot's walk was closer to a human's walk, but still a few mechanical touches could be seen if one was to observe carefully.

"Reporting to the Captain. There are a total of three ERAs on the ship in working condition. There are seventeen in a non-working condition, due to lack of resources."

"That's... incredible. So the holes in the ship were repaired by these three?"

"Captain's analysis is accurate. Most of the critical vulnerabilities were fixed by the ERAs. However, there are still many more problems remaining."

"You call them ERAs? What does that even mean?"

"Reporting to Captain. It means Emergency Repair Automata. It was a term used by the previous Captain of the ship. Would you like to change the name?"

"No need for changing the name. If my father gave them this name, then let's keep it."

"Reporting to the Captain, your assumption seems to be incorrect. The name was given by Captain Lorrence Estafania, the previous captain of Fenrir."

"Grandfather? Shouldn't the last captain be my father? After my grandfather went missing, it was my father who controlled this ship?"

"According to the records, Lorrence Estafania was the last captain of Fenrir." Esme didn't offer any explanation. She was firmly fixed on her words.

Instead of receiving the answers to his question, Cassian only had more questions. His father hadn't used this ship?

"No, she talked about Fenrir, and not the ship? Could the two be different? Fenrir is the real identity of this ship, and what my father used was just a shell?"

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. In fact, if it wasn't for this incident, even he wouldn't have known the true secrets of this ship.

"Fenrir, a mythical beast that could devour even the sun and the moon. What a fascinating name for a ship. Did my grandfather also give this name to you? His naming sense was certainly unique..."

"Reporting to Captain, Lorrence Estafania didn't decide on this name. Before he found Fenrir, it was already called Fenrir."

"Before he found Fenrir?"

Cassian's brows rose. He had heard that his grandfather had hired Mechanics and Designers from the Empire to create this ship. At least that was the story that was passed down amongst the people.

Many people asked him about the name of the mysterious mechanic, or the group that could create such a fascinating ship in that era. But his grandfather never said the name.

As the years passed, technology became more advanced. Faster ships were created, and advanced Guidance Systems were mastered. Even stealth was perfected.

People slowly forgot about this ship and its creator. Even his grandfather didn't do anything extraordinary to stand out from the rest of the Admirals in the union.

"If my grandfather found you, then who is Fenrir's real creator? In which Imperial Calendar Year was Fenrir created?"

Cassian was so immersed in talking to Esme that he didn't even notice that he had already reached the control room.

This place looked the same as before, but there was one significant difference. There was a large holographic screen that wasn't there before.

"Answering the captain, the answer is unavailable. All the data regarding Fenrir's origin is encrypted. Your authority isn't high enough to access the data."

Cassian frowned, but didn't press Esme for an answer. She wasn't a human that could be persuaded to go against her protocols. He wasn't foolish enough to not understand that.

Moreover, his thoughts were temporarily distracted by the holographic screen.

..............

Battleship Name: Fenrir

Captain: Cassian Estafania

ID: 77-IX-FENRIR

System Status: Partially Online

Ether Reserves: 20 Units

Power Status: Critically Low

System Integrity: 4/50 Systems Online

WARNING: Core systems offline.

Combat Power:

Attack Power: 5,000,000

Defensive Strength: 3,000,000

Maximum Speed: 2,000,000 k/s

Captain Link Protocol:

Synchronization Rate: 0%

Synchronization Grade: Unavailable

Captain Aptitude Grade: Awaiting Synchronization

Available Supreme Class Features: 0/10 (Locked)

AWAITING PILOT SYNCHRONIZATION...

..............

"It's just like a game."

This was Cassian's first thought when he saw the data on the screen. It didn't just tell him about this ship's status but also his own status to some extent. There even appeared to be some guidance.

"Esme, what is synchronisation? What do I need to do for this?"

"Would you like to proceed with synchronization?"

Esme didn't answer him. Instead, she asked a question of her own. It was like a predetermined question that was triggered automatically.

"Before I proceed with it, can you at least tell me what it is?"

"Answering to the captain... Synchronisation helps you unlock the true features of Fenrir. Would you like to proceed?"

"I already guessed that much. I want more information about it. What's the process involved? And what do I need to do?"

"Answering to the captain... Details are unavailable. You need Level 1 Authority to get more details about the synchronization process."

"And what do I need to do to get level one authority?"

"You need to complete synchronization."

It was like a loop. To know more, he had to complete synchronization as well. It made him wonder just what was the secret behind Fenrir that even the process details were kept secret?

He was a little scared of the unknown. But still, he had already reached a dead end in life. Fenrir felt like the last straw for him. If he wanted to change his life, he had to trust Fenrir and rely on it.

"Is there a danger to my life if I proceed with Synchronization?" He asked only one question.

"Answering the Captain, there is no danger to life."

"Fine. Proceed with Synchronization." He closed his eyes, and nodded slowly. "I agree."

Cassian had just granted permission when he suddenly felt a sound coming from behind him. It was like a metallic footstep.

He thought about turning back, but before he could, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. A syringe was stabbed deep in his neck by the same ERA that was fixing the gate previously.