Nyx pulled the firing mechanism on the heavy bio-mechanical launcher. The weapon jerked hard against her shoulder. The recoil was massive. The loud sound of the blast was swallowed instantly by the roaring wind leaving the open cargo ramp.
A thick projectile shot out of the bone barrel. It was not a metal rocket. It was a condensed mass of highly volatile Aether, encased in a hardened biological shell. It left a bright green trail of exhaust against the black backdrop of space.
It flew straight toward the silver imperial interceptor.
Jin watched from the wall. He gripped the metal safety handle with both hands. His knuckles were white. The air pressure in the cargo hold was dropping rapidly. His lungs burned. The freezing cold of the upper atmosphere bit into his exposed skin like tiny knives.
The green projectile hit the interceptor.
It did not hit the metal hull. A split second before impact, a bright blue dome flared to life around the imperial ship. It was a translucent energy barrier. A high-tier Aether-shield.
The biological missile detonated against the blue dome. The explosion was massive. Green fire washed over the shield, but the dome held. The shockwave rippled outward through the thin atmosphere. It hit the rusted cargo ship a moment later. The old vessel shuddered violently. Jin lost his footing. His knees hit the hard metal deck. He kept his grip on the wall handle. If he let go, the vacuum would suck him out into the void.
The green smoke cleared. The silver interceptor emerged completely undamaged. The blue shield still surrounded it. It was glowing brightly.
Inside the silver interceptor, Captain Vane wiped cold sweat from his forehead. His hands gripped the flight controls tightly. He was a Core Formation cultivator. He was an elite pilot for the First Prince. He was used to hunting down pirates and smugglers.
He looked at his main tactical screen. The visual feed zoomed in on the open ramp of the fleeing cargo ship.
Vane saw the dark cloak whipping in the wind. He saw the skin-tight black graphene suit. He saw the featureless obsidian visor. His stomach dropped. He felt a sudden, heavy weight in his chest.
He knew exactly who that was. Every officer in the imperial military knew the stories about the old Queen's shadow-guard.
"The Shadow-Blade," Vane whispered to himself. His voice shook slightly.
He slammed his fist onto the main communication dial on his dashboard. He opened a direct, encrypted channel to the First Prince's flagship.
"Command, this is Interceptor Seven," Vane yelled into the microphone. He did not care about military protocol right now. "I have visual confirmation on the target. The suspect is fleeing the capital in a black-market hauler. The Shadow-Blade is on board. I repeat, the Shadow-Blade is active. I highly suspect the seventh prince is with her. Requesting immediate backup. I cannot engage a Divinity Realm target alone."
Vane watched the screen. The shadow-guard did not lower her heavy weapon.
On the open ramp, Nyx stayed perfectly still. She ignored the freezing cold and the lack of oxygen. She reached into the small pouch on her belt. She pulled out another fist-sized Aether core. She jammed it into a fleshy slot on the side of the bio-launcher.
The weapon absorbed the core instantly. It pulsed with a dull, organic red light. The internal mechanisms grew a new projectile inside the barrel in less than three seconds.
Nyx aimed down the sights. She pulled the trigger a second time.
The second biological missile crossed the dark space between the two ships. Vane saw it coming on his radar. He pulled hard on the flight stick. He tried to evade. The interceptor banked sharply to the right.
It was useless. The missile tracked his engine heat. It curved in the empty space and slammed directly into the center of the blue dome.
The explosion was completely silent in the vacuum of space.
The blue translucent shield took the full force of the blast. Vane's cockpit lit up with flashing red warning lights. A harsh electronic siren screamed in his ears. The shield integrity meter on his dashboard plummeted from one hundred percent down to twenty percent in a single second.
The blue dome outside his window flickered rapidly. The light dimmed. The shield generator was draining its Aether reserves trying to hold the physical structure together.
"Command, my shield is failing," Vane shouted into the comms. Panic leaked into his voice. "She is firing heavy ordnance. I need immediate support!"
Nyx loaded a third core into the launcher. Her movements were precise, efficient, and entirely mechanical. She did not rush. She did not show anger or fear. She was just completing a task.
She aimed. She fired the third shot.
Vane watched the green trail approach his ship. He knew it was over. He closed his eyes. He let go of the flight controls.
The third missile struck the weakened blue shield. The dome shattered. It broke apart like a pane of cheap glass hit by a hammer. The energy dissipated into the void.
The biological shell of the missile punched straight through the silver metal hull of the interceptor. It penetrated the engine block and detonated the ship's main Aether drive.
A massive fireball erupted in the darkness.
The imperial interceptor broke into three large, jagged pieces. Metal debris and burning fuel scattered outward into the high orbit. The bright orange fire died quickly without any oxygen to feed it. The broken pieces of the silver ship floated away into the deep black.
Nyx lowered the heavy launcher. The threat was neutralized.
She turned around and walked calmly back into the cargo hold. She slammed her hand against the manual release lever on the wall.
The heavy metal ramp groaned loudly. It slowly raised and locked into place. The thick rubber seals engaged. The loud howling of the wind stopped instantly. The ship's internal life support systems kicked in. Stale, metallic-tasting air flooded back into the cargo hold.
Jin dropped flat onto the metal deck. He let go of the wall handle. He gasped for air. His chest heaved up and down. His throat felt raw. His fingers were completely numb and stiff from the cold.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the dark ceiling of the ship.
He just watched a man die in the cold vacuum of space. He watched a military ship get blown into scrap metal. On Earth, a car crash made the local news. Here, blowing up a military vessel was just a minor traffic dispute. He needed to adjust his mindset faster. The scale of violence in this universe was absolute.
Nyx walked past him. She carried the heavy weapon back to the hidden floor compartment. She dropped it inside and closed the metal lid. She walked back up to the cockpit without saying a word to him. She sat in the pilot seat and engaged the main thrusters. The ship pushed further into deep space, heading for the Academy.
Far below them, on the surface of Chimeria, the political machine was moving.
First Prince Kaelen stood in the center of the military command spire. The room was massive. It was built from dark grey stone and lined with organic computer terminals. Dozens of officers sat at their stations. They all had cybernetic implants or minor insect splices. They worked in absolute silence.
Kaelen stood over a large holographic table. He was a giant. He stood nearly eight feet tall. He cultivated the Azure Dragon Sequence. Fine, pale blue scales covered his forearms and his neck. His eyes were slitted like a reptile. He radiated a heavy, oppressive physical pressure. He was at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. Normal humans could not even stand in the same room as him without feeling sick.
A senior communications officer turned around in his chair. The man looked pale and nervous.
"My Prince," the officer said. His voice trembled slightly. "We just lost contact with Interceptor Seven in high orbit. Captain Vane is dead. His ship was destroyed."
Kaelen slowly turned his head. He looked at the officer. "Show me the final transmission."
The holographic table shifted. It projected the grainy, distorted visual feed from Vane's ship. The image hovered in the air. It showed the rusted cargo hauler. It zoomed in on the open ramp. The image was perfectly clear. Nyx stood there in her black suit, holding the smoking bio-launcher.
Kaelen stared at the hologram. He did not yell. He did not throw a tantrum. He simply placed his large hands on the edge of the metal table. The thick steel bent and deformed under his grip.
"The shadow-guard," Kaelen said softly. His voice sounded like grinding stones. "She survived the old Queen's purge. And she is protecting my little brother."
The room stayed completely silent. Nobody moved. They all knew how dangerous the First Prince was when he spoke quietly.
Kaelen let go of the table. He stood up straight. The blue scales on his neck shifted.
"Jin is alive," Kaelen stated. "He survived Vanya's poison. Now he is running. He thinks he can leave the capital and hide. He thinks that old assassin can keep him safe."
He turned to his lead admiral. The admiral was an old man with a metal jaw.
"Calculate their trajectory," Kaelen ordered. His tone was absolute. "Find out exactly where that garbage scow is heading. Do it now."
"Yes, My Prince," the admiral said. He started typing rapidly on his console.
Kaelen looked back at the frozen hologram of Nyx. "Dispatch a dozen pursuit ships immediately. Send the elite hunting squads. I do not care about the cargo ship. I want the seventh prince dead. I want his head brought back to me before he crosses the imperial border. Nobody escapes the purge."