Grain of sand
"Lady, are you sure? We're already running low on resources. If we allocate engineers further across the ship, we'll slow down all processes," someone spoke to the girl dressed in black.
Engineers, hundreds of people, were inside a vast metallic space, fervently repairing. Their suits differed from the attire of the girl with a saber—her suit was black, while the engineers wore gray attire.
In the center of this space, towering incredibly high above everyone, was a massive object—a reactor, supported by six columns approaching it from various sides.
The crimson eyes of the girl glanced directly at this object at the center.
"If the battleship can't move faster, prepare the Pion, or any of the three militarized destroyers!" She took a step, and the sound of her heels hitting iron resonated throughout the captain's cabin.
"Are you sure? This is an unexpected declaration..."
"Yes. If we can't all go there together, one of me is enough to deal with the issues and meet the master," the girl said, folding her hands behind her back.
"Lucy, why do you start this nonsense again? Do you want to fly off alone, leaving the battleship at the mercy of fate?" Nebel approached a group of people, where Lucy stood.
"Nonsense. Do you know how hard it is to think that your loved one is out there, with no idea what's happening to them?" As her fingers touched the hilt of her sword, everyone around began to feel immense pressure, yet no one moved; their gazes were calm.
"You can think whatever you want, but he's the strongest. What help can you provide to him?" Nebel said loudly.
"What if we assume that he, like us, is weakened? These creatures that attacked the battleship, unfortunately, possess enough strength to harm Arlok!" She panicked at her own words.
"Again, you forget, they attacked us. Can you imagine, Lucy, that someone would dare attack one of two battleships? Moreover, they successfully infiltrated, even damaged Zigfaer!"
"I hadn't finished repairing it, next time..."
"Let's make sure there won't be a next time."
"What are you implying?" She adjusted her long black hair.
"Fix the engine tractor on your own."
"But..."
"You mustn't leave at any cost. If the battleship is left without you, who will protect it and all those on board?"
"Nebel, you again."
"Thanks for the compliment, my lady, but better heed my words," he bowed.
"Let the engineers fix the second engine; we need to reach him faster."
"Correct decision, my lady, but something is clearly missing," Nebel stepped back and turned around.
"Fine, I'll fix it myself. For that, let the second and fifth engineering squads come here; I'll try my best to rectify the issue that caused the reactor malfunction." Lucy surveyed the people who were searching through smooth metallic plates covering the entire room.
"But if something happens to him, it's on you!" Dr. Nebel paused. He clearly felt a malevolent gaze laden with Eden energy upon his back.
"Lady, we've all weakened, and we shouldn't waste our strength on disputes among ourselves; he won't like it..." He waved his hand without turning and walked on. The iron doors opened before him, and the sound of receding steps on the cold metal filled the corridor.
Suddenly, a knight rushed by him—it was a strange occurrence, as if someone wanted to convey a personal message.
"Weird," the man unnaturally arched, unlike others, stretching his back, but others wouldn't understand.
"Announcement! Everyone must evacuate the area around the second reactor of the first engine—I repeat! Everyone, without exception, evacuate the reactor zone!..." The assistant's voice continued to speak.
"This wasn't planned, something new," Klaus turned around and started walking back to the reactor.
People walked toward him, many nodded in respect, while others fled. It was a reasonable reaction to the announcement of a potential reactor explosion.
"Lucy, I asked you to fix it, not blow it up," Klaus re-entered the vast chamber.
"I hadn't even started it yet..." the girl looked at the spherical reactor high above her head.
"And what happened? There are fewer people in this room, but nothing changed," Nebel approached the girl, towering over her.
"Pay attention, you should remember," she gestured toward a point on the reactor.
There, on the perfectly smooth grey-blue sphere, something familiar caught Nebel's eye. A crest, a mark, a symbol—known by many names, but it meant one thing—Lions had been here—spacefaring golden foxes. It was a terrorist organization, encompassing a small number of people; they weren't incredibly dangerous individually, but together they brought considerable trouble to the Alliance—but they were destroyed.
"This is some joke! As if I needed to deal with these wretched creatures again!" His brows furrowed.
His memories were incredibly intertwined; he remembered every second of investigating their case, remembered their faces and way of speaking. He remembered every last second of their lives.
"Klaus, you executed them; I see this symbol again..." She clenched and unclenched her fist.
"I know them better than anyone. I caught each of them; they were all convicted in the 'Golden Hall' and each was executed by the Lord's strike, then I took their bodies for research. They are dead, Lucy, I dissected them."
"Your words are horrifying, Klaus, but I believe you. What did you find after the research?"
"Nothing. They were just Eden holders, except for strange golden sand, which replaced most of their organs. I concluded— their weakness was due to the 'implants' in the form of golden sand."
"The conclusion was correct?" She looked at the man.
"Yes," he darkened, looking at those three golden rhombuses.
The symbol began to disintegrate into sand particles. The girl extended her hand, and a single particle managed to reach her.
"Klaus, aboard the ship, these bastards managed to reach the eighth level at first, and now the seventh..." She clenched the sand particle in her fist.
"Unfortunately, there's no Parera unit, but I'll take action; we'll begin hunting them as soon as possible..." He smiled and bowed.
"There should be only one spy on board," Nebel thought to himself, his eyes darkening.
"Let's start the investigation, and let the entire battleship prepare for battle! Charge the Titans, reboot the systems, refresh the ammunition—we'll move quickly to Arlok, fixing the reactor won't be difficult," Klaus echoed Lucy's words.
"It's harder to avoid another breakdown..." Klaus's body split in half—he created his clone. "I'll ensure the battleship's safety..."
"Go, and I'll handle the reactor," Nebel's face paled; creating a clone had cost him a lot of energy.
As soon as the doors opened and Klaus exited, numerous golden sand particles followed him. They dispersed throughout the vast ship...