The Silver Capsule - I

Chapter One- Silver Capsule I

In the vast, cold expanse of space, a hauntingly beautiful graveyard of celestial bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. The remnants of countless planets and asteroids, once vibrant and teeming with life, now lay shattered and lifeless, a testament to the destructive forces that had torn them asunder.

The debris field was a world of colors and textures, with fragments of rock and metal glinting in the dim light of distant stars. Massive chunks of once-mighty planets floated alongside smaller, jagged pieces of asteroids, their surfaces scarred and pockmarked from the cataclysmic event that had reduced them to rubble.

As the debris drifted through the void, the eerie silence of space was occasionally punctuated by the low rumble of a collision, as two celestial bodies met in a slow, inevitable dance of destruction. The impact would send shockwaves rippling through the debris field, causing smaller fragments to shudder and shift in their eternal journey through the cosmos.

In the midst of this desolate landscape, the remains of once-great civilizations could be seen, their shattered cities and monuments now little more than twisted metal and crumbling stone. The remnants of colossal space stations, their once-bustling corridors now dark and empty, floated silently among the debris, their shattered hulls casting ghostly shadows on the surrounding wreckage.

As the debris field drifted through the cosmos, it was bathed in the ethereal glow of distant nebulas and supernovae, their vibrant colors painting the desolation in hues of red, blue, and green. The light from these celestial phenomena illuminated the debris field in a hauntingly beautiful display, a stark contrast to the destruction that had befallen the once-thriving worlds.

In this vast graveyard of celestial bodies, a daring ship sought passage. The ship's thrusters sputtered and coughed, releasing plumes of blue exhaust as they struggled to maintain the necessary speed and agility after being pushed all the way to the maximum. Coupled with the fact that it was ridiculously maneuvering and dodging asteroids and debris littered in space, it was safe to assume that whoever was piloting this worn out shell was most definitely an expert. That level of skill made such a daunting and dangerous task look almost too peaceful.

The interior of the ship however, wasn't that peaceful.

"Why did you take me out of there?"

In the worn out hull of the ship, an agitated and injured woman was yelling furiously at her teammates. Her armor was cracked and damaged all over and she clutched a limp left arm in support. That however, didn't dull her rage in the slightest.

"There were three devourer scouts Leah. Three! What at all could you have done to change the situation? Shoot them with those tiny energy pistols?"

Opposite her, a burly four armed man yelled back equally, not giving in an inch. Ordinarily his menacing figure accompanied by the dual miniguns obviously meant for ships but somehow found themselves in his possession would have shut a lot of people up in an argument but the opposition this time was immune to it.

"Well newsflash they don't do shit. Even the planetary cannons barely grazed their skin. Be grateful that we were able to escape in time."

He seemed very agitated at the same time remorseful. The tears that snaked down his soot covered face were a clear testament of that.

The injured lady noticed this too and realized there was no point to the argument. They had barely made it out with their lives and it was a bit idiotic of her to think they could do anything to change the tides of the battle.

As much as she accepted that fact, her guilt still pressed on and she asked in a quiet heavy voice.

"But we can't just leave everyone else there to die."

From the corner, a cold snort rang over.

"Got a better idea?"

Slumped against the hull was a seemingly little pigtailed girl in third gen gray stellaris armor. It was more advanced than those of the entire crew, explaining its relatively unmarred surface. She stared at the injured Leah with a cold fatigued gaze and for a moment, the tension in there was almost corporeal.

"Hey guys!"

A voice suddenly rang out from the cockpit, alarming the trio who immediately assumed there was a problem.

What?

"Did you know that Wraithos is also called the Realm of the Dead?

"......."

"Well now you do."

…...

…....…

…...

For a moment,the entire ship fell silent and the previous tension disappeared without a trace.

"Can't we toss him off the ship? It will probably move faster after being freed off the load of his nonsense."

The first to break the ice was the little girl who made a proposal the others found quite tempting and convenient.

The four armed Coaster however shook his head and muttered;

"As tempting as that offer is we need his expertise in crossing the shattered worlds. We can dispose him off once we near the stargates."

"Yeah, that definitely makes sense." The 'Little' girl agreed.

"I can hear you guys, you know?"

"We do not care."

The duo unanimously replied.

"But how would devourers suddenly appear on Thenes. We had a tier three cloaking device. Devourer scouts can't sense that."

Leah was still lost in her own world, muttering repeatedly to her self.

Coaster sighed as he looked over.

"Don't be naive Leah. They didn't appear there magically, no, someone led them to Thenes. Someone wanted all of us dead."

"But why? Why would anyone go that far? Sabotaging a transport route is one thing but who leaks out the location of a settlement?" Leah cried out.

"How would I know, I was right there with you when it happened." Coaster replied, sighing deeply. He picked a corner and sank to he ground.

"Lets just get some rest first. Xeros is still quite the distance away."

"Yeah. You're probably right." Leah responded, sullen. She leaned back and shut her eyes, falling quiet.

The resulting silence was heavy, but the trio deeply appreciated it.

A second later, a sleazy voice from the cockpit rang out.

"Hey guys, di…."

"Oi Fatface, if you don't shut up I swear on my guns that you'll definitely get it."

Coaster lashed out, angrily, cutting him off before he said another ridiculous thing.

"Calm your barrels hotshot, I was only going to say there's a glowing unidentified right ahead of us"

Fatface from the cockpit answered right back.

"Re-route and ignore it. No more surprises today."

Leah responded with her eyes still closed. The fatigue in her voice was evident.

"Oh really, but it looks like it's completely made up of liquid silver crystal."

WHAT!!!

The trio sprung up in an instant.