Buzz—
A low, ancient sound echoed inside Callum Rivers' mind. A pulse. A call. A sound so old it rattled his very soul.
His thoughts shattered. His senses spiraled. He was dragged, helpless, into an overwhelming mental resonance — deafening, terrifying, shaking him to his bones.
Buzz—
It was like the song of a whale from a forgotten ocean, a haunting melody filled with damp sorrow and heavy loneliness. The sound vibrated through his bones, endless and consuming.
And in the split second of his stunned confusion — Vivienne Cross swung the thickest, heaviest dictionary on her desk and cracked it hard against the back of his skull.
The young man crumpled without a fight, consciousness slipping away before he could even resist. Vivienne caught him easily as he fell.
The little silver pistol slipped from his fingers, clattering to the floor. The thick dictionary tumbled down too, the cover flashing briefly in the dim light — "Mech Wars: A History" in ornate lettering.
A prop. She'd bought it months ago, trying to play the part of a cultured intellectual to get closer to the bookish, sentimental Callum. Truth was, she never made it past page six — the words made her head hurt.
Vivienne laid Callum on the couch. Her face was pale.
Pretty boy, she thought. Not just in the face — soft in every possible way.
He lay peacefully, lashes long and dark against his skin, tear stains still wet on his cheeks.
Vivienne's fingers brushed down his cheek, over the delicate line of his throat. She sighed.
"If I'd had more time," she murmured, "I might've actually sweet-talked you properly."
Goodbyes were always hard.
But she hadn't hit him too hard. He'd wake up with nothing worse than a splitting headache.
She was kinder than the man who'd just pointed a gun at her, after all.
Vivienne grabbed her pre-packed duffel bag from under the bed. All the expensive gifts she'd milked from Callum during their little affair had long since been sold for star credits.
She threw on her coat, walked to the door without a second glance.
"Goodbye, darling."
The door clicked shut behind her.
In the port terminal, giant screens flashed endless streams of news, casting shifting light across the crowd of travelers.
"At 0600 Imperial Standard Time, April 3rd, Crown Prince Randall has officially confirmed he will not attend the July 8th military parade—"
"The Empire's First Research Institute has announced a breakthrough in their High-Stability Magnetic Field Device, with Colonel Ning reporting advancements in Zerg detection technology—"
Tommy sat with his chin propped on his hand, waiting for boarding to begin. His parents had scraped together everything to buy passage to a richer star zone.
The Empire was divided into twenty-six administrative zones, named A to Z. The closer to A, the wealthier and more prosperous. Zone X was one of the poorest.
X-298 was the wealthiest planet in Zone X — which wasn't saying much.
His mother nagged his father about underselling their old house. Tommy, bored, gazed out the glass windows.
The sky over X-298 was always a dirty gray, like scratched glass smeared with oil. The air quality was trash. Every breath felt like inhaling dust and ash. When it rained, the water was acidic enough to sting.
Still, the port bustled. Ships big and small lifted off and landed endlessly.
And through the crowd, a single passenger caught Tommy's eye.
A woman, late arrival.
She wore a dark coat and carried a massive matte-black umbrella. Under the harsh lights, the umbrella reflected faint, muted glimmers.
She moved with effortless grace, folding the umbrella neatly, her every gesture composed.
The boarding call echoed through the terminal. Tommy looked away, following his parents to the boarding queue.
In the endless dark of space, the HGSH498 civilian starship glided smoothly along its designated route, its silver hull gleaming faintly under the scattered starlight. Like a lone meteor, it drifted quietly across the void.
Inside, passengers stared out windows or dozed in their seats.
Tommy couldn't help glancing at Vivienne Cross.
He remembered her — the elegant, mysterious passenger who had arrived just before departure.
When he left his cabin to stretch his legs, he hadn't expected to run into her.
Her long, ink-black hair shimmered under the ship's lights. Her features were refined, delicate. Her smile disarming.
She looked like she belonged to a different world — a woman from wealth and status.
Maybe even an evolved human.
Vivienne invited Tommy to sit and share a drink. How could he say no?
They talked. About nothing and everything. About the future.
Before he knew it, he was confessing his biggest dream — to study mecha engineering at the Empire's A-Zone military academy.
"Maybe it's too ambitious…" Tommy mumbled, cheeks flushing.
Vivienne smiled, raising her glass. "Not at all. It's admirable to have clear goals at your age. Meeting someone like you at the end of my journey — what a delightful surprise."
Their glasses clinked.
Her fingertips brushed lightly against the back of his hand.
A jolt shot up his spine.
Tommy shot to his feet, face burning.
Had he just been flirted with?!
He threw her a quick, embarrassed glance. Those big amber eyes shimmering, shy, unsure.
Then he bolted like he was running from a wild beast.
Vivienne finished her drink alone, smiling wryly.
For a brief moment, she caught herself slipping—
Flirting like she was back in some seedy nightclub, hustling Guides for a quick psychic fix.
Tsk. Old habits die hard.
Time to repent.
Or better yet, embrace the single life and keep breaking hearts.
For weeks, travel regulations around X-298 had gotten stricter. It had made her nervous. But now—
She'd done it.
Running away? Child's play.
Vivienne leaned back, gazing out the window.
Stars stretched endlessly beyond the glass, galaxies and nebulas sprawling across the darkness like paint on a cosmic canvas.
So small, so meaningless, so beautiful.
She shook her head, smiling faintly.
No need to think such useless thoughts.
She didn't have to play the cultured woman anymore.
Nothing could ruin her mood now.
And then—
The stars outside exploded.
Vivienne blinked.
Was she hallucinating?
An instant later, red lights flashed inside the cabin.
The blaring of a Level One alarm echoed through the ship.
Outside the window, a massive, looming warship appeared, blocking the stars.
A giant black skull emblem glared at them.
Around her, passengers screamed.
"Pirates! It's the Star Pirates! Someone helps!"