Opening: Victory Afterglow
The Red Radiant floated above the battered wreckage of the Firefeast arenas —
its hull scorched, patched, but proudly victorious.
Across the outlaw networks, news blared:
"The Dawnbreakers — new legends born in blood and fire!"
"Bounties rising! Beware of the Radiant crew!"
The Dawnbreakers had crossed a threshold.
They were no longer just wanderers.
They were players now.
And every empire, syndicate, bounty hunter, and cult cell had taken notice.
On the station's chaotic festival streets:
Zaraya and Lyren stood side-by-side,
watching holographic replays of their insane victory.
Lyren allowed herself a faint, real smile — something ancient and hard-won.
Plo dragged Aerin through endless booths of bizarre alien tech and enchanted trinkets,
giggling and accidentally buying a "reality-warping rubber duck" that squeaked ominously when squeezed.
Iselyra, standing like a silent sentinel nearby,
occasionally smirked when Plo's antics went too far.
Kaelen's Culinary Adventure
Meanwhile, Kaelen wandered through the back alleys of the Firefeast —
following the scent of roasted meats, seared spices, and alien pastries that floated on anti-grav plates.
He moved from stall to stall —
sampling everything from:
Crispy Vol'tharn skyfish,
Nebula-roasted root vegetables,
To an experimental Rift-chili so spicy it almost knocked even him off balance.
He returned to the Radiant with a small satchel of samples —
calmly distributing them to the crew without comment.
After a long, silent moment,
he muttered just loud enough for Zaraya (and only Zaraya) to hear:
"We need a cook."
Zaraya blinked.
Then grinned wide.
"Adding that to the list, Kaelen."
The Red Radiant had many strengths —
but now, it would also chase better food as fiercely as it chased legends.
Later that night, gathered around the Radiant's common table,
the Dawnbreakers reviewed new alerts:
Increased bounty notices.
Black Circuit murmurs of revenge.
Cult sightings rising across broken sectors.
One message stood out:
A mining station — supposedly abandoned —
had sent a faint, desperate distress call before going silent.
Plo frowned, adjusting her lenses.
"That's not natural signal degradation."
"Something's hunting there."
Zaraya's cosmic eyes burned brighter.
"Good."
"Let's go hunting too."
The Dawnbreakers had rested long enough.
The shadows of the past were calling.
And they would answer —
with fire.