Freddy gawked at Gloria's starship. It was the size of a three-storey building. The design was high-end and the edges were carved with supreme accuracy. Its deep-blue color radiated uniquely.
"This lady here is worth half a billion. It's one of my favorites," Gloria said.
"Damn, does it have AI?" Ethan asked as they continued into the ship.
The door slid open as the staircase morphed out.
"Yeah, it does. And it has two mech suits of Tier-3 level on it," Gloria replied.
Ethan and Freddy entered the first room and chuckled.
"Damn, this is on another level. How did they allow a kid to keep it?" Ethan asked, speaking with the mentality of a full-grown adult.
"Money. Money allowed it," Gloria said. "Well, it has two bedrooms. Ethan, you can take this one." She moved to the next room.
"No way. I haven't seen the rest," Ethan said, following her.
"That's the best one. And yeah, it's my ship, so I choose where you stay," Gloria said with pride.
"Don't worry. In the next two years, I'll buy a mothership, and I'll give you the bathroom," Ethan said coldly, giving her a glare.
The ship had three bedrooms, one dining room, and a parlor. The pilot room was at the top center of the ship. The room was oval and spacious, and the roof was glass-like, allowing a clear view of outer space.
"Welcome to Dominance Starship. Please relax as the ship is on auto-pilot," a 3D figure appeared in the center of the room.
"No need to worry. I'll drive," Ethan said as he hopped into the pilot's seat.
"Are you sure you can fly a spaceship?" Freddy asked.
"Trust me," Ethan said calmly as he sprang the engine to life.
With fast hands, Ethan propelled the ship skyward. "This is Pilot Dominance. Am I clear for takeoff?"
"You only have two minutes, pronto, to take off," a male voice replied from the control tower.
"Okay, all aboard. Let's fly this thing to Helios," Ethan said as he pushed the thrusters.
Boom!
The high-end starship burst through the atmosphere, and within seconds, it was already in outer space. The black, silent void stretched endlessly, visible through the glass roof.
Ethan felt nostalgic. In his past life, he had flown dozens of ships across the galaxy. He had also commanded fighter squadrons, so this wasn't new to him.
"Damn, Ethan, you didn't tell us you took pilot training," Freddy said, shocked.
"Eh, long story," Ethan replied.
"I'll see you guys later. I need to sleep. Let me know when we reach Planet Orion," Gloria said as she entered her room.
The ship cruised at 30,000 miles per hour, and with Orion a million miles away from New Eden, the journey would be short. After all, this was a first-class starship compared to ordinary ones. Regular ships cost about 50 million Ace Coins and traveled at only 5,000 miles per hour.
Freddy sat quietly, observing the flying dots of light. Space was beautiful, calm, and vast.
"Woah… such beauty. This is the first time in my life I'm going on a space exploration," Freddy whispered, immersed in the sight.
"Yeah, we'll have more… and more dangerous ones in the future," Ethan thought.
Ten hours in, Ethan was still piloting. He had already calculated the coordinates, so the flight path was stable. Freddy had retired to his room. Ethan finally put on the auto-pilot and went to his quarters for a hot bath.
*************
The next couple of hours later, Ethan was woken by the AI voice.
"Ah, Jesus. Can't you knock? What if I was naked?" Ethan grumbled as the AI figure floated into view.
"I am built together with the starship. I can appear in any room," the AI replied smoothly.
Ethan got up and walked outside, where he saw Freddy and Gloria eating breakfast.
"Ethan, we're already at Orion's orbit. We shouldn't waste time the exam commences in 24 hours," Gloria urged.
"Gosh, I only went for a nap," Ethan muttered as he rushed to the pilot cabin.
Outside, through the transparent glass, a green planet loomed twice the size of New Eden. A massive space barrier surrounded the world like an orbit, an energy shield powered by its sun.
Dozens of ships, large and small, moved in and out of a colossal circular gate nearly 300 miles in diameter.
"That's the Great Teleportation System," Ethan murmured.
"Well, I guess we have to wait. The coordinates from here to Planet Helios aren't set yet. It'll take two hours," the AI informed.
"Yeah, I know and I didn't ask for your opinion," Ethan retorted sourly. He valued his privacy and hated intrusions.
"Hey Ethan, how about we check out Planet Orion?" Freddy suggested.
"Nah. You need a planet pass to enter, and for a mid-tier planet, it costs 200k Ace Coins each," Ethan explained.
"Okay… but we don't have time anyway, right?" Gloria said, walking in. She was wearing a black combat suit lined with shimmering blue veins.
"Hmm, okay," Freddy muttered.
Two hours passed quickly. The group went to the station and bought teleportation tickets for 400k Ace Coins. Their starship lined up with thousands of others, preparing for transit.
"Damn, we're in for a tough fight," Ethan muttered, impressed by the sheer numbers.
Bracckkk!
The Great Teleportation System cracked open, a void of pure black. Ethan thrust the engines forward, following the flood of ships.
"Warning: Space thunder incoming. Enabling energy shield," the AI announced.
Immediately, two guns morphed out of the ship as a shimmering barrier formed. Consumption of delerium skyrocketed. Space thunder crashed against the shield like electric dragons, but Ethan remained calm, steering forward.
After thirty minutes, light appeared at the tunnel's end.
"Brace for impact," Ethan said as he pulled the engines back.
Bang!
The ship broke free and returned to space.
Bleuurrghhh!
Freddy retched in the bathroom.
"Eh, first time is always rough," Ethan chuckled.
"Yeah… but we're finally here. Planet Helios!" Gloria exclaimed with joy.
Planet Helios was spectacular six times the size of New Eden. Its white glow gave off a mighty, divine presence.