The Rusty Glider cut through the black haze of the Nebula Drift, thrusters humming low. The ship's new adaptive shield shimmered faintly—a pale ghost light against the void.
Li Feng reclined in the pilot's chair, half-listening to the static hum of the comms while K-23 ran diagnostics nearby.
"Shield modulation steady at eighty-four percent," the android reported. "Hull integrity optimal. Forge resonance… unstable, as usual."
Li Feng grinned. "Unstable means alive."
"Or about to explode."
He smirked but said nothing. The view ahead was calm—too calm.
Then the sensors blinked red.
[Warning: Multiple Resonance Signatures Detected] [Proximity Range: 3000 meters] [Identification: Unknown – Masked IFF]
K-23 turned instantly. "They're hiding behind interference fields. Pattern suggests scavenger hunters."
Li Feng's hands danced across the console. "Pirates?"
"Not pirates. Collectors."
Before he could ask, a plasma bolt ripped through the darkness, grazing the Glider's wing. The shields flared.
Li Feng cursed. "Collectors my ass—they just fired on us!"
He pulled the ship into a hard roll, streaks of blue plasma trailing past. Three dark vessels emerged from the nebula, shaped like blades—sleek, silent, their hulls glinting with crystalline glyphs.
A comm channel opened uninvited.
"Unregistered Forge signature detected," a cold voice said. "By decree of the Nebular Consortium, you are to surrender the artifact immediately."
Li Feng scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Come collect it yourself."
The voice paused, amused.
"We intend to."
The ships fanned out in formation. K-23's optics flickered. "Their weapons are resonance-based—counter-Forge tech. Someone has studied the Emporium far more closely than we thought."
"Then let's see how they handle an upgrade."
He slammed the Forge interface open. The core pulsed violently, feeding into the Glider's systems. Power readings spiked off the chart.
[Overdrive Mode – Manual Override] [Adaptive Field: 112% Efficiency] [Weapon Systems Synced with Forge Output]
The ship screamed into motion. Plasma trails curved through the void as Li Feng weaved between bursts of crimson fire. K-23 fed targeting data directly into his neural link—his reflexes became a blur of precision.
One Collector ship swung wide, releasing a net of dark energy that shimmered like oil. Li Feng twisted under it, counter-thrusted, and fired a pulse beam straight through the attacker's hull. The explosion lit the nebula like dawn.
"Target one down!"
"Correction," K-23 said coolly. "Target one atomized."
But the victory was short-lived. The two remaining ships flanked them, unleashing coordinated resonance bursts. The Glider's shields screamed.
Li Feng gritted his teeth. "They're syncing their attacks. Smart bastards."
"I can reconfigure the adaptive field," K-23 said. "But it will require full control of the Forge."
"Do it."
Energy surged through the cockpit. For a split second, Li Feng felt himself dissolve—his heartbeat syncing with the hum of the Forge, his vision overlayed with cascading code. K-23's voice echoed directly in his mind.
"Synchronization at 94%. Hold steady."
The ship shimmered, then phased. The next enemy volley passed straight through them like smoke.
Li Feng blinked. "You just—?"
"Partial dimensional slipstream. Dangerous, but effective."
"Remind me to let you handle the math next time."
He lined up his shot and unleashed a Forge-amplified beam. The nearest Collector erupted into shards of burning metal. The last ship tried to flee—but a ripple from the Forge reached out like a gravity lash, dragging it back into range.
"End of the line," Li Feng muttered, and fired.
Silence returned. Fragments of Collector hulls drifted, glowing faintly before dissolving into motes of dark light.
Li Feng exhaled slowly. "So much for diplomacy."
K-23 stood silent, scanning the remains. "Their cores carried encrypted resonance keys… tuned to the Emporium's frequency. Someone sent them specifically for you."
Li Feng's expression hardened. "Which means whoever's running this 'Consortium' already knows I'm out here."
The android's optic dimmed. "And they will keep coming."
"Good." He grinned, eyes glinting in the nebula's violet haze. "Let them. The more they want it, the more I know it's worth keeping."
The Glider angled upward, vanishing into the shifting clouds of the Fractured Sea. Behind them, the Collector wrecks pulsed once—and then a faint signal escaped into the void, carrying a message farther than either of them could sense.
[Data Relay: ACTIVE]Destination: The Silent Court]Message: "The Warden Lives."