章 17: Chapter 17 - Reunion
Seraphina sat at the restaurant on the ship with her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster stuffed with more food into her mouth.
She is so engrossed by this food which, to be honest, isn't even good enough.
Not even paying attention to what was going on around her or who was staring at her, she nearly didn't notice Rodgraim's gaze on her.
She felt the weight of being stared at at some point and lifted her face confusedly, her mouth full of food.
"Huh? Why are you staring at me?" she said, her voice laced with bewilderment.
Seraphina had already experienced too many things on Arcturus, so her wariness towards Rodgraim was also different from before.
Well, she was wary of him; after all, he would usually tease and bully her, but realizing that staying by his side was hard and wasn't really in danger of losing her life made a difference, though.
But after this, her perspective changed
Rodgraim might be a troublemaker to her, but he was definitely not a threat.
Rodgraim stared at Seraphina's ridiculous, naive countenance.
With a faint, bitter smile, he shook his head and whispered softly, "It's nothing. Chew slowly, don't choke."
Seraphina gave him a brief look before turning back to her meal.
She hadn't eaten a good meal since boarding ship.
And now she ate this one like it was her last, downing it as she possibly could, unconscious of the result.
She was so relieved that the ship had replenished during their stay at Arcturus, since there were only three of them aboard.
In fact, she hardly cared anymore if supplies ran out.
Meanwhile, Rodgraim focused on the map of the control panel to thoughtfully decide their next destination.
He had planned to head for the Storm Galaxy not far away, but they had to change their plans.
The White Night ship in which they trusted was damaged during the operation on Arcturus.
Ten thousand years had already passed since the spaceship lay down on the planet's surface.
It was high time to give it some badly needed repairs, Rodgraim thought to himself.
He certainly wasn't risking the encounter of a malfunction in the middle of a voyage.
After having weighed his options for some time,
Rodgraim decided to head to Vulcan in the Flame Galaxy.
Famous for their skilled craftsmen, Vulcan was the prime center for ship repairs and refits, drawing vessels from all corners of the stars.
Even in the illustrious dock factories of the Solar System, Venusian, Vulcanian craftsmen were an asset sought after by all.
Assured now, Rodgraim entered the coordinates for Vulcan in both White Night and the Aether Dominion's control panels.
And now that their destination was in, the system announced their intended flight:
[Target confirmed: Flame Galaxy, Vulcan. Stand by for space jump.]
In a flash of time, the two ships became streaks of light and disappeared into the infinite expanse of space.
Somber and foreboding, a starport of cold, unforgiving alloy elsewhere was the location where the Dark Elf General paced.
Processing the latest news, his face was grim.
Word had just reached him that treasure-hunting mercenaries had failed to produce results.
The artifact-an absolutely integral part of the Zerg altar-left Arcturus and was moving fast through the starry expanse.
Those damnable, scurvy mercenaries!" the general spat, pounding his fist into the wall.
The impact left a deep dent in the alloy plating.
The soldiers standing nearby flinched but remained silent, fearful of their leader's wrath.
The general's mind churned with frustration.
He had expected the mercenaries to retrieve the sacred relic without issue, but now it seemed they had either fled with it or bungled the mission entirely.
The relic detector revealed that the artifact was moving-a clear sign of betrayal.
If those mercenaries had any intention of causing harm to the relic, the results would be calamitous.
The holy object would disappear and materialize randomly somewhere else in the cosmos, possibly in dangerous regions where it might get lost forever.
They couldn't even finish such a primitive mission!" the general grumbled, his disappointment over commissioning such a mission quite apparent.
After a moment of stony silence, he made a cold, decisive decree
"Send the first squadron to tail the holy relic. If they could not get it, then they don't have to come back.".
But it was one of those little cures of instantaneous, wildly enthusiastic action.
The soldiers had soon stumbled along, their discontent evident because the general's commanding tone lingered within their minds
"Launch the first squadron of the fleet now. Destination Vulcan, Flame Galaxy."
Rodgraim's ships, not knowing that the dark elves were tracing them, jumped through the space-jump.
At the end of it, they found themselves on the outskirts of Vulcan.
It was a smooth transition; as White Night and Aether Dominion burst into Vulcan's airspace,
Seraphina saw an incredible number of ships.
Her eyes were lit up with fascination by what she saw.
Many of the vessels surrounding them were unlike anything she had ever seen in the Solar System.
One of these vessels, however, has drawn her special attention.
It is a biological vessel that seems molded from living tissue.
Its surface pulsed rhythmically, like a beating heart.
Another ship shone like clear crystal, so pristine in structure that it seemed almost not-from-around-here.
It was the legend of being a neutral haven for interstellar travelers, and that really played well for the Vulcan.
It was one of the few planets that even the vilest aliens could dock on, repair, and upgrade their ships without fear of conflict.
"This is the Vulcan communication channel. All docks you reserved have been prepared. Please proceed to Dock 9 and Dock 10 in Area 66. Our best craftsmen have been assigned to service your ships."
Rodgraim initiated the auto-landing process, and the two ships landed without a ruffle.
The Aether Dominion was an S-class vessel and one of the intimidating ones to bring into the harbor.
Even the White Night, which was an A-class ship, was a rare thing to see.
"Awa! An S-class ship? This is heaven!" exclaimed one of the boatmen, still gushing with excitement.
"And the other one is an A-class as well. Oh, this is a treasure!
The Vulcanian boatmen were less interested in Rodgraim and Seraphina as they disembarked.
Obsessed by ships, the boatmen did not care about the travelers they plied between one place to another.
That was why the craftsmen of Vulcan were so great.
As Rodgraim scanned the throngs of the docks, his eyes landed on a sight he knew well.
Dock 8 had another ship in it—the Red flame, belonging to Luna Kirches.
And luna herself stepped out of the ship, pale and tired from her interstellar travel.
"How many days will it take to fix up my ship?" she demanded.
But the dockworker who had inspected her vessel grunted.
"Your ship is badly damaged.
The repairs will take at least several hundred hours, and the price won't come cheap."
Price is no issue, Luna waved her hand dismissively at his concerns.
"Price is no issue, she said harshly.
Luna's eyes wandered to the Aether Dominion when recognition dawned on her face.
And if the Aether Dominion was here, then Rodgraim couldn't be far behind.
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