Cosmic Ascension

CH 1: Crash

⟦Coordinates Unknown - Year - 3600, Universal Calendar⟧

Amid this endless void of space, a region in the middle momentarily distorted and a hole in the void was thus made.

The vessel that emerged from the warped space was visibly damaged, even to the naked eye, clearly struggling to maintain a stable flight in the deep void of endless darkness.

"Morgiana here. Emerging from the Outer Sea. Unknown coordinates in deep space. Still pursued by the enemies."

｢Roger. How's the view out there?｣

The woman, seated in the cockpit of the damaged spacecraft, surveyed her surroundings and observed the view of the unknown darkness that she had ventured in her attempt to escape from the pursuit of her enemies. Despite her ship teetering on the brink of destruction, fear and panic eluded her mind.

She stood from her seat and made her way to the rear, preparing to don her battle armor.

"Boring. Though gotta admit, having three stars in the same solar system is a pretty sight. I can see a red dwarf and two normal yellow stars orbiting each other in perfect symmetry. The planet seems to be in a perfect zone of the three stars."

It seemed like she was in an interesting solar system, one termed a ternary star system, right now with an exoplanet on its brink. As long as she survived and there was no intelligent life on this planet, selling the coordinates of this planet to the guild would be very profitable for them.

Though, unfortunately, the rotation of this planet is fixed. Never thought that such a perfect planet would be tidally locked.

The way the planet moved, only one side of it was facing the three scorching suns, while the other face of the planet was bathed in eternal darkness.

This would surely affect the price she could get for delivering the information. But in another way, this could be used as a hot selling point. The Solaris would love this planet.

"We might have hit the jackpot."

｢I must say, your single-minded passion for money, even in the face of death, is worth endless praise in a way. Ahem~ Anyway, I will have to inspect the old map to find out the coordinates of this place. I think Dorothy should be able to find your location through that. Though I must insist that you show more enthusiasm about this plan, Morgiana. You truly lack the spirit of exploration, don't just think of money and values all the time.｣

"Tell that to Dorothy. She's the one yearning for exploration and adventure. I believe more in the power of Credits than anything else. Now, I'm on the verge of stranding myself on a planet absent from any map recorded in the celestial charts. Only money can keep me calm currently."

｢Alright, alright, you win. How far are you from the planet?｣

"Close, I suppose." Her gaze fell on the exo-planet as a black machine-esque substance began to crawl across her skin and skinsuit, enveloping her until her entire body was encased in a power armor that had a color scheme quite similar to her now-tattered ship. Lights flickered around her body before stabilizing, and she drew a deep breath.

"I hope you find me in time, guys. Otherwise, this may be the last time you hear my charming voice."

｢You trust me, right?｣

She chuckled at the mention of the word trust from the man on the other side. "Alibaba... The last time I trusted you, I nearly lost an arm facing a goddamn Leviathan."

｢The keyword here we should keep in mind is- Nearly - Bzzz...｣

Her snicker faded as she realized the communication had been severed. She shook her head, dismissing the matter.