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Chapter 27: Parting Ways
Guided by the tractor beam, the shuttle slowly docked at the No. 2 landing pad of the research vessel.
Once the hatch closed and the air pressure returned to normal, a visibly troubled Kraftmann led Tang Fang and the others off the shuttle.
The personnel responsible for the rendezvous first escorted the three wounded soldiers to the medical bay for treatment, while Tang Fang and the others were assigned to the living quarters to rest. As for Kraftmann, he was led by his adjutant to the bridge to meet with Captain Joanna.
Throughout the journey, everyone they encountered—be it the ship’s original soldiers, engineers, or the researchers who had retreated from the ground base—wore expressions of deep concern. The entire base had been overrun by the alien creatures, and less than ten percent of the combat personnel had survived. Such a devastating loss would leave anyone disheartened.
Of course, this did not include Housen, Byron, and their group. Those men had nearly cost them their lives. In this turbulent era, where conflict meant either killing or being killed, only a fool would worry about the fate of their enemies.
Tang Fang, Byron, Arroz, and Housen were assigned to a cramped room no larger than 20 square meters. It contained two bunk beds, a multifunctional terminal workstation, and a swivel chair—nothing more.
Housen tore off his blood-soaked combat suit and tossed it into a corner before leaping onto the upper bunk and collapsing into sleep. Arroz tucked the last cigar under his pillow and left the room to find a restroom. Byron sat on one of the lower bunks, lost in thought.
As for Tang Fang, he plopped down onto the swivel chair and turned on the personal communication terminal on the workstation.
There was an email from Rector, sent a day earlier by Tang Lin. He opened it to find a video recording.
Tang Lin appeared on the screen, beaming with excitement: “Brother, I have good news! I passed the entrance exam for Laner Military Academy. Heh heh, when I graduate, I might even become your superior officer. Hahaha! And don’t worry, everything’s fine with me and Yun...”
After watching the minute-and-a-half-long video, Tang Fang couldn’t help but smile. Knowing that they were safe and sound put his mind at ease.
It was well-known throughout the empire that Duke Yadan of Rector and the Wei family were at odds. With Tang Lin enrolled in Laner Military Academy and Tang Yun attending a boarding school, Tang Fang felt reassured that they were out of harm’s way.
“Is that your younger brother?” Byron’s voice came from behind him.
Tang Fang glanced back. “Yes.”
Byron fell silent for a moment before speaking. “I need to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Yes, a favor.”
…
After hearing Byron’s explanation, Tang Fang nodded slowly.
It turned out that Byron wanted to escape from this ship. Although Kraftmann had vowed on the shuttle to do everything in his power to protect Byron, Arroz, and Housen after Tang Fang saved his life, the current situation made that promise seem hollow. Having lost the base, Kraftmann could barely take care of himself, let alone ensure their safety.
Moreover, Byron was a notorious pirate leader. Unlike Arroz and Housen, whether he lived or died wasn’t something a mere major could decide.
“Alright,” Tang Fang said after a moment of contemplation, nodding slightly.
A sincere smile spread across Byron’s face as he thanked him earnestly.
“I’ll go ask Zhou Ai and Eva if they want to leave with you. When Arroz returns, you can discuss it with him.” With that, Tang Fang stepped out of the room.
Zhou Ai and Eva’s quarters were on the other side of the research vessel. After some inquiry, Tang Fang found them and explained the situation. Eva eagerly agreed to leave with Byron, while Zhou Ai, after some consideration, also nodded in agreement.
Tang Fang arranged a meeting time and location with the two women before taking his leave.
When he returned to the room, Arroz had already come back from the restroom. He had placed the last cigar between his lips and was leisurely savoring it.
“It’s easy to steal a spacecraft, but how do you plan to break through the empire’s border checkpoints?” Arroz asked with a frown.
“Don’t worry about that. I have my ways,” Byron replied with a confident smile.
Arroz nodded. “Alright… I choose to stay.”
This response caught both Tang Fang and Byron off guard. From the upper bunk, Housen sat up abruptly, rubbing his bald head. “I’m staying too.”
“Why?” Tang Fang looked at Arroz, then at Housen, his voice low and serious.
“No reason. I just don’t want to leave,” Arroz said indifferently. Unable to resist his craving any longer, he lit the last cigar.
As for Housen, his brow furrowed deeply, and after a long pause, he finally muttered an unrelated response: “I owe you my life.”
“Does owing me your life have anything to do with you leaving?” Tang Fang asked, half-amused and half-frustrated. Housen was acting like a lovesick maiden from a romance drama, as if Tang Fang had seen him naked and now had to take responsibility.
“Yes. Unless you leave too.” With that, Housen mimicked Arroz, falling silent.
Tang Fang glanced at the two of them, shaking his head in resignation. These two were like shadows, always following him.
“Why don’t you come along too?” Byron suggested.
Tang Fang shook his head without speaking. Byron and the others were unattached and could leave whenever they pleased, but he had his younger siblings to consider. If he left, who would take care of them? Not to mention the empire’s draconian system of collective punishment.
Seeing this, Byron sighed and fell silent. The room returned to its previous calm.
…
By the appointed time, the four of them left the room and met Zhou Ai and Eva at the designated location. They then split up and headed toward Hangar Two.
Most of the people who had escaped from Planet 5 were already asleep, exhausted from the harrowing events earlier. The research vessel’s staff, having completed their containment tasks, had also retired to their quarters. Aside from a few maintenance technicians performing routine checks, Hangar Two was deserted.
After knocking out the technicians with ease, Byron, Zhou Ai, and Eva climbed into a Horizon-class spacecraft.
After Housen and Arroz initiated the launch sequence, the hangar doors began to open slowly, while the landing gear retracted, smoothly guiding the spacecraft onto the launch track.
When the countdown ended, the magnetic propulsion system launched the spacecraft forward with explosive force. The blue flames of its thrusters illuminated half the hangar. Through the control room’s observation window, Tang Fang saw Zhou Ai turn around in the spacecraft’s cabin, waving at him. Her lips moved, forming the word “thank you.”
The spacecraft shot into the vast expanse of space like a bolt of lightning, growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely.
Watching the red dot on the radar vanish, Tang Fang knew that Byron had activated the warp drive. At the same moment, a squad of guards arrived outside the control room.
Fifteen minutes later, Tang Fang, Arroz, and Housen were escorted to the bridge.
The bridge was brightly lit, and the operators were calmly handling their tasks. At the central console, Captain Joanna, dressed in her captain’s uniform, was reviewing footage transmitted by drones.
Kraftmann approached Tang Fang, his face grim. “What’s the deal with that spacecraft?”
Tang Fang had prepared his response and answered calmly: “Commander, we agreed to release them once the resource survey mission was complete. As free individuals, there’s nothing wrong with Byron and the others leaving on a spacecraft, is there?”
After saying this, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Sir, you promised to do everything in your power to protect their lives. But honestly, considering Byron’s identity…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but Kraftmann understood the implications. Kraftmann might be able to protect Arroz and Housen, but Byron? That was beyond his capabilities.
“We had no choice,” Tang Fang sighed. “Most of the people who knew Byron’s identity are already dead. As long as you don’t say anything, and claim that Byron perished in the alien attack if questioned, we should be able to cover it up easily.”
Kraftmann stared at him, sizing him up from head to toe, before letting out a cold snort. “So much for being honest and simple-minded, Tang Yan. You’ve got quite the cunning mind.”
Tang Fang chuckled dryly. “I had no choice. It’s all because of the circumstances.”
“Regardless, the fact that you stole a Horizon-class spacecraft is undeniable,” Kraftmann said darkly. “I’ll deal with you after I finish handling the current situation.”
Tang Fang shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn’t a life-or-death offense, and who could predict how things might unfold in the future?
“Captain, spatial oscillations detected!” One of the crew members monitoring the surrounding space environment exclaimed.
At the same time, a bright orange-yellow circular flash appeared on the holographic projection at the central console.
Joanna’s smooth face showed a flicker of surprise. “It’s a subspace harmonic oscillation.”
“Communications officer, any contact requests from the military headquarters?”
The communications officer on the left turned and replied: “Captain, our distress signal was sent out only half an hour ago. Even if headquarters reacts quickly, there’s no way they could respond this soon.”
“If it’s not the military, then who is this uninvited guest emerging from the warp space?” Joanna’s brows knitted together in confusion.
As she hesitated over whether to activate the ship’s defensive protocols, a flash of light appeared approximately 100 kilometers away from the research vessel. A sleek, shark-shaped military ship, about 200 meters long, emerged in the cold, endless void of space.
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