Chapter 1348: Arrival
The calculations ended up being correct due to the absence of delays. No one was chasing after Khan and Liiza anymore, and no darker-than-black ellipses opened in space during the flight, allowing them to reach the final outpost in under six weeks.
The married couple restocked on supplies and fuel before setting off again to complete the last stretch of their travel. The spherical array of asteroids was under two weeks away from the final outpost, and the day when the ship would reach it had finally arrived.
Of course, the trip hadn’t been completely uneventful. Nothing ca from outside the ship, but the married couple had their reasons to keep a few dates in mind.
Khan’s birthday fell before reaching the final outpost, while Liiza’s birthday happened just a few days ago. They turned twenty-eight and twenty-nine respectively, using the events as another excuse to kill ti through what they did best.
The sorrow from leaving Yeza with Zalpa turned into mindless passion, which beca raging during those special events. At tis, the heartache of being without the baby returned, but the couple dealt with it by abiding by the Niqols’ ways.
Still, now that the spherical array of asteroids was almost in sight, somber seriousness filled the ship’s atmosphere, prompting Khan and Liiza to deal with so final preparations. The point of no return was straight ahead, and the couple had to make sure they would co back from it.
Khan’s glowing eyes darted left and right on the control desk while he hovered cross-legged above the broken pilot’s seat, checking and rechecking anything that could go wrong.
The ship gave Khan the all-clear on virtually everything. Except for the paint job, the vessel couldn’t have been in a better state, but perfection wouldn’t necessarily be enough in the imminent struggle.
The problem wasn’t with the danger zone. Now more than ever, Khan felt confident he could cross the blue storm ricocheting among the spherical array of asteroids.
However, what awaited the married couple inside that defensive chanism was unclear, and Khan had to preserve his only way out. No matter what, the ship had to survive.
anwhile, Liiza was in Zalpa’s previous quarters, which had beco a proper lab now. Even Khan didn’t know what she was concocting, but the many supplies depleted during her isolation vouched for its usefulness.
Khan remained imrsed in the check-ups until the ship spotted sothing. His vessel’s scanners were quite terrible, but that only applied to their range. Due to the quest’s nature, Garret had mainly focused on their reliability, allowing them to remain up and functioning despite the interference radiated by that nearby location.
That final confirmation from the control desk inevitably triggered sothing inside Khan’s mind, which the ntal connection didn’t fail to convey.
The living quarters’ door opened, releasing so dark smoke that the ship’s filtration system quickly got rid of. Liiza also ca out, crossing the bridge, carrying a cup in her hands while her glowing eyes stared at the screens above the control desk.
The scenery in the scanners was initially empty, only featuring the blackness of space and faint stars far in the distance.
However, the images quickly changed. Sothing bright appeared at the screens’ center, growing closer and larger until it filled the entirety of the captured scenery.
Khan had already gazed upon that landscape, even doing that with his own eyes, but the sight wasn’t any less shocking.
An imnse, vaguely spherical array of asteroids hovered in the middle of space, seemingly fixed in its place. Lightning bolts also ricocheted among those celestial bodies, creating an artificial danger zone that promised to obliterate anything that dared to approach it.
The picture on the screens had a more profound impact on Liiza. She had heard Khan’s descriptions multiple tis, and her poor understanding of technology prevented her from getting an exact idea of that danger zone’s size.
Yet, the scene was simply undeniable. Liiza only needed one look to accept that nothing could cross that blue lightning storm unscathed. Moreover, her deep understanding of the mana updated her on the danger zone’s artificial nature, making her feel small before that breathtaking structure.
No one had ever questioned the Nak’s prowess, but that imnse defensive chanism served as a reminder of what they had been able to achieve at their apex.
The Thilku Empire had space teleports that could send entire ships and fleets from one side of the universe to another, but the danger zone was worlds above that technology.
The Nak had been able to alter the very universe’s landscape, and Khan was now tasked to seize their legacy to defeat an opponent even that mighty species was powerless against.
The more resilient scanners still fell prey to the storm’s interference as the ship continued to approach it. The pictures on the screens flickered but remained sowhat reliable.
Nevertheless, Khan activated the ship’s special function. The holes all over the bridge and cargo areas’ surfaces opened, enabling the channels that cut through the hull, connecting the vessel to the outside world.
The presence radiated by the massive danger zone imdiately invaded the ship, but neither Khan nor Liiza faltered. He had never stopped feeling that blinding landmark, eventually growing used to it. Instead, Liiza’s mind only had room for chilling coldness, preventing her from experiencing any surprise.
The final step in Khan’s mission was once again before him, and there wouldn’t be any postponing it now. Liiza handed him the cup, which he quickly emptied before turning it into a pile of dust.
Afterward, Khan exchanged a glance with Liiza, but the two didn’t utter a single word. There was nothing else to say. They just kissed before Liiza secured herself on Khan’s floating figure, knowing it would be firr and safer than any safety belt.
Then, Khan turned off any superfluous function, redirecting all the additional energy to the ship’s engines. He pushed the steering wheel forward, accelerating to reach a speed that could match the ricocheting lightning bolts, focusing the entirety of his brain on his perception.
Just like that, the ship entered the array of asteroids, crossing its edge to dive into the deadly blue storm.
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