Nyxara swept the flashlight toward Kraith and Velkar.
"Over here!"
Kraith caught her signal immediately.
He gently pushed Velkar toward her, yet remained where he was, refusing to take his eyes off the creature outside.
"What are you doing?"
"Get over here!"
Kraith didn't move.
"Someone has to keep an eye on it."
Nyxara wanted to argue, but the sight of Kraith's legs trembling uncontrollably stopped her.
She grabbed Velkar by the arm and pulled her into the storage compartment.
Picking up one of the silver spheres, Nyxara handed it to Velkar before tossing another toward Kraith.
"You know what to do."
Velkar caught it without hesitation.
"I'm scared... not brain-dead."
She placed her hand on the metallic sphere.
A holographic interface appeared above it.
Analyzing...
Analysis complete.
The sphere dissolved into countless streams of metallic nanites.
They wrapped around her arm before spreading across the rest of her body, assembling piece after piece into a sleek silver suit.
Everything was covered—
except her head.
Seeing the suit fully formed, Nyxara handed her a mask.
Velkar pressed it against her face.
The mask immediately adhered to her skin, flowing outward until it completely sealed around her head.
A transparent visor unfolded before her eyes.
Nyxara drifted behind her and attached the life-support module to the back of the suit.
The carbon dioxide recycler, oxygen generator, and two compressed emergency air tanks locked into place automatically with a soft mechanical click.
She then secured a shoulder harness for Velkar's rifle, connected it directly to the life-support unit, and packed the suit's storage compartments with food, ammunition, grenades, and other essential supplies.
Nyxara tossed the remaining equipment toward Kraith.
He had no choice but to suit up while keeping one eye fixed on the creature outside.
Velkar returned the favor, helping Nyxara finish fastening her own equipment.
Then—
everything went wrong.
While drifting through the cabin, Kraith pushed himself a little too hard.
His shoulder slammed into the control console.
The dormant systems flickered back to life.
As he spun around, his elbow accidentally struck another switch—
the one responsible for emitting the ship's special signal pulse.
The effect was immediate.
The creature outside went berserk.
It began circling the shuttle at terrifying speed.
Then something struck the hull.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The entire shuttle shook violently.
A sharp object punched through the outer hull.
A small hole appeared...
and through it, the creature's face stared directly into the cabin.
All three of them froze for only an instant.
Then panic took over.
They rushed to finish equipping their suits as quickly as possible.
The spike suddenly withdrew.
Kraith looked upward.
His blood ran cold.
It wasn't a claw.
It wasn't a fang.
It was the creature's tail—
driving itself again and again into the shuttle, trying to pierce straight through the hull.
Calibrating atmospheric balance...
Adjusting CO₂ and O₂ levels...
"Turn it off! Turn it off!"
Before Nyxara realized it, Kraith was already standing right behind her.
He snatched the flashlight from her hands and switched it off.
They all turned toward the window again.
In the brief moment the light disappeared, the creature was gone.
Knock.
The sound came again.
Not from outside the window this time—
but from beneath the ship.
Knock.
Another hollow tap.
This time, it echoed from somewhere behind Kraith.
He slowly turned.
The creature was there.
It stared at him the way a predator stared at its prey.
Its eyes alone were enough for Kraith to picture his own death.
Without the ship's metal hull protecting them...
where would they be now?
Torn into countless pieces?
Or suffering something even worse?
"What do we do?"
"If we don't restart the ship, we won't have enough oxygen."
Kraith kept his eyes fixed on the creature outside the hull.
Meanwhile, Nyxara was trying to calm Velkar.
"It's going to be okay."
"Kraith, get over here and stay with Velkar."
"There should be EVA suits somewhere on this ship."
Velkar whispered,
"Don't leave me here..."
Nyxara gently reassured her.
"I'll only be gone for a moment."
Kraith pushed himself away from the wall, drifting toward Velkar. His eyes never left the creature outside the window.
As he floated past, he tossed the flashlight toward Nyxara.
She caught it in midair.
Using the momentum, she gently pushed Velkar toward Kraith before launching herself toward another compartment.
Within the endless darkness, the narrow beam of her flashlight pierced the void like a pair of glowing eyes.
Since the ship's power had been completely shut down, Nyxara had to open the compartment manually.
She grabbed the emergency release lever.
The mechanism was far heavier than she had expected.
Bracing one hand against the wall, she pulled down with all her strength.
CLACK!
A dry metallic sound echoed through the silent ship.
Only then did the hatch unlock.
She pushed it open and slipped inside.
Her flashlight swept across the room.
Food.
Weapons.
Storage crates.
The beam continued moving...
until it stopped.
Four silver boxes stood silently at the far end of the compartment, their polished surfaces reflecting the flashlight's glow.
Nyxara's eyes widened.
"...Found them."
Nyxara swept the flashlight toward Kraith and Velkar.
"Over here!"
Kraith caught her signal immediately.
He gently pushed Velkar toward her, yet remained where he was, refusing to take his eyes off the creature outside.
"What are you doing?"
"Get over here!"
Kraith didn't move.
"Someone has to keep an eye on it."
Nyxara wanted to argue, but the sight of Kraith's legs trembling uncontrollably stopped her.
She grabbed Velkar by the arm and pulled her into the storage compartment.
Picking up one of the silver spheres, Nyxara handed it to Velkar before tossing another toward Kraith.
"You know what to do."
Velkar caught it without hesitation.
"I'm scared... not brain-dead."
She placed her hand on the metallic sphere.
A holographic interface appeared above it.
Analyzing...
Analysis complete.
The sphere dissolved into countless streams of metallic nanites.
They wrapped around her arm before spreading across the rest of her body, assembling piece after piece into a sleek silver suit.
Everything was covered—
except her head.
Seeing the suit fully formed, Nyxara handed her a mask.
Velkar pressed it against her face.
The mask immediately adhered to her skin, flowing outward until it completely sealed around her head.
A transparent visor unfolded before her eyes.
Nyxara drifted behind her and attached the life-support module to the back of the suit.
The carbon dioxide recycler, oxygen generator, and two compressed emergency air tanks locked into place automatically with a soft mechanical click.
She then secured a shoulder harness for Velkar's rifle, connected it directly to the life-support unit, and packed the suit's storage compartments with food, ammunition, grenades, and other essential supplies.
Nyxara tossed the remaining equipment toward Kraith.
He had no choice but to suit up while keeping one eye fixed on the creature outside.
Velkar returned the favor, helping Nyxara finish fastening her own equipment.
Then—
everything went wrong.
While drifting through the cabin, Kraith pushed himself a little too hard.
His shoulder slammed into the control console.
The dormant systems flickered back to life.
As he spun around, his elbow accidentally struck another switch—
the one responsible for emitting the ship's special signal pulse.
The effect was immediate.
The creature outside went berserk.
It began circling the shuttle at terrifying speed.
Then something struck the hull.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The entire shuttle shook violently.
A sharp object punched through the outer hull.
A small hole appeared...
and through it, the creature's face stared directly into the cabin.
All three of them froze for only an instant.
Then panic took over.
They rushed to finish equipping their suits as quickly as possible.
The spike suddenly withdrew.
Kraith looked upward.
His blood ran cold.
It wasn't a claw.
It wasn't a fang.
It was the creature's tail—
driving itself again and again into the shuttle, trying to pierce straight through the hull.
Calibrating atmospheric balance...
Adjusting CO₂ and O₂ levels...