NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
*Detonation Successful*
A small smile crept across Vera's lips, mirrored by the faint curve tugging at Aster's mouth as they stood on the bridge, the blue glow of the holographic display casting sharp shadows across their faces. The princess—ninth in line to the Kingdom's throne—and her army were ash now, obliterated in a fiery burst that answered the King's treachery with pirate steel. It wasn't the ruthless massacre they could've unleashed, but for now, it was enough—a calculated strike, a bloody tithe to their fallen. Their eyes flicked to a secondary screen, a jagged graph spiking with an elevated signal, its peak pointing toward the princess's last known coordinates. No cameras stretched far enough into the void to witness the blast, but the sensors—tuned to catch the flare of energy and light particles—confirmed it: the explosion had ripped through, a silent roar in the black.
Vera raised her hand, palm open, and Aster met it with a sharp high-five, the slap echoing off the control room's metal walls. Smirks bloomed on their faces, a shared glint of triumph flickering in their eyes—Vera's purple, Aster's teal—like predators savoring the kill. "That's for attacking my people with your disgusting tricks," Vera sneered, her voice a low growl laced with venom, her fists clenching as she recalled the ambush—two crewmates cut down in the cockpit, their blood pooling under her boots, the rest teetering on the edge of death while shapeshifters danced their deceit. The princess had paid, her army with her, and the sting of loss dulled beneath the weight of revenge.
"Any time now," Aster said, her smirk sharpening as she leaned against the console, her blonde hair catching the display's glow. She anticipated the fallout—a call from the Kingdom's chief commander, his voice thick with outrage or threats, and they were ready, their defiance honed to a blade's edge.
Minutes ticked by, the silence stretching taut across the bridge, the hum of the ship a faint pulse beneath their boots. Vera's smirk faded, her brow furrowing as she glanced at Aster. "Are the lines clear?" she asked, her voice tightening with a thread of unease as she gestured toward the comms panel, needing confirmation that no glitch blocked the commander's inevitable howl.
"Yes, they are," Aster replied, her own confusion creeping in as she tapped the console, the green lights of the comms array blinking steady and unhindered. She frowned, her teal eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms, the absence of chaos gnawing at her certainty. They'd just snuffed out the ninth in line, her army with her—a blow that should've sent the Kingdom reeling. Yet no call came, no static crackled with fury. Something was off—too quiet, too still. Had the princess been spirited away before the blast? Unlikely—Pako's hostage exchange had locked her in her own brig, and once released, she'd have taken the helm of her powerless ship or escorted to the carrier ship, both caught in its drift when the bomb tore through. So why the silence? Even a rescue should've sparked a threat by now.
"Uh… u…" Vera's voice faltered, a low, scattered murmur slipping past her lips as her gaze drifted, unfocused, her hands trembling faintly at her sides.
"What happened?" Aster asked, stepping closer, her voice sharp with concern as she gripped Vera's shoulder, shaking her from the daze that clouded her purple eyes.
"I think I committed a blunder this time," Vera whispered, her voice trembling as her wide eyes locked onto Aster's, her lips shivering with a dawning horror that turned her smirk to ash.
"What do you mean?" Aster demanded, her grip tightening as she shook Vera again, her own unease flaring into frustration, her blonde hair swaying with the motion.
"The King…" Vera's breath hitched, her words tumbling out in a rush as she clutched her wristband, her fingers trembling over the controls. "He actually wanted the princess dead."
"What?" Aster's shout rang out, echoing off the bridge's walls as her teal eyes widened, her voice a thunderclap of disbelief. "How do you know?"
Vera swallowed, her throat tight as she tapped her wristband, projecting a faint log of her past comms—a conversation with the chief commander flickering into view. "When we negotiated the hostage exchange," she said, her voice steadying into a grim recounting, "they were reluctant—too hesitant, even for the princess. I thought it was just posturing, but now…" She trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor, the pieces snapping into place with a sickening clarity.
Aster leaned in, her eyes scanning the log, her jaw clenching as Vera's words sank in. "How could you forget something that big?" she asked, dismay threading through her voice as she straightened, her hands planting on her hips. Vera's strategies had been flawless—hitting the princess's ship with surgical precision, minimal losses on their side—and yet here was a blunder so glaring it defied belief, a misstep from the captain she'd trusted to see every angle.
"I don't know," Vera murmured, her voice hollow as she rubbed her temples, her purple hair falling forward to curtain her face. "I hope they keep it quiet—sweep it under the rug. The Kingdom's already painted us as villains; this'll just add fuel to the fire." Her hands dropped, her gaze lifting to meet Aster's, a flicker of dread in her eyes.
"So the King doesn't care about her?" Aster pressed, her brow furrowing as she pieced it together, her fingers tapping the console absently. "Why?"
"From what I heard," Vera said, her tone hardening as she recalled the rumors, "this princess was hungry for the throne—too competitive. She was headed to Thebe, some moon outpost, chasing an edge over her siblings, something the King didn't want getting out."
Aster's eyes narrowed, a chill threading through her as she connected the dots. "So she found something he couldn't let spread—something worth killing her for. He was going to do it anyway?"
"I guess so," Vera replied, her voice a low rasp as she stared at the explosion graph, its spike a silent testament to their unwitting aid in the King's scheme.
"Syn was with her, right?" Aster said, her tone shifting as she leaned forward, her hands bracing against the console. "He must know what happened on Thebe."
Vera nodded, her lips tightening as she met Aster's gaze, a shadow of unease crossing her face. "I hope he doesn't know she's dead. He served her, after all—fought under her banner before he came back to us."
Aster nodded, her mind churning as she stared at the blinking sensors, her fingers curling into fists. "Vera," she said, her voice softening into a quiet call as she turned to her captain, her teal eyes glinting with a sudden resolve.
"Yes?" Vera replied, her brow arching slightly, surprise flickering across her face at Aster's abrupt shift, her hands pausing mid-motion as she adjusted her jacket.
"We were afraid Syn might disappear again, right?" Aster asked, her tone steady, her gaze locking onto Vera's with a fierce intensity.
"Uh… yes," Vera said, her voice catching as she tilted her head, confusion threading through her words. "Why bring that up now?"
"We don't need to be," Aster said, her conviction ringing clear as she straightened, her shoulders squaring with a quiet strength. "I'm sure of it—even if the day comes when he wants to vanish again, we won't let him." Her lips curved into a faint, determined smile, her hands unclenching as she spoke, a vow etched in every word.
Vera stared at her, a beat of silence stretching between them, then smirked, a flicker of her old fire reigniting in her purple eyes. "Sure. We can do that.," she said, her voice warming with a wry edge as she crossed her arms, her posture easing into something lighter. "As of now, let's ask Syn about what happened on Thebe."