Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

The crew gathered around the Peregrine as the final seconds ticked down, anticipation buzzing in the air like static before a storm. This was it... the moment they'd all been waiting for since feeding that TL-9 Vehicle Upgrade Mod into their ride.

"Three, two, one..." Luca counted down, and just like that, the blue energy screens blinked off.

No sound or theatrics, as the blue cube flickered off.

Before them stood something that barely resembled their old vehicle. The once-bulky Peregrine, which had relied on massive, rugged wheels to punch through alien terrain, was now hovering effortlessly just above the ground.

The armor was no less formidable, but sleeker now, aerodynamic, with plasma-resistant panels that caught the red-tinged sunlight. It was a complete transformation.

"Goddamn, fuck yeah!" Ryan exclaimed, throwing his fist in the air. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!"

"Dude, you didn't know shit," Danny told him, though he was grinning. They all were. Their all-terrain reconnaissance home-away-from-home was now a floating hovercraft.

"Can we check out the interior?" Zoe asked.

Luca hit the panel near the door. "Come on, let's see what else changed."

They piled inside, and the differences hit immediately. The cramped interior they'd been living in for weeks had been completely reconfigured.

"Holy shit, look at this space!" Emily grabbed Luca's arm, practically bouncing with excitement. "We can actually move around without elbowing each other in the face!"

Chris traced the contours of the upgraded control panels with obvious appreciation. "Tech-level nine all the way. This is beautiful."

"Outpost mode time," Luca announced, hitting the transformation switch.

Everyone watched, mesmerized, as the Peregrine began its transformation. Outriggers extended to steady it, panels shifted outward, walls slid and locked into place until it was at least four times the size it had been in travel mode. Watching their mobile outpost come to life never got old.

The new interior space revealed itself like a gift. A larger kitchenette complete with an actual dinette took up one corner.

"There's room for all of us to eat at the same time!" Zoe laughed, tugging Emily over to inspect the table. "Real chairs!"

Emily let out an exhausted sigh, walked past the dinette, and just collapsed face-first onto the couch without a word.

Zoe laughed and said, "Found the couch, I see."

"Never moving," Emily said, her voice muffled by the cushions.

But the biggest surprise came when they explored the sleeping quarters. What used to be one queen bed and four bunk beds had been completely reconfigured into two small bedrooms with actual doors, plus three individual cots in the main space.

Emily grabbed Luca's hand, pulling him toward the first bedroom. "This is ours," she declared, her hip nudging his as she steered him inside. Heat crept up Luca's neck at how naturally she claimed the space for both of them.

"Think these walls are soundproof?" Zoe asked with a wicked grin, testing the door to the other bedroom.

"Only one way to find out," Emily replied, shooting Luca a look that made his face burn even hotter.

Ryan cleared his throat, his face reddening. "Well, at least there's more privacy now." He gestured vaguely. "I'm, uh, going to check out the new bathroom." He made a hasty retreat, and the door closed with a solid, unfamiliar click.

Chris, ever practical, pointed toward the expanded storage area. "Look at this space! Actual organization possibilities instead of stuffing everything into random bins."

Outside, the defensive plasma turret slowly rotated, scanning for threats. The entire vehicle hummed with new power, floating serenely above the alien forest floor.

"We need a new name," Luca said, looking around at his crew. "The Peregrine served us well, but this deserves something that matches what she's become."

"Something that says 'don't fuck with us,'" Danny suggested.

"How about 'Centurion'?" Emily said. "Strong, imposing, and it fits the whole Alpha Centauri theme."

Luca nodded. "Centurion, it is. In honor of the system where our girl learned to fly."

The first night in the Centurion was a revelation. For weeks, they'd been crammed together like refugees, tripping over each other's gear, sharing the bed, and generally existing in each other's personal space. Now they had actual breathing room, private doors, and the soft hum of energy shields keeping the monsters at bay.

Emily and Luca claimed the first bedroom without any objection from the crew. Perks of being captain, Luca figured, though he noticed Danny slipping into Zoe's room across the way. Apparently, they weren't the only ones taking advantage of the new accommodations.

The walls, as it turned out, weren't exactly soundproof. But they muffled enough to maintain some dignity while still letting everyone know that yes, people were definitely enjoying the privacy. Emily was in particularly good spirits, and they might have been testing the structural integrity of both the new bed and the Centurion's newly reinforced hull.

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The next morning brought a new dynamic to the crew. Luca and Emily emerged from their room looking suspiciously well-rested and maybe a little disheveled. Zoe shot them a knowing wink while Danny tried unsuccessfully to be subtle about his own nighttime activities.

Ryan lingered over his coffee, clearly daydreaming about something.

"Ryan," Zoe said, sidling up to him with a grin, "you know you're next, right?" She made a playful grab for him.

Ryan snapped out of his thoughts, laughing as he dodged away. "Sorry, got places to be!" He darted toward the bathroom as Emily and Zoe burst into laughter.

Luca watched the exchange with amusement. The new accommodations had definitely changed the dynamic, but in good ways. Everyone seemed more relaxed, more comfortable. Even Ryan, despite being the odd man out.

The Centurion hummed softly around them, her systems running smoothly, her defensive turret scanning the horizon for threats. They were twenty miles from the energy signal that had drawn them across four hundred miles of alien wilderness. Twenty miles from answers.

But for now, they had hot coffee, actual places to sit in, and the satisfied exhaustion that came from surviving another day in a universe that kept trying to kill them.

Not a bad way to start the morning.

After breakfast, the crew gathered around the Centurion's upgraded control systems. The vehicle hummed with new power as it hovered effortlessly above the alien forest floor, its defensive turret slowly rotating to scan for threats.

"Twenty miles," Luca said, checking the navigation display. The energy signal pulsed on their screens like a beacon, stronger now than it had ever been. "Whatever's been calling to us, we're almost there."

He looked around at his crew, all of them suited up in their TL-9 armor, weapons checked and ready. They'd come so far from that first portal delve back on Earth.

"Zoe and I will scout ahead in the Specter," he announced. "Keep eyes on the route, identify any threats between us and that signal."

Zoe grinned, already moving toward the sleek reconnaissance vehicle. The Specter sat like a predator ready to pounce, its open cabin and protective roll cage designed for speed and maneuverability. As they climbed in, Luca felt his suit's systems interface seamlessly with the vehicle's controls.

[Systems integration complete]

His HUD announced, and he saw Zoe's suit sync up as well. The Specter's capabilities merged with their own, turning the already formidable reconnaissance craft into something even deadlier.

With a grin that Zoe couldn't see through his visor but could probably hear in his voice, Luca activated [Ghost Protocol]. "Twelve minutes of active camouflage," he said over their private comm. "Let's make them count."

The Specter shimmered and vanished, and both their compatible scout suits were integrated into the vehicle. They were ghosts now, invisible, silent phantoms racing through the alien forest while the larger, bulkier Centurion followed behind at a more cautious pace.

"Contact ahead," Zoe reported, her sniper rifle already in her hands as they crested a ridge. Through the scope, she could see a patrol of Varnathi humanoids moving between the trees, their plasma weapons glinting in the filtered sunlight. "Skirmishers, looks like. Six of them."

Luca brought the Specter to a silent hover behind a cluster of moss-covered boulders. "Range?"

"Eight hundred meters. I can take the ones on the flanks, but we'll need to move fast before they call for reinforcements."

"Do it," Luca said, drawing his own blaster with its silencer. "I'll handle cleanup if any get close."

The first shot was barely a whisper of displaced air, but the lead Varnathi crumpled without a sound, Zoe's precision ending the threat before it even knew danger was present. The second followed moments later, her rifle tracking smoothly from target to target.

The remaining four realized something was wrong, but they were scanning the wrong direction, searching for threats they couldn't see or understand. Luca nudged the Specter forward, still cloaked, still silent.

Two more shots from Zoe, and suddenly there were only two Varnathi left, both of them spinning frantically, weapons raised but with no targets to shoot at.

Luca's blaster shot twice in rapid succession, precise shots that dropped both creatures before they could alert anyone else. The entire engagement had taken less than thirty seconds.

[+6,429 XP]
[+13,500 credits]

"Loot box," Luca called as he made a quick jump off the Specter.

[Item acquired: AgroLight Emitter Array Schematic]

"Clean sweep," Zoe reported, already scanning ahead for the next potential threat. "We're close."

As they moved through the forest, Luca found himself thinking about what came next. Not just the energy signal, but after. The return trip. The things they'd have to leave behind.

"Zoe," he said over their private comm.

"Yeah, Cap?"

Christ, she only called him that when she was in a good mood. This was going to suck even worse.

"You know we can't take the cat with us."

Her rifle stopped tracking for a beat. "What do you mean we can't?"

"I mean, we can't bring the... the Nyxo-whatever with us to the Triumph. We can't bring him—"

"Her," Zoe cut him off, and he could practically hear her jaw tighten. "Pixel's a her."

Luca winced. Of course, she was already that attached. "Look, even if we can feed it—"

"Her diet's compatible." Her voice was defensive. "Joey already ran tests."

"Okay, fine, even if we can feed her," Luca pressed on, feeling like an asshole but knowing someone had to be the adult here. "We still can't bring her back to Earth. You know that, right? Quarantine protocols alone would—"

"She's not some plague carrier, Luca."

"That's not—" He stopped, took a breath. This wasn't going how he'd planned. Not that he'd really planned it. "Look, even if we could somehow get her through customs, the UER's going to want to study her. Dissect her. Whatever."

Silence. Long enough that Luca started checking their comm connection.

"She purrs when Joey checks on her," Zoe said finally, and her voice had gone quiet in that way that meant he'd really stepped in it."

Shit. "I know she's... I know we all like her. But—"

"So what, we just dump her in some forest? Let her figure it out on her own?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Sounds like exactly what you're saying."

Luca guided the Specter around a cluster of rocks, buying himself time. The energy signal was getting stronger, but right now it felt less important than not completely fucking up this conversation.

"Maybe we can find somewhere safe for her," he tried. "Somewhere she can grow up without—"

"Without us. Without the only family she has."

Fuck.

"Zoe, she's going to be larger than a panther one day. She'll be fine."

"Right now, she fits in my hands." Zoe's voice cracked slightly. "Right now she's a baby who lost everything, and we're all she's got."

And there it was. The thing they weren't really talking about. Luca's internal voice started cataloging all the shit they'd all lost, all the things they'd had to leave behind, but he shut it down. Not helping.

"I'm not trying to be a dick about this," he said instead.

"I know." Quieter now. "I know you're not."

"It's just... we're going to have to decide eventually. And I don't want it to be harder than it has to be."

"Yeah." She sighed, and he could picture her shoulders sagging. "Yeah, I get it."

The Specter glided silently through the trees, their cloaking field undisturbed. Behind them, the Centurion followed at a steady pace, completely unaware of the conversation happening in the invisible scout vehicle ahead.

"Maybe we don't decide right now," Zoe said finally. "Maybe we see what's waiting at this signal first."

It was a dodge, and they both knew it. But Luca found himself nodding anyway.

"Yeah. Okay. We'll figure it out."

"We'll figure it out," she agreed, and they both pretended that made it easier.

Behind them, the Centurion's bulk moved steadily forward, following their path but maintaining distance.