Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."
— Don Vito Corleone

Autumn leaves spiraled across the narrow road as Athan drove away from Meredith Village Cemetery, the maple trees lining the route ablaze in fierce reds and golds. Maddie would have made him pull over to admire the colors. She'd never been one to let natural beauty pass unnoticed. The thought brought a smile rather than the sharp pain it once had. Three years of healing, of learning to carry love forward instead of loss.

As he turned onto Lakeside Drive, Gino Baldini nodded respectfully from his front porch, coffee mug steaming in the crisp air. A dark sedan sat parked across from the Baldini house, two figures visible in the front seats, their attention casual but focused. Other neighbors tracked his progress with careful eyes. Mrs. Petrova pruning roses that shouldn't still be blooming in October, the Wilsons pretending to rake leaves while a second car idled near the corner, exhaust visible in the cool air. In Meredith, people watched out for each other, especially for the Rossi family.

The gates to his parents' property stood open, a rare sight these days. His father's compound sprawled over three acres at the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee, the stone walls higher now than when Athan was a child. A third car had followed him at a respectful distance, now pulling into a discreet position near the gatehouse. Giuseppe and Maria Rossi waited at the entrance, his father's arm around his mother's shoulders, both straight-backed despite their years. Giuseppe's eyes flicked briefly to the positioned vehicles before settling on his son with satisfaction.

Athan stepped out into the crisp air, the scent of burning leaves and his mother's cooking mingling in a familiar embrace. Giuseppe moved forward first, clasping Athan's shoulders with calloused hands.

"Atanasio," he said simply, pulling Athan into a fierce hug that smelled of tobacco and aftershave.

Maria was next, her small frame somehow containing enough strength to squeeze the air from his lungs. "You're too thin," she murmured, her accent thickening with emotion. "Come inside. Everyone's waiting."

The kitchen was chaos in the way only a Rossi family gathering could be. Michele's wife Francesca stirred a massive pot of sauce while Elena sliced bread at the counter. Michele carved roast at the kitchen island.

Nephews and nieces darted between the adults, their shrieks of laughter filling the space with life and energy. Athan found himself grinning as his youngest nephew, Marco, nearly collided with his legs while chasing his sister around the island.

His eyes found Alessio standing beside his grandmother at the stove, carefully stirring a pot of sauce under her watchful eye. At sixteen, the boy had shot up like a weed, all lanky limbs and sharp angles, but there was something in his expression that reminded Athan of Maddie when she worked through a difficult patient case. Same furrowed brow, same careful attention to detail.

"Dad!" Alessio looked up, his face breaking into a grin. He set down the spoon and crossed the kitchen to embrace his father.

Athan held his youngest son close, pride swelling as he felt how much stronger Alessio had gotten. "You helping Nonna with the sauce?"

"Trying to," Alessio said with a laugh. "She says I still don't understand garlic, but I think I'm getting closer."

"Your mother always said the same thing," Athan replied, ruffling his son's hair. "She never did master Nonna's recipe either, but she never stopped trying."

Maria looked up from the stove with a knowing smile. "Your Maddalena, she had good instincts. Just needed patience with the garlic."

The family converged on the dining room, a steady stream of dishes appearing on the long table. Athan found himself seated to his father's right with Alessio beside him, a glass of red wine already poured. The familiar weight of family tradition settled over them. Grace spoken in Italian, the eldest served first, children waiting their turn.

A fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting dancing shadows on the walls lined with family photographs. The warmth seeped into Athan's bones, washing away the autumn chill.

"So," Giuseppe said once everyone had begun eating, "we've been hearing about Luca on the news." He beamed with pride. "The Triumph of Darron breaking free from the solar system. First human ship to go faster than light! My grandson!"

The table erupted in excited chatter, everyone talking over each other about the mission. Athan couldn't help but smile, even as he remained mindful of what he could and couldn't share. Alessio watched him closely, picking up on the subtle dynamics.

"He did it," Athan said when the noise died down, allowing genuine pride to color his voice. "Everything we hoped for when we started the Triumph Initiative. The ship's performing beautifully, they've cleared the Kuiper Belt and entered interstellar space ahead of schedule."

"And Matteo?" Maria asked. "Is he still on the Moon?"

"Back at Genesis now," Athan replied, his chest swelling with paternal satisfaction. "His squad completed their rotation at Shackleton Crater last month. The boy's turning into quite the soldier, much more disciplined than his older brother."

Giuseppe raised his wine glass. "To my grandsons, one leading humanity to the stars, one protecting our foothold in space."

The toast was echoed around the table, but Athan noticed Alessio's slight frown, the way his youngest son shifted in his chair.

"And what about Alessio?" Michele's wife, Francesca, asked with a warm smile. "Any plans for following his brothers into space?"

Before Athan could respond, Alessio straightened. "I'm thinking about engineering," he said, his voice carrying the careful weight of a teenager testing adult waters. "Maybe designing the ships instead of just flying them."

Athan tucked the thought away. Maybe, one day, he'd build something on Genesis not just for Luca, but for Alessio too.

Athan felt a surge of pride at his son's thoughtful response. "Smart approach," he said, meeting Alessio's eyes. "We'll always need good engineers. Your brothers are blazing trails, but someone has to build the roads they travel on."

Through the dining room's large windows, Athan could see the wall that now encircled Meredith, massive concrete rising all the way to the lakeshore. The Town Control Tower pulsed blue above the trees, stark reminders of how much had changed.

After lunch, Athan followed Michele onto the back porch, accepting the offered pipe with a nod of thanks. They stood in companionable silence, smoke curling in the crisp autumn air as they watched the younger children play tag on the lawn, their laughter carrying on the wind.

"How are you really doing?" Michele finally asked, his voice low.

Athan tamped down the tobacco in his pipe, considering. "Concerned," he said finally. "About the sabotage investigation. Someone had detailed intelligence about our operations, timing, protocols, and security measures. It's a problem that needs solving."

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"Any leads?"

"A few. Karen's people have been working the technical angles while I handle the bigger picture." Athan drew on his pipe, watching the smoke dissipate. "It's manageable. Just requires a lot of time to eliminate variables, trace connections, and identify the source."

Michele studied his brother's profile. "You sound like you're discussing an engineering problem, not someone who tried to kill your son."

"Emotion clouds judgment," Athan replied calmly. "Luca's safe, the mission succeeded, and now we have information to work with. Getting angry won't protect him better than getting smart."

They watched Alessio join his cousins on the lawn, his gangly teenage frame more coordinated now as he easily kept pace with the younger children. His laughter was rich and unguarded, and Athan felt that familiar warmth of watching his children simply be happy.

"The wall's new," Athan observed.

"Finished it last month," Michele replied. "The town voted unanimously after the third overflow. New England's seen increased portal activity lately. The UER's repressing activity down south, so we're getting more portals here."

Athan nodded, his mind already shifting. Karen had called that morning, just before his cemetery visit. Three leads on the sabotage.

"You're leaving again," Michele observed.

"Tomorrow," Athan confirmed. "Business in Sandworth."

"Hunting ghosts?"

"Not ghosts," Athan said quietly, watching his youngest son's face light up with laughter. "Something much more dangerous."

That night, he barely slept.

The road stretched before Athan like a cracked spine, emptier than it had been in the world before. He passed abandoned gas stations and security checkpoints where guards waved him through after recognizing his vehicle's IFC clearance tags. Four years after the System's arrival, the roads still bore witness to humanity's hasty reorganization. Fewer passenger cars, more military convoys.

He remembered driving this route with Maddie beside him, the boys arguing in the backseat while baby Alessio slept. Weekend trips, holiday visits. Now he drove alone.

Sandworth appeared on the horizon, the quiet town had been transformed by the gleaming spire of a Control Tower. The town had grown since the System's arrival, expanding outward. New structures clustered around the tower's base, some of which were purchased directly from the system store.

Athan turned onto the street where he'd built a life with Maddie. The cul-de-sac, which had once housed six families, was now enclosed by a perimeter wall topped with sensor arrays. Guard towers rose at regular intervals, manned by figures in the distinctive blue-gray armor of IFC security. The houses themselves were gone, absorbed into the sprawling complex that had become the Interstellar Frontier Company's Earth-based operations center.

What had once been the Rossi family home, a two-story colonial with a wraparound porch where Maddie had planted hydrangeas, was now part of a landing field, with IFC shuttles built at the Genesis Platform parked on the tarmac.

The security team at the gate recognized him immediately. No badges needed, no credentials checked. His face was enough: owner of Genesis Platform, father of the Triumph Initiative's captain, and one of the IFC's most valuable assets.

"Commander Rossi," the lead guard said, offering a crisp nod. "Director Stevens is waiting for you in the main conference room."

Athan nodded, leaving his vehicle at the designated area. An escort led him to what had been the center of the cul-de-sac, where Joey Donahue had originally installed the headquarters of the Sandworth Adventuring Company, before so many things had happened. It was a rather modest building, with a foyer, a receptionist, and an elevator that led to the deep underground headquarters.

The elevator descended, numbers flashing on the digital display as they dropped below ground level. Five floors down, the doors opened onto a corridor of polished concrete and recessed lighting. The air smelled faintly of pine needles and antiseptic, the temperature carefully regulated to accommodate both humans and the sensitive equipment that hummed behind closed doors.

Karen and Michael Stevens waited in a conference room lined with wall-mounted screens displaying maps, data feeds, and surveillance footage.

Karen looked up as he entered, her steel-gray hair pulled back in its usual severe bun. The System's arrival had transformed her from an HOA housewife into one of Earth's most influential power brokers.

"Athan," she said, rising to clasp his hand. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

Michael nodded from across the table, his glasses reflecting blue light from his laptop. Where Karen projected authority, Michael radiated calm competence.

"What have you found?" Athan asked, taking a seat as Karen slid a tablet toward him.

"Three active leads," she said, her voice clipped and professional.

The tablet showed a satellite image of an industrial complex in the Carpathian Mountains. "First: A relay component recovered from your communications center was traced to a manufacturer in the Balkans. We've deployed four teams to investigate sites in Romania, Moldova, and Serbia."

She swiped to the next image, an office building in downtown Toronto. "Second: encrypted communications between the hijacked shuttle and Genesis relay were bounced through a secure server in this building. Leased by a shell corporation linked to a defunct biotech firm called NeuroSync. The company dissolved when the System arrived, but someone's still paying the bills."

Michael spoke up. "Our operatives are watching the site now."

Another swipe revealed a remote facility on a hillside. "Third: a satellite uplink station in Madagascar. It spiked during the exact launch window, then went dark. We believe it authorized the shuttle override commands."

Athan leaned forward. "Seems elaborate for simple sabotage."

"The financial trail runs through Madagascar banks tied to Panamanian LLCs," Karen continued. "But they used traditional US dollars instead of System credits."

"Either they were sloppy," Michael said, adjusting his glasses, "which I doubt given the precision..."

"Or someone deliberately left a trail," Athan finished.

Karen nodded grimly. "The question is: why?"

Athan stood, pacing as he processed the information. He studied the displays for a long moment, then turned back to face Karen and Michael.

"And then what, Karen?" he asked quietly. "Once we know who did this, what are we planning to do with it?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge. Karen's expression hardened.

"We eliminate the threat," she said without hesitation.

"Just like that?" Athan's voice remained calm, but there was steel underneath. "We find out who's responsible and we what—send teams to take them out? Start a shadow war?"

"If necessary," Karen replied, meeting his gaze directly.

Michael shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "There might be other options. Legal channels, diplomatic pressure—"

"Against whom?" Karen cut him off. "We don't even know if this is a government operation, a criminal organization, or something else entirely. How do you apply diplomatic pressure to ghosts?"

"I have the Genesis Platform with three thousand people on it. I have Luca somewhere in the Alpha Centauri system. I have Matteo on rotations and Alessio still at home." He turned back to them. "Every action we take puts all of them at risk. I need to know we're not just gathering intelligence to start a war we can't control."

"Then what's your alternative?" Karen asked, frustration creeping in. "Wait for them to try again? Hope they fail next time?"

"I'm saying we gather the intelligence first," Athan replied. "Then we decide what to do with it. Step by step."

Karen leaned back in her chair, studying him. "You've changed, Athan. You used to be more... decisive."

He exhaled slowly, his fingers brushing the edge of the table. "What about your family? Are they protected?"

The question cut through the atmosphere. Karen and Michael exchanged a glance.

"We've taken precautions," Karen said carefully.

"That's not good enough," Athan pressed. "If we're going down this path, they'll go after our loved ones. All of them."

Michael removed his glasses, rubbing his nose. "Emma is off-world delving with her team. David is at the Moon base."

"And Alessio?" Karen asked, meeting his gaze.

"With my parents in Meredith. Behind the wall, under town protection. For now."

"You're thinking of moving him," Karen said. It wasn't a question.

"Genesis Platform," Athan confirmed. "As soon as I return. I'd rather have him where I can see him."

Karen nodded. "We'll continue with security at your parents' compound until then. Discreetly."

A heavy silence settled over the room as Athan processed the web of threats. He was about to turn back to the displays when Karen's posture changed. She went still, her gaze locked on an interface alert that only she could see.

"Athan," she said, her voice suddenly losing its hard edge.

He looked up. Her eyes, usually sharp and assessing, held a flicker of genuine astonishment.

"Athan... they just broke the level cap."

She focused on her interface for a second longer, her brow furrowed in disbelief, before she looked back at him. "Luca... no, all of them. They just hit level sixty-one."

For a long moment, Athan didn't speak. The weight of the last few months, the constant worry, the grinding pressure... it all seemed to lift, just for a second. A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, a rare sight that softened the hard lines of exhaustion around his eyes. It was more than a mission update; it was a sign of life.