Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

"The unforeseen is the real test."

— Aristotle

"Group up!" Luca called over the comms, his voice tighter than he wanted. They clustered beneath the grated rafters as Joey and Chris slid in beside Emily and Zoe, forming a half-circle around Danny's Warhammer. The deck fell silent, air gone, but gravity still pinned them down.

Nullmaw silhouettes unfurled from ceiling beams, lunging from every corner. Tentacles whipped as they closed the net. Luca's chest squeezed tight. Each breath a ragged gasp against the sudden terror. This was Helm's Deep all over again, except without the dramatic speeches and convenient cavalry.

We're about to be swallowed by the dark. Great fucking plan.

Danny's eyes flared behind his visor. "Come on!" he roared, raising the Warhammer. At least someone's excited about dying horribly.

Then, from the darkness, came light.

Strobe-bright beams cut through the gloom as drones filtered in from the far hatch: sleek silver frames with plasma cannons whirring to life. They opened fire on the Nullmaws. Ion energy splashed against the dark mass, melting beasts into steaming puddles of black goo.

Well, shit. That's new.

Wave after wave of drones streamed in, cutting down hundreds. Plasma fire filled the hall, painting walls with flickering blue-white shadows. Nullmaws leaped onto advancing drones, tearing into plasma coils. One drone stuttered mid-air, a beast's maw clamped onto its power core, tumbling in a shower of sparks.

Emily screamed something defiant and unleashed twin blaster fire, keeping beasts off the remaining drones. My girlfriend's a fucking warrior.

Three-way war. They needed to pick a side, or get the hell out while the getting was good.

"That's our cue, move!" Luca yelled.

They sprinted toward the stairs, boots thudding on metal. Drones roared past, cutting lines through fleeing Nullmaws. Behind them, monsters were being systematically annihilated.

"Go!" Emily shouted, grabbing his hand.

A second explosion ripped through the walls. Steel beams shot loose, molten debris crashed down. Their exit buried under twenty tons.

"Shit," Ryan panted. "Plan B!"

"Plan B?!" Luca's voice cracked, squeaking. The whole place was falling apart. What plan B? There was never a plan B!

He tripped, boot catching warped plating. Chris and Joey hauled him up without breaking stride. At least someone's paying attention.

They backtracked, looking for anything that wasn't a deathtrap. Drones ripped into Nullmaws. Nullmaws ripped back. Total shitshow. And here they were, caught in the middle like idiots.

Ryan doubled back, eyes bright, face fierce. "Too many!" he shouted. "Luca! There's too fucking many!"

"We can—" Luca started, but Emily pulled him close.

"Listen to him!" She squeezed his arm, eyes pleading.

Ryan's breath came hard, wild. His grin was wide, but his eyes were pure panic. Shit. If Ryan's scared, we're really fucked.

Luca nodded once. "Okay. Yeah."

Zoe had gone ghost, found a new route. She reappeared from shadows, waving them after her, feet barely touching deck.

Chris's voice crackled through comms. "I see it!"

They ran for their lives, the whole place coming down. Emily kept close, arm tight around his. The tram appeared in the distance. Sweet, beautiful salvation.

"Go!" Emily gasped. "Don't wait!"

"Never do," he said. "You know that."

Zoe led the way, fast and smooth, her dagger a blur. A Nullmaw grabbed Luca's shoulder, yanking him back. Ryan was there, pulling him free.

"Thanks," Luca breathed.

Ryan flashed a grin. "You owe me," he said. He came through when it mattered.

Chris hit the tram first, hands moving over controls like he was born to drive. Emily was right there, face alive, beautiful. I could look at her forever, even while we're all about to die. Joey caught her, tossing her into Chris's waiting arms. She landed with a laugh, eyes wild. Zoe and Ryan were right behind, breathless and fierce.

"Now!" Emily yelled.

Luca lunged, legs catching the edge, hands flailing for grip. Joey pulled him in. He crashed into them, sprawling. Graceful as always.

They got out.

Chris hit the controls and the tram shot forward. Drones wheeled after them, shooting plasma at rails, gears, their backs. Didn't matter. Nothing could stop them now.

Chris pulled his rifle, aimed at the lead drone, let off a wild burst.

"Get them, Luca!" Zoe shouted.

"Yeah, Captain!" Ryan called, cocky and young and absolutely right. Captain. Still weird hearing that.

Luca raised his blaster, flicking on [Steady Aim] one last time.

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[Mission Objective: Secure the battleship and defeat the AI‑controlled defenses. 50% Complete]

The tram jerked to a halt like it had hit a brick wall, slamming Luca forward then back. He slumped against cold metal, muscles screaming. They had reached a junction. It sprawled before them: a cavernous space where multiple tram lines snaked out. Emergency lights flickered overhead. Four doorways led into darkness, half-collapsed or sealed by twisted metal.

Home sweet fucking home.

He couldn't remember the last breath that wasn't recycled suit air or metallic nullmaw blood. His mouth tasted like he'd been licking battery terminals for fun.

"End of the line," Chris mumbled, voice sandpaper-rough.

Luca dragged himself up, staggered onto the platform. His head throbbed and his tongue like sandpaper. They'd run out of water hours ago. Except Ryan and Chris, who were pee buddies.

"Twenty-six hours," Joey announced, voice flat. "New personal record."

Twenty-six hours of running, fighting, and nearly getting turned into space debris. Luca's body feels like it got wrung out and left to dry. He slid down the nearest wall, letting his ass hit floor too hard. Control panels were smashed, screens cracked. Floor littered with console pieces, torn grates, dried gore.

Emily drifted over and sank beside him without a word. Her shoulder brushed his as she unbuckled armor. Her injured arm emerged, auto-seal patch still holding but stained with sweat and blood.

"How's it holding?" he croaked.

She rested her head against his neck. "Hurts less than my feet. But that's not saying much."

He wanted to put his arm around her, but even lifting it seemed impossible. Instead, he let his head tilt until it rested against hers. This is nice. Even in this shithole, she makes everything better.

Ryan collapsed beside them with all the subtlety of a dying star. "If I die here, tell my mom I died heroically. Not... whatever this is."

"Your mom would be thrilled you made it this far," Joey replied, checking Emily's arm. "Most of us didn't think you'd survive the first Nullmaw."

Ryan flipped him off, then laid his head against Luca's other shoulder. Great. Now I'm a human pillow for idiots.

Across the junction, Danny had claimed a fallen beam as a bench, his armor scratched but intact. Zoe curled up beside him like a contented cat, head on his shoulder, dreadlocks spilling free. Danny's fingers absently stroked her arm. Those two were cute together in a weird, apocalyptic way.

"Two energy bars left," Joey announced. Always the party pooper. "Four water bottles. One med kit. Two energy cells." He looked at Luca. "Your suit holding?"

Luca nodded, sending fresh pain through his skull. "Barely. Just thermal regulation." He'd turned off everything non-essential hours ago. Like dignity. And hope.

Chris stretched near the tram. "So what's the call, Captain? Push forward or hole up?"

Emily shifted against him, face half-buried in his neck. "If we stop too long," she whispered, "we might not start again."

She was right. The longer they stayed still, the harder it would be to move. This ship would win. Can't let a dead piece of metal beat us.

"Ten minutes," he croaked. "Then we move."

Nobody argued. Nobody had the energy.

Joey distributed half a power bar to each crew member. When he reached Luca, he pressed the food into his palm. "Eat it slowly."

Luca nodded, broke off a tiny piece, let the tasteless paste dissolve. God, I miss granola bars. Hell, I'd kill for a stale cracker right now.

Emily's hand found his in the dim light. Fifty percent. They'd come this far. They could go the rest. They better fucking needed to.

He squeezed her hand. Ten minutes. Then back to the grind.

When Luca cracked his eyes open, Chris and Danny were already dismantling a control panel. Chris had his multi-tool out, prying at rusted edges, while Danny used his exo-suit to yank the damn thing like a stubborn tooth.

Five minutes of rest, and those two were hunting for loot like they were in a ball pit. Vultures.

Across the junction, Zoe crouched at a flickering terminal he'd missed, her TL9 hacking pad already out. Show-off.

He tried not to stare. The way she interfaced with tech was hypnotic. Confident taps, swift navigation, not a wasted motion. Her pad lit up with protocols in seconds.

"Interface secured," she announced. "Still live! Just had to know where to dig."

"Show-off," Luca muttered, eyeing his pathetic TL8 pad. That thing's older than my underwear. And almost as useful.

Zoe's pad bypassed security that would've taken him an hour. The terminal's screen flickered to life. "Got something. Level 4 Deck Map. And..." She whistled. "Hello, beautiful."

The terminal's undercarriage slid open, revealing a hidden compartment. She pulled out a sleek, chrome-edged device.

"Looks like someone was planning an upgrade." Then she aimed in his direction and tossed it. "Heads up, Scout Leader!"

He fumbled upright, nearly dislodging Emily, and caught the device with both hands. Brand new TL9 hacking pad, still wrapped.

"What the—" he started.

Zoe smirked. "Consider it payback. Your old pad was embarrassing all of us."

He stared at the pristine device. This thing is worth more than my entire kit.

"I... thanks," he managed, grin spreading. Best fucking day ever. Well, except for all the dying.

Emily stirred beside him. "Nice upgrade. Maybe now you can actually keep up."

Chris whooped from across the room as his panel gave way. "Jackpot!" Greedy bastard. Save some for the rest of us.

It was like someone flipped a switch. Despite the exhaustion, loot had everyone perking up. Nothing cured fatigue like shiny new toys. Luca climbed to his feet, the new pad's weight making it easier to ignore his pain.

Joey approached a collapsed bulkhead blocking a side room. "Stand back," he stated all gruff like. He braced his shoulders against the metal, and his suit's servos whined. The bulkhead gave way with a shuddering crash. "Door's open."

Show-off. We get it, you're strong.

Inside was, what looked like a small medical bay, mostly smashed, but a sealed cabinet caught Luca's eye. He stepped up with Ryan, pulling out his new hacking pad with a flourish.

"Let me try this baby out." The pad hummed, interfaces scrolling faster than he was used to. It sent energy into the lock, and it clicked open in seconds.

"Holy shit. Worth every credit I didn't spend." This thing's incredible. Why didn't I steal one of these sooner?

Inside, nestled in foam, sat a metallic case with a biohazard sticker.

"Nanite Field Kit," Ryan confirmed, eyes wide. "This thing can repair injuries and disinfect wounds."

[Item acquired: Nanite Field Kit]

Luca eyed the tiny vials sitting next to the device suspiciously. "What if they go rogue? Start eating your insides?" I've seen too many movies that start exactly like this.

Ryan gave him a withering look. "Stop being a baby. These are medical nanites."

"If you say so," Luca muttered, still unconvinced.

"The nanites are perfectly safe." Famous last words.

He'd read too many books where helpful medical robots decided humans were the disease.

The heavy exhaustion was gone, replaced by renewed energy. Emily and Zoe huddled over the Level 4 map, heads close together, holding a personal strategy session. Good. They needed all the help they could get.

"Found something interesting?" Luca asked as he approached.

Zoe nodded, eyes bright. "Potential route to the AI core. Lift shaft that bypasses damaged decks."

"A working lift?" Skepticism laced his voice. After everything they'd seen, a functioning anything seemed rather suspicious.

"Only one way to find out," Emily replied, confidence returning. There's my girl. Always ready for the next disaster.

The corridor to the lift was surprisingly intact. Doors slid open with a hiss the moment he interfaced with his new pad. Inside, the lift was spacious, walls lined with brushed metal that might once have been mirror-bright. The control panel glowed with welcoming blue light.

Too easy. This is definitely too easy.

"Level 4?" Luca asked.

Zoe nodded. "Straight to central processing. Short trek to the AI core from there."

He met Emily's eyes and pressed the button. Doors slid closed with a thud that felt too final. For a moment, nothing happened.

Here it comes.

Then the ambient blue switched to pulsing red. An alarm wailed from deep in the shaft. The floor lurched, Luca's stomach dropped, and the lift began to plummet, picking up speed every second.

"What the hell—" Danny started.

A mechanical clank echoed through the shaft, followed by the horrifying sound of restraints disengaging. The lift wasn't malfunctioning.

It was in free fall.

And they were trapped inside.

Fucking called it.