Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

They moved down the corridor as a group. Luca's boots might as well have been filled with concrete, but the thought of finally getting off this floating graveyard kept him moving. The corridor opened ahead into what was clearly the ship's mess hall.

It was... huge. Way bigger than he'd expected, with ceilings that disappeared into shadow and rows of tables stretching into the gloom. Most were still upright, though benches lay scattered like people had just vanished mid-bite. Their helmet lamps swept the space, revealing food trays abandoned on tables, cups knocked over with contents long turned to dust. Emergency lighting flickered weakly, throwing weird shadows everywhere.

"Creepy," Emily whispered.

Danny let out a low whistle. "Hell of an evacuation."

Between the tables, they spread out, boots echoing on metal decking. The far wall held multiple serving stations, their contents either spoiled or dried to nothing. Luca's stomach growled so loud he was sure the whole team heard it. A massive viewport dominated the right wall, though heavy metal panels had it locked down tight.

"Check for supplies," he called out, voice bouncing off the walls. "But stay sharp."

Toward a control panel near what looked like the main kitchen, Ryan headed off. "Might be able to get some systems running," he said, already pulling out tools.

Keeping his blaster ready, Luca followed Emily toward the serving counters. Something felt off about this place. Too preserved, despite all the obvious signs of panic. I really need to check out my new skills when we get five minutes of peace.

"Hey." Emily pointed to a side door marked 'Stores.' "Worth a shot?"

"Yeah." He gestured toward the storage room. "Lead the way."

Emily reached out and took his hand, fingers threading through his. As they stepped through the doorway together, he found himself pulling closer to her.

"Missed this," he murmured, voice low enough for just her.

Her thumb traced circles against his palm. "Me too."

The storage area stretched deeper than expected, rows of shelving disappearing into dimness. His mind wandered as they moved forward together. If we're lucky, maybe we'll find more than supplies. Or hell, just water, food, and five minutes without something trying to kill us.

"Look at this." Emily pointed to a shelf lined with metallic cylinders about the size of soup cans. Hundreds of them, stacked in neat rows, surfaces covered in markings he couldn't read.

He picked one up, turning it over. "Preserved food, maybe?"

"Luca! Emily!" Ryan's voice echoed from deeper in the storage room.

Following the sound, they found him standing before a massive machine against the back wall, face lit by its console glow.

"What the hell is this?" He ran a hand over the sleek metal surface.

The machine stood chest-high with a recessed platform and dispensing nozzles hanging above. A control panel glowed softly, with empty slots lining the top and matching the canisters perfectly.

"Food synthesizer," Luca realized. "These things must be the raw materials."

Ryan's eyes lit up as his fingers hit the controls. "Let me just..." The machine hummed to life, lights flickering across its surface. "Got it!"

From the doorway, Zoe appeared. "Please tell me you found something good."

"Maybe an actual meal," Ryan said, already sliding a canister into a slot. The machine whirred and chimed softly.

Above the control panel, a holographic display materialized showing what looked like a menu in alien script. Ryan pressed something at random. The machine's interior blazed with light.

"Is it safe?" Emily asked, her hand still gripping his.

Before anyone could answer, a soft hiss came from the dispensing area. A steaming bowl materialized on the platform, and the smell hit them like a freight train. All rich and savory and absolutely incredible.

"Holy shit," Luca breathed, his stomach clenching with hunger he hadn't realized was this bad.

The food synthesizer was a goddamn revelation. After hours of energy bars that tasted like cardboard, the steaming bowls had the whole crew making sounds that bordered on obscene.

"This is fucking incredible," Luca mumbled through a mouthful of what tasted like the best beef stew in the known galaxy. Could've been synthesized space rat for all he cared. Hot, rich, and it actually had texture.

Already on his second bowl, Danny shoveled food with the focus of someone who'd forgotten what actual taste was. Eyes rolling back with each bite. "We should this thing with us," he declared between inhaling spoonfuls. "Most valuable thing we've seen so far."

"Absolutely." Ryan nodded so hard Luca thought he might give himself whiplash. Bowl already scraped clean, the guy was mentally dismantling the machine. "I could retrofit the power supply, break it down into portable components..."

Ryan dug into his pack and pulled out his multitool, the advanced scanner attachment gleaming under the emergency lights.

"You brought that thing in?" Luca exclaimed.

"Absofuckinglutely," Ryan replied, already starting to scan the synthesizer. "No way we can bring this beast with us, but I can take enough scans to figure out how it works when we're back home in the Triumph."

"Think about it," Danny continued, waving his spoon like a conductor while Ryan worked. "Real food on the Peregrine. No more shitty MREs."

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"We don't actually know what's in this stuff." Joey said, studying his bowl like it might bite him back. "Could be packed with preservatives, synthetic nutrients, who knows what kind of chemicals."

"Don't care," Chris said, already licking his bowl clean. "Tastes like my grandmother's cooking, and she's been dead for four years."

Luca tuned out their bickering, letting the warmth spread through his exhausted body. Finally had a moment to check out his new skills properly. The Infiltrator path already felt right. It was a perfect blend of tech and stealth that played to his strengths.

Pulling up his interface, he scrolled through the new passive skills, trying to figure out where to dump his XP.

[Silent Takedowns] seemed like a no-brainer. Eliminating threats without waking up their friends? A five percent reduction in takedown time and sound per level meant that eventually, he could drop targets almost instantly. And silently.

[Hacking Efficiency] would make his new TL9 pad even more effective. Four percent reduction in hack time per level would add up fast. Faster access to locked doors, security systems, all that good stuff.

[System Override] caught his eye next. Passive control over automated systems during infiltration? Five percent boost per level to silent overrides meant potentially turning the ship's own defenses against itself. Would've been handy about twenty minutes ago.

Weighing his options, he took another bite of mystery stew. Emily sat beside him, her injured arm resting on the table they'd managed to flip upright. She caught him staring and raised an eyebrow.

"Plotting your next move?"

"Something like that." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Trying to figure out which skills to pump XP into."

Her voice dropped low enough for just him. "Go with whatever keeps you breathing longest. I've gotten used to having you around."

His heart did that stupid little skip it always did when she said shit like that. Before he could respond, Zoe dropped down next to them with her third bowl.

"This stuff is amazing," she declared, already diving in. "Makes those system-generated nutrient bars taste like plastic wrapped in sadness."

Luca nearly facepalmed. "This is system-generated, Zoe."

"You know what I mean," she said, chewing with her mouth open like a barbarian.

Ryan and Danny were now deep in a technical conversation about the synthesizer's inner workings, gesturing enthusiastically.

"We just bypass the primary matrix," Ryan was saying.

"Then reroute through an auxiliary power coupling," Danny finished.

They high-fived, both grinning like complete idiots. Tech nerds in their natural habitat.

Luca finished his stew and set the bowl aside, his attention returning to the skill selection floating in his interface. [Data Breach] would speed up intel extraction. [Adaptive Exploits] would help him use the environment to his advantage.

But it was [Execution Protocol] that really caught his eye. An increased lethality against weakened targets, a five percent damage boost per level that could mean the difference between a clean kill and a prolonged firefight that drained their precious resources.

"I don't know," he told Emily, who was watching the guys fuss over their new toy. "There's so much to wade through, but I want to get these new skills to level 10 ASAP. Unlock their active abilities."

Leaning back in her chair, Emily stretched. "Well, you've got time to think. We need to rest before tackling the AI core anyway."

He nodded, still scrolling. Skills blurred together, numbers and percentages swimming in his vision. Maybe he needed sleep more than optimization.

"You should eat more." Joey appeared behind him with another steaming bowl. "Your body's burning calories like crazy with all those new neural pathways forming."

"How the hell does that even work?" Luca asked. The System wasn't magic, but it was definitely changing them somehow.

Setting the bowl down, Joey sighed. "It's not magic, but it's close. Current theory is quantum-sized nanites. Every time you level up, they form a microscopic mesh throughout your nervous system."

Food forgotten, Ryan perked up. "That's why we get attribute boosts. The nanites physically enhance parts of your brain responsible for memory, intelligence, perception..."

"So right now," Luca said, tapping his temple, "I've got tiny robots rewiring my brain to make me better at stabbing people in the back?"

"Crude, but accurate." Joey's half-smile was equal parts amused and disturbed.

"When you feel that 'level up' rush? That's billions of them activating, forming new connections."

"And the skills?" Luca was genuinely curious now.

"Neural templates," Joey explained. "The System downloads specialized knowledge directly into your brain. The nanites build the physical architecture to support those skills."

Luca processed this. "No wonder I felt different after selecting Infiltrator. My brain literally changed."

"Precisely." Joey looked entirely too smug about it. "Your brain structure is already fundamentally different from a pre-System human."

"That's... kind of terrifying," Emily muttered.

"It's evolution." Joey shrugged. "Just accelerated and directed."

"For what purpose?" Luca asked.

"That," Joey said, "is the trillion-credit question."

Quietly listening until now, Zoe finally spoke up. "I don't care why. I just know I'm better, stronger, and can stay invisible for fifteen minutes. That's enough for me."

"So we're at fifty percent mission completion?" Luca asked.

Looking up from the synthesizer, Ryan nodded. "Yep. AI core should be two decks down."

"And how many more death traps between here and there?" Emily asked, massaging her injured arm.

Danny grinned. "At least seven."

"Fantastic," Luca muttered.

Stretching like a cat, Zoe stood. "I should scout ahead while you all rest. My Ghost Protocol is recharged."

"No way," Luca said firmly. "We stay together. The last thing we need is getting separated now."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue. He knew she was itching to move, but splitting up was asking for a world of hurt.

"What about your distribution?" Emily asked quietly.

He sighed and finally locked in his choices: Silent Takedowns, System Override, Data Breach, Adaptive Exploits, and Execution Protocol. Balanced approach seemed smart.

"Done." Closing his interface, he stretched his neck. "Now I just need to earn enough XP to make them worthwhile."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Chris called over from where he was field-stripping his rifle. "This delve is practically overflowing with things trying to murder us."

While Joey and Zoe headed out to check the perimeter, Luca leaned closer to Emily. "How's the arm feeling?"

"Better." She flexed it cautiously. "Joey's patch is working wonders." Her eyes met his, warm despite the exhaustion etched in her face. "Thanks for asking."

"I vote we hit that armory first," Chris said, nodding toward the corridor they'd passed earlier. "Those weapon racks looked promising."

Emily's eyes lit up. "New toys would definitely make this easier."

"Agreed." Luca stretched until his shoulders popped. "Might find that last piece of armor, too."

A few minutes later, Joey and Zoe returned from their sweep. "All clear," Joey reported.

"Perfect time to raid an armory then." Standing, Luca gathered his gear.

Beside him, Emily checked her twin blasters. "Ready when you are, Captain."

The others fell in line as they moved toward the exit, stepping carefully past the defeated turrets and drone wreckage. At the sealed armory doors, Ryan cracked his knuckles and got to work. His new Guardian abilities were already making his tech skills sharper. After a moment, the panel blinked green.

"Got it."

Heavy shutters retracted with a metallic groan, revealing the armory beyond. A collective intake of breath as their helmet lights swept across row upon row of lockers, armor stands, and equipment racks.

"Holy shit," Chris whispered like he was in church.

The armory was massive. Half-ruined, sure, but hints of serious loot were clearly visible in the debris.

"Jackpot," Ryan breathed, already beelining for a massive cannon mounted on the far wall.

Stepping forward, Luca's eyes darted across the armor stands when a low rumble rolled through the racks.

He froze. Zoe's head snapped up. The lights flickered.

Across the entire back wall, something pulsed. A single, smooth, black wave rippling across the surface like liquid shadow.

His jaw went slack.

"Did you see that?" Zoe whispered, blaster already rising.