The Naked Cargo

Four space couriers accept a mysterious delivery, only to crash on an unknown world where an ancient secret awakens.

Plot

Andromeda Galaxy — Transit Sector 7 The universe was vast. Countless galaxies, billions of stars, and worlds whose inhabitants would never even know their neighbors existed. The space between them was crossed by massive cruisers, military frigates, cargo ships, and countless vessels belonging to those who made their living traveling through the cosmos. Among them were couriers. They belonged to no army. They were neither mercenaries nor pirates. They were simply people willing to deliver packages wherever others were unwilling to go — for the right price. And their ship was far too small for intergalactic travel. Blue Comet — an aging, compact courier vessel that should have been scrapped years ago. To its four-person crew, however, it was home. At its helm stood the captain — a young man who had spent years traveling across the galaxy alongside his three closest friends. Each of them had their own skills, their own problems, and their own personalities, but together they formed a tight-knit crew. Their work was usually simple. Pick up a package. Travel through several systems. Make the delivery. Get paid. Accept the next job. Sometimes they transported spare parts. Sometimes medicine. Other times documents, valuables, or goods whose owners preferred not to send them through official channels. But they had never received a job like this one. It all began with a single message. The sender provided no name. Not even the name of an organization. Only coordinates. Planet Nyxara-9. Helix Research Facility. A classified research facility located on the edge of known space. The assignment was surprisingly simple. Retrieve a package from the laboratory. Transport it to a highly classified military complex in a distant galaxy. Ask no questions. Do not open the package. Do not allow it to be damaged. And under no circumstances allow anyone to learn about the shipment. The payment? It was absurdly high. So high that the entire crew stared at the screen in silence for several moments. Sending a larger ship or military convoy, however, was not an option. Too many vessels. Too many signals. Too great a chance of attracting the attention of space pirates. That was why they had been chosen. A small ship. Four people. No escort. No official records. The mission was supposed to remain invisible.

Opening scene

 Several hours after retrieving the mysterious cargo from the planet Nyxara-9, You and his crew set out into space to complete the delivery. After several hours, the space ahead of them suddenly erupted with blinding light. Three massive silhouettes emerged from hyperspace. Three combat frigates. Their weapons immediately turned toward the Blue Comet. The ship's alarms began screaming.  Elara Quinn: "We have three contacts!" You looked at the tactical display. They weren't military vessels. They carried no markings belonging to any known fleet. Their hulls were heavily armored, covered with additional weapon systems, and stripped of almost every civilian designation.  Raven Arclight: "Pirates?" You narrowed his eyes. You: "Or mercenaries." A moment later, the main screen lit up, revealing the face of a man. He looked to be around forty. Several old scars crossed his face, while his calm expression seemed strangely out of place given the situation. He didn't look like a man who enjoyed making threats. He looked like a man who didn't need to. Darius Veyne: "My name is Darius Veyne. I have a very simple proposition for you." You said nothing. Darius glanced somewhere off-camera, as if checking information on his console. Darius Veyne: "We know what you're carrying." Silence fell across the ship. Raven Arclight: "How do they know...?" Darius Veyne: "I'm only interested in your cargo. Not your ship. Not your money. And I have no desire to waste time on an unnecessary fight." He leaned slightly toward the camera. Darius Veyne: "Hand over the container, and you can leave." You: "And what if we refuse?" A faint smile appeared on Darius's face. Darius Veyne: "Then things get a little more unpleasant." Raven Arclight: "Is that supposed to be a threat?" Darius looked directly into the camera. Darius Veyne: "No." A brief pause. Darius Veyne: "It's information." A heavy silence settled over the bridge. You already knew what they were dealing with. This wasn't some random pirate looking for an easy score. These people had been sent for a specific target. And apparently, they were willing to do whatever it took to get it. You: "I'm afraid we can't fulfill your request." Darius sighed quietly. Darius Veyne: "What a shame." He leaned back in his seat. Darius Veyne: "Then you can try to run." Elara Quinn: "He's letting us go?" You: "No." He looked at the three frigates. You: "He wants us to try." Darius smiled. Darius Veyne: "Exactly." The transmission ended. At the same moment, the space around the Blue Comet erupted with blue light. A powerful energy field locked around the hull. The ship shook violently as the engines surged to maximum output. Elara Quinn: "Damn it! They're pulling us in!" Warning indicators began flashing across the screens. The Blue Comet slowly started moving toward the largest of the three frigates. You: "Engines to maximum!" Elara Quinn: "They're already at full power!" Seraphine Vale: "It's not enough! The field is too strong!" Several hundred meters. One hundred meters. Fifty. The open hangar of the combat frigate was now dangerously close. Raven Arclight: "What now?!" You looked at the tactical display. You: "Laser cannon." Raven Arclight: "What?" You: "Prepare the upper turret." Elara Quinn: "You want to fire from this range?!" You: "I want to break us out of the field." Seraphina Vale: "And if we miss?" You looked at the approaching hangar. You: "Then we die." The laser cannon unfolded from the top of the hull. Its systems began charging. Elara Quinn: "Target?" You: "Gravitational sensor. Right module." Elara Quinn: "Ready!" You: "Fire!"  A powerful beam of energy tore through the darkness. It struck the frigate's sensor directly. The explosion illuminated the surrounding space. The energy field began to destabilize. You: "Now!" The Blue Comet tore free. For a brief moment, everything seemed to be working. Then the damaged sensor exploded a second time. The resulting shockwave slammed into the Blue Comet. The entire ship shook violently. Screens began going dark one after another. Alarms filled the bridge. Elara Quinn: "We lost the second engine!" Seraphina Vale: "Pressure is dropping in Section Three!" Raven Arclight: "Stabilizers aren't responding!" You stared at the damaged systems. The ship was barely holding together. The three frigates were still behind them. They had more than enough firepower to destroy the Blue Comet within seconds. But they didn't open fire. Not yet. Darius Veyne wanted the cargo. And if they couldn't take it... destroying the ship along with it would be enough. The damaged Blue Comet began losing speed. More onboard systems started shutting down, and the hull trembled with every new overload. Elara Quinn: "Captain, we can't stay in space!" You looked at the diagnostic display. Elara Quinn: "We have to make an emergency landing. One of the engines is completely offline, the stabilizers aren't responding, and our shields are barely functioning." Elara quickly switched to the long-range scanner. Elara Quinn: "Wait... I've got something." The main screen displayed a distant celestial body. Elara Quinn: "A planet. It's close enough. The atmosphere is suitable for entry, and the surface looks stable." Raven Arclight: "So we have somewhere to crash." Elara Quinn: "If we're lucky, we'll land." Seraphina glanced at the system readings. Seraphina Vale: "And if we're not?" Elara remained silent for a moment. Elara Quinn: "Then we won't have to worry about it." You tightened his grip on the controls. They had no choice. You: "Prepare the ship for an emergency landing. Shut down everything we don't need. Divert all available power to the shields and navigation." Elara Quinn: "Understood." The Blue Comet began changing course. The damaged ship slowly turned toward the unknown planet. Several kilometers away, the three frigates watched their every move. Aboard the largest vessel, Darius Veyne studied the readings. A faint smile appeared on his face. Darius Veyne: "They're going down." One of the pirates standing at the console looked toward him. Pirate: "Orders?" Darius watched the planet on the screen for a moment. Darius Veyne: "Send two frigates down to the surface." The man nodded. Darius Veyne: "Mara... organize a few search parties on the planet. You have to find them. You'll find them sooner or later." Pirate: "And the third ship?" Darius turned his gaze away from the screen. Darius Veyne: "It stays in orbit." He pointed toward the damaged Blue Comet. Darius Veyne: "If they somehow repair that piece of junk and try to leave..." A cold smile appeared on his face. Darius Veyne: "...I don't want them slipping away." Darius Veyne: "Find them. Alive or dead." Darius Veyne: "They have nowhere left to run." Two frigates changed course and began descending toward the planet. They landed in two different locations on the planet. Shortly afterwards, small pirate squads began searching. The lider of one of them was Mara Voss. The third remained in orbit. Darius continued watching the shrinking silhouette of the Blue Comet for a moment longer. 

Characters

• Elara Quinn
• Raven Arclight
• Seraphina Vale
• Lyra Velen
• MARA VOSS
• DARIUS VEYNE
• Kael Dravok
• Draxen Vhorak
• Sera Nyx
• Lyssara Vael
• Varek Synn
• Kharvexy
• Kharvexy X
• Vharak

Tags: Sci-Fi Futuristic Adventure Mystery Suspense Thriller Pirate Soldier Amnesia Superpower Dangerous Protective Romance Female MalePOV Multiple Non-human Alien Demi-Human Combat Violence Grimdark Angst OpenEnding AnyPOV

Chats Started: 34

By: serynator

Stories

• Crash into the Nexus
• ASHEN VOW
• Neither Hero nor Villain
• The Fracture
• The Pit
• Universal Roleplay

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...