The Hunters

[thisDerius]

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Year 819 A.S. System Nagano.

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"Alexandria, this is Joker speaking. I need dock 7 open for my landing." The man in his Eagle sent a comm to the massive carrier, a behemoth of unknown origin drifting in the void. The ship's hull gleamed faintly under the dim starlight, a silent guardian amidst the cold of space.

"Roger that, Joker. Welcome back. I hope you had a great time in Kusari." a young woman’s voice crackled over the comms. It was Tia, her tone carrying a mix of professionalism and amusement.

Joker exhaled slowly, watching the wisps of smoke from his cigarette dance in the dim cockpit lights. "Get the dock open and assemble the crew, Tia. And don't forget to prep the ship for hyperspace. We won’t be staying long."

The Alexandria’s bay doors groaned open, revealing the cavernous docking bay bathed in artificial lighting. As Joker’s Eagle smoothly glided in, the ship’s stabilizers hissed, slowing to a gentle halt. Two men stood at the landing pad, watching as the cockpit slid open and Joker stepped out, rolling his shoulders from the long flight.

"Derius, Yousei. Good to see you again." Joker’s voice was steady as he approached them, nodding.

"Good to see you too, Boss." Derius replied, his arms crossed as he assessed the returning pilot. The faint glow of maintenance lights cast sharp shadows across his face.

They began walking together toward the central corridor. Joker flicked his cigarette away, the ember fizzling into the steel grating before he spoke again. "What’s the ship status, Yousei?"

Yousei coughed slightly, waving the lingering smoke from his face before answering. "The AI’s back online after I patched some nasty bugs that were screwing up the system. Ella’s got engineering running smooth—no major malfunctions reported. Tia’s at the helm, as usual. And Z? He’s been busy with his scanner drones. By now, I think he’s mapped half the damn sector."

Joker smirked faintly at that but simply nodded. "Good. Where’s Alex?"

"Alex is waiting for us in Minor. We send the signal, and he’s there. Right now, he’s probably drowning himself in Sidewinder Fang at Delta." Derius’s reply was quick, a hint of amusement in his tone.

Joker gave another nod, taking in the information. "Good. Let's get to the meeting room."

Thirty minutes later, the ten leading members of the crew sat around the dimly lit round table, the overhead screens displaying tactical readouts, system maps, and long-range scans.

Joker leaned forward, resting his forearms on the metal surface. "Alright, here’s the situation. Even after seventeen years, Tekagi’s Wild are still roaming Tohoku. I’ve got intel suggesting that there are two unknown gates hidden in Liberty, but their exact locations remain a mystery. That could mean serious trouble—for us and for the sector as a whole."

His gaze locked onto Derius. "I want you to locate those gates as soon as possible. If they’re tied to something bigger, we need to know before it’s too late."

Derius exhaled through his nose and stood, nodding sharply. "Understood. I’ll start tracing any leads. I’ll let you know when I have something concrete." Without hesitation, he turned and strode out of the room, heading straight for his research quarters.

Joker’s focus shifted to the others. "Z, keep refining those scans. Tia, assist him in mapping out a better image. Ella, check for potential drive upgrades—we may need the extra power. Daniel, David—I took down some Wild earlier. Study their tech. See if there’s anything we can use, but don’t get sloppy."

He glanced toward Yousei, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Yousei... hell, I don’t even know what to do with you right now. Take a break. I’ll call you when you’re needed."

Yousei grinned lazily, raising a half-empty beer bottle in mock salute. "Best order you’ve given me all day."

Ignoring him, Joker turned toward Arnold and Sarah. "Check on the guards. This ship is too damn big to let things slip under our noses."

The crew began to disperse, but just as Joker was about to leave, Derius’s voice came through the comms. "Joker, you’re going to want to see this."

The main screen flickered, displaying an image. Joker stared at it for several moments before his voice dropped into a more serious tone. "Status."

Derius’s voice was calm but firm. "Source unknown. Judging by the composition, the star appears to be a Type-II dwarf, possibly smaller than Sol. The ships in the image? They’re completely unfamiliar."

Joker furrowed his brow. "Could this be from Earth?"

"Negative. Earth is gone, Boss. Besides, Sol’s sun emits a distinct yellow hue. This one? Pure white."

Joker crossed his arms, his fingers tapping against his sleeve. "Yousei, run a full spectrum scan on the image. Check every possible data point—coordinates, ship structures, energy emissions, anything that gives us a lead."

Yousei was already halfway out the door, nodding. "On it. With the AI running optimally, this should only take a few hours."

As the meeting room cleared out, Joker made his way to the bridge. Outside, the hyperspace jump was beginning to warm up, the Alexandria’s vast systems humming in preparation for their next destination—Omicron Minor.

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Year 820 A.S. Rheinland Space - System New Berlin.

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Joker entered Derius’s quarters without knocking. The dim room was cluttered with workstations, blueprints, and samples of unknown substances. Derius, hunched over his desk, barely glanced up before Joker’s voice cut through the silence.

"I need you to create a poison."

Derius paused, then slowly turned, eyeing Joker with an expression that could only be described as wary amusement. "What kind of poison? Purpose? Delivery method?"

Joker placed his hands behind his back, pacing slowly. "The Order has vials of high-grade toxin used for interrogation. We’re going to swap it with something more... favorable to our interests. I need a poison that decays over the span of one year—a slow burn, undetectable at first, but deadly in time."

Derius exhaled, rubbing his jaw. "So you want something that looks harmless, counterable by most basic remedies, but lethal once embedded in a host. Tricky... but doable. If we use Wild blood, we could—"

Joker’s tone hardened. "No Wild blood. We need it for later. Stick to conventional methods. Test ingestion first."

Derius nodded absently, already lost in thought. "Fine. I’ll get to work. Just make sure I get my cut."

Joker turned on his heel, leaving without another word.

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Hours later, as the Alexandria settled into position below New Berlin, Joker sat in his chair, watching the system map flicker on the screen. The ship was a shadow, invisible to prying eyes. Yousei leaned back in the chair next to him, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers.

"50K below the system. Perfect spot. Nobody’s seeing us down here," he murmured.

Joker exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Good. Notify the crew. And for the last damn time, Yousei—stop drinking on the bridge."

Yousei grinned, standing up with a stretch. "Yeah, yeah, I’m going."

As he walked off toward the bar, Joker leaned forward, eyes narrowing at the screens ahead. The next move was coming soon.