Chapter 50

Selene didn’t waste time. They had to leave Eldoria Station before Lucas’s mercenaries found them again.

Orin led them through a narrow tunnel beneath the station. The metal walls were damp, and the air smelled of oil and rust.

Dante walked beside her. “This ship we’re taking… can we trust the crew?”

Orin smirked. “Not even a little.”

Kade, still sore from his injuries, groaned. “Great. Another suicide mission.”

They reached a hidden docking bay. Inside was a worn-out cargo ship, its hull covered in dents and scorch marks.

A tall, scarred woman leaned against the ship’s ramp. She had sharp eyes and a blaster on her hip.

“This is your ride,” Orin said. “Captain Zera.”

Zera tilted her head. “You the ones running from the Syndicate?”

Selene didn’t answer. “How fast can you get us off this station?”

Zera smirked. “Fast enough. But nothing’s free.”

Dante crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

Zera glanced at Orin. “He owes me.”

Orin sighed. “I told you I’d pay you back—”

Zera pulled out a blade and pointed it at him. “And I told you I don’t like waiting.”

Selene stepped forward. “Whatever he owes, we’ll pay it. Just get us out of here.”

Zera studied her for a moment, then shrugged. “Fine. Get on.”

They didn’t hesitate.

As they boarded, alarms suddenly blared across the station.

Lucas’s men had found them.

\---

The ship’s engines roared as mercenaries stormed the hangar.

Blaster fire rained down.

Selene grabbed the turret controls. She aimed at the approaching soldiers and fired.

Boom!

Explosions rocked the docking bay.

Dante shouted, “We need to go—now!”

Zera was already in the pilot’s seat. “Hold on!”

The ship lurched upward, engines straining as it lifted off.

More gunfire. A shot hit the left wing, sending sparks flying.

Kade cursed. “We won’t last long if we get hit again!”

Zera gritted her teeth. “Then let’s leave before that happens.”

She slammed the throttle. The ship blasted out of the hangar, dodging enemy fire as it soared into space.

Selene’s heart pounded. They had escaped—but just barely.

\---

Inside the ship, everyone caught their breath.

Dante checked the damage. “That wing took a hit, but we’re still flying.”

Zera leaned back in her seat. “You’re lucky I like money, or I would’ve left you back there.”

Selene ignored her. “Where are we headed?”

Zera spun her chair around. “That depends. You want safe? Or do you want fast?”

Kade groaned. “Fast. Definitely fast.”

Zera smirked. “Then we’re going through the Veil.”

Silence.

Xara’s eyes widened. “You’re joking.”

Dante cursed under his breath. “That’s suicide.”

Selene frowned. “What’s the Veil?”

Zera chuckled. “You’re about to find out.”

\---

An hour later, they reached the Veil—a swirling, unstable nebula.

Selene stared at it through the viewport. “You’re taking us through that?”

Zera grinned. “Unless you’d rather wait for Lucas to catch up.”

Selene clenched her jaw. “Let’s go.”

The ship entered the stormy nebula, and everything shook violently.

Lightning flashed. Gravity shifted.

Kade grabbed onto a railing. “I hate this already.”

Zera steered them between energy bursts. The ship creaked and groaned, struggling against the forces inside the Veil.

Dante’s voice was tense. “We won’t make it if we get hit.”

Suddenly, an alarm blared.

Xara checked the radar. “Something’s following us.”

Selene’s stomach dropped. “Lucas?”

Zera shook her head. “Worse.”

Then, out of the storm, a massive shadow appeared.

A ghost ship.

\---

The ship was old—ancient. Black metal, no visible markings. It moved like a predator, silent and deadly.

Selene’s pulse raced. “What is that?”

Zera’s voice was grim. “A relic of the war. Abandoned ships get lost in the Veil… but sometimes, they don’t stay empty.”

The ghost ship turned toward them.

Kade’s voice was shaky. “We need to leave. Now.”

Zera tried to steer away, but the controls locked up.

Dante cursed. “Something’s pulling us in!”

The ghost ship opened its docking bay, and their ship lurched forward, dragged inside by an unseen force.

Selene grabbed her blaster. “Get ready.”

The moment they landed, the lights flickered. The air turned ice cold.

The ship was dead silent.

Selene exhaled. “Let’s move.”

\---

They stepped onto the ghost ship, weapons raised.

The corridors were dark and rusted. Shadows shifted unnaturally.

Kade whispered, “I don’t like this.”

Neither did Selene.

Then—a whisper.

Dante spun around. “Did you hear that?”

More whispers. Echoing through the halls.

Selene’s grip tightened on her blaster. Something was here.

Then—a shadow moved.

A figure stepped out of the darkness.

Selene’s breath caught.

It was a man. Pale skin, black eyes, and a twisted grin.

Xara tensed. “Who… or what… is that?”

The man tilted his head, studying them.

Then, in a voice that wasn’t human, he said—

“You don’t belong here.”

Selene fired her blaster.

The shot passed right through him.

The figure smiled wider.

Then—the lights went out.

And the screaming began.