Yan Jingyi and Ya Ning stared at Bai Sha, their expressions frozen in disbelief as she materialized before them, a specter of resolve in the dim cockpit. The Silver Wolf, its mane glinting like moonlight, lounged at her side, and Kaixin Greiz's scowl burned from the pilot's seat. The surreal tableau—Empire's heir, rogue noble, and a mythic beast—clashed with the grim reality of their escape from Luodeng Star.
"Sha Sha, what are you doing here?" Ya Ning's jaw hung slack, his mind grappling with the impossibility of the Imperial Crown Heir slipping into the Federation's turmoil undetected. His brow furrowed, and he leaned forward, voice low with urgency. "You came alone? Who else knows?"
"I'm solo, mostly," Bai Sha said, her tone light but edged with steel. She gestured toward Kaixin, who looked ready to combust under her casual indifference. "Thanks to this guy's help—the one glaring daggers at me." Her hand lingered on the Silver Wolf's neck, its fur soft under her fingers. The beast tilted its head, eyes fixed on her with reluctant affection, even as she rose. Stepping beside Kaixin, she extended a hand with mock formality. "Meet Kaixin Greiz, heir to the Greiz Clan. His life's ambition? Crushing me."
The introduction hung in the air, absurdly cavalier. Yan Jingyi and Ya Ning exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or wince. Was this camaraderie or veiled hostility? Kaixin's involvement in such a covert operation suggested trust, yet the air crackled with tension, his eyes blazing as Bai Sha's words danced on the edge of provocation.
"Uh, hi?" Ya Ning ventured, testing the waters.
Kaixin didn't spare him a glance. His gaze locked onto Jingyi, deep and assessing, like a predator sizing up prey. "I watched you during the joint exercise," he said, his voice low and deliberate. "You're exceptional—unlike your paper-thin teammates."
Jingyi bristled, her guard snapping up. "Should I thank you for the compliment?" she retorted, her tone icy.
"No need," Kaixin said, unperturbed. "You're a cut above the Federation's rabble. They exiled you from the team, didn't they? Proof of their blindness. But you're better off free. Beasts hunt alone—only sheep flock together."
His words, delivered with unshakable conviction, carried an odd sincerity that left Jingyi momentarily speechless. She opened her mouth, then closed it, caught off guard by the strange mix of praise and arrogance.
Ya Ning, seizing the moment, chuckled. "I heard the Greiz Clan prides itself on discipline and teamwork. That 'sheep' line—wasn't that a jab at your own people?"
Kaixin's eyes narrowed, his expression cold and haughty. "It's different. The Empire breeds beasts. When beasts abound, discipline prevents pointless bloodshed."
His stare, fixed on Ya Ning, was lupine, predatory. Ya Ning felt a chill, like a lamb under a wolf's scrutiny.
"Enough," Bai Sha cut in, her voice sharp. "We're supposed to work together, not stage a debate. What's the prize for winning this squabble?"
All eyes turned to her, the room's tension shifting to curiosity.
Ya Ning leaned forward. "Work together on what?"
"We're hunting Salmer Greiz, the lost Greiz patriarch," Bai Sha said, her sigh heavy with the weight of the task. "This mission can't be explained to outsiders. Most of my team's sidelined, hospitalized from the virus. I need hands—yours. Luckily, you were sent to Luodeng Star. Its border security's lax, so we slipped in."
"You didn't tell anyone?" Ya Ning pressed, concern etching his face. "Not even your uncle?"
"I couldn't explain it to him," Bai Sha admitted, her voice quieter now.
She recounted her encounter in the Unbounded City, detailing her tense bargain with the Silver Nexus. Her tone remained even, deliberately skirting details of her "past life" as a Lighthouse researcher, but the revelations—Resonance, the Nexus's plans, the virus—hit like a meteor shower. Jingyi and Ya Ning's faces paled, their minds reeling as they processed the stakes.
"You negotiated with the Nexus alone?" Jingyi hissed, her voice low but fierce. "I know you don't care for its bribes—power, immortality—but one misstep, and you'd be trapped like us!"
"Results speak for themselves," Bai Sha said, forcing a lightness she didn't feel. "It let you go, didn't it?"
Silence fell, heavy with unspoken gratitude and unease. They weren't naive enough to think the Nexus's mercy was an oversight. Yet Bai Sha's solo gambit unnerved them.
"You should've brought backup," Ya Ning said, frowning. "Where are your royal guards?"
Bai Sha hesitated, a rare crack in her composure. Kaixin, seizing the moment, grinned with malicious glee. "You haven't heard? She knew Emperor Cecil would never approve, so she snuck out. Back in the Empire, the clans are scouring the stars for her. Meanwhile, the Federation's General Ning Hongxue is pinning the exercise's casualties on us. No official report yet, but as the Imperial commander and a suspect, Bai Sha's barred from entry. If they catch her here, she's on a wanted list."
"Must be thrilling, being hunted by both nations," Kaixin taunted. "Care to try it, Your Highness?"
Bai Sha's expression didn't flicker. "If I'm on that list, your name's right beside mine. Good luck explaining that to your clan elders."
Kaixin's smirk vanished, his face souring. Ya Ning bit back a laugh, steering the conversation elsewhere. "What about Zhou Wei and Zhou Ying? Did you consider them?"
Bai Sha sighed, laying out the grim reality. "Zhou Wei's consciousness is still trapped in the City, recovering in a Capital Star hospital. Ning Hongxue's watching him too closely—he can't join us, even if he wakes. Zhou Ying's been poisoned by Ning, unconscious but stable. They're out of reach."
She paused, her gaze steady. "I did contact the Zhou Clan, though. They're backing us, within their means, because we share an enemy."
No one needed to name Ning Hongxue—their mutual foe was clear.
Jingyi's breath hitched, her fists clenching as she wrestled with fury. They'd always known Ning's ruthlessness, but his betrayal cut deeper than expected.
"I'm sorry I can't free them yet," Bai Sha said, her voice earnest. "You can't go home either—not now. You're with me."
Compared to the Nexus, their leverage was pitiful, the information gap vast. Bai Sha's strategy was to balance the scales, but her ties to the Lighthouse and the Nexus's interest in her were secrets she couldn't yet share. One day, perhaps, but not today.
"The virus threatens all Aresians, maybe Federation citizens too," she said softly. "Will you come with me?"
Jingyi and Ya Ning exchanged a glance, their smiles weary but resolute. "Idiot, what kind of question is that?" Jingyi said. "We're in."
Bai Sha's shoulders sagged with relief. She opened her arms, pulling them into a tight embrace. "Thank the stars you're here."
Kaixin, excluded from the huddle, shifted awkwardly, his scowl deepening. The trio's moment passed quickly, their focus sharpening.
"Salmer Greiz is an Imperial traitor," Ya Ning said, piecing it together. "The Empire's hunted him for years with no trace. He's likely in uncharted space or hiding in the Federation, right?"
"Exactly," Bai Sha confirmed.
Ya Ning inhaled sharply. "If he's in the Federation, we can track him like a spy. I learned a bit from Instructor Holman—he's a master at covert ops, having lived under a false identity himself. Just give me his range."
"The Nexus gave me coordinates," Bai Sha said, summoning a holographic star chart. Pinpoints glowed in the frontier's neglected fringes. "Somewhere here."
Ya Ning studied the map, nodding. The region was a lawless backwater, sparsely patrolled. The challenge was clear: Salmer Greiz had likely built a stronghold over a decade, perhaps ruling as a local warlord. Four people, unarmed and without mechs, against a fortified base? The odds were grim.
"Don't worry about mechs," Bai Sha said, clapping their shoulders with a grin that promised miracles. "My mentor—Empire's top mechsmith, a legend—taught me to build mechs from scrap."
Jingyi and Ya Ning blanched, picturing themselves piloting junkyard contraptions into battle. "Not literal scrap," Bai Sha clarified, laughing. "I mean I can make do, even in tough conditions. And we're not storming his base alone. I'm calling in help."
"Who else can you trust?" Ya Ning asked, skeptical. "Neither Empire nor Federation forces will back you."
Bai Sha's finger traced the star chart's dark voids. "The galaxy's big. There are… independent players."
Ya Ning's eyes widened, catching her drift. "You don't mean… interstellar mercenaries?"
Interstellar mercenaries weren't a single entity but a loose collective of outlaws—hardened crews operating small fleets, living outside legal bounds. They took contracts for coin, from bodyguard gigs to assassinations. Some, dubbed "star pirates," plundered the frontier, their moral lines blurry. Today's protector could be tomorrow's predator, loyal only to reputation and payment.
"Mercenaries, pirates, call them what you want," Bai Sha said, slamming the console. "The Zhou Clan hooked me up with a list of the best."
She projected a roster, names notorious even in the frontier's shadows. The Zhou Clan had vetted them for skill and reliability, leaving Bai Sha to choose.
Ya Ning scanned the list, choking on names tied to infamy—raiders, smugglers, killers. "Which one did you pick?"
Bai Sha grinned, waving a hand. "All of them. Zhou Clan's footing the bill."
Jingyi's jaw dropped. "You hired an army of pirates?"
"Not an army," Bai Sha said, her eyes glinting. "A coalition. Salmer's dug in deep. We need numbers, chaos, and raw power. These crews don't play nice, but they deliver."
Kaixin, silent until now, snorted. "You're insane. Mercenaries are vipers—they'll turn on you the second the credits dry up."
"Maybe," Bai Sha said, unfazed. "But I know how to handle snakes. And you're one to talk, Greiz. Your clan's no stranger to dirty deals."
Kaixin flushed, biting back a retort. Jingyi, recovering, smirked. "This is the most unhinged plan I've ever heard. I love it."
Ya Ning rubbed his temples, the weight of their gamble settling in. "How do we even coordinate this? We're fugitives, and you're betting on outlaws to follow through."
"Trust me," Bai Sha said, her voice steady. "I've got a knack for making people listen. We'll rendezvous in the void, brief the crews, and hit Salmer's hideout before he knows what's coming."
The star chart pulsed, its dark expanse a canvas of peril and possibility. The Silver Wolf stirred, its eyes locking onto Bai Sha, as if sensing the storm ahead. She met its gaze, her resolve unyielding.
"Get some rest," she said. "We jump at first light."
In the Capital Star, Zhou Ying's fingers flew across his wrist computer, decrypting Bai Sha's latest transmission. Zhou Wei, stirring beside him, murmured, "They're moving." Ying's jaw tightened. "Then we move too."
On Youdu Star, Emperor Cecil stared at the encrypted message: I'm alive. Trust me. His advisors urged caution, but his niece's defiance burned bright. The Nexus loomed, a godlike foe, yet Bai Sha was weaving a web to ensnare it—one that might save or shatter the Empire.