Chaos Heir

Chapter 1289: Impact

Nura’s white eyes shone on the red and blue symbols on the ship’s control desk, studying its concerning details. Meanwhile, Bislan’s partially red light and Musa’s completely scarlet radiance illuminated her white hair, waiting for her update.

Even if Nura had yet to say anything, Bislan and Musa held their breath, knowing the situation was serious. Losing contact with the two other vessels in their team in less than a minute was bound to create tension, and obtaining clear answers wouldn’t necessarily ease it.

“[Everything happened too quickly],” Nura said to her Niqols crewmates. “[Only Halid’s ship had the time to send a warning, but it’s incomplete].”

“[What does it say]?” Musa asked.

“[Something was flying in their direction],” Nura responded, briefly hesitating before voicing her following words. “[Then, darkness].”

Musa didn’t need to turn toward her companions to know they had worn grim faces. Their auras told her as much, and she shared that feeling.

In most cases, unknown dangers were scarier than familiar ones. Yet, that wasn’t necessarily true now. After all, the three Niqols knew who they were chasing after and what he could do.

The ship’s control desk didn’t spot any threat, but that did little to reassure Nura. The prolonged time flying through space inside a ship had also affected her patience and self-control, and the thoughts she had kept in check until now finally exploded.

“[Musa],” Nura called, lowering her head, “[Why are we even doing this]?”

Bislan couldn’t help but divert his gaze, and Musa didn’t miss that reaction. He was in charge of that small crew, so he knew how his underlings felt. Musa even partially shared that mindset, but his hands were tied.

“[We have orders to find Prince Khan and Liiza and force them to face the Niqols],” Musa reminded. “[What happens next is for the Chiefs and Elders to decide].”

Nura obviously knew those orders. It was the whole reason why they had spent months in space trying to track Prince Khan’s vessel down after his departure from Coravis. Still, her internal conflict had intensified by the day, ultimately leading to an outburst.

“[Why]?” Nura asked, raising her voice as she turned her chair toward her two crewmates. “[We can’t force them to do anything, and we are even ill-equipped for these long voyages through space].”

The Niqols had the technology but had never been great in the field. They wouldn’t have even been able to perform that prolonged trip through space if it weren’t for the Kros’ upfront payment in the now-broken deal.

“[We can’t and we are],” Musa agreed, “[But we must anyway. No species in the universe would ever respect us again if we didn’t at least try to retaliate against that betrayal].”

Reputation went a long way in politics, and the universe didn’t forget things easily.

The Niqols were weak compared to the greatest forces in the galaxy, and breaking the deal with the Kros had brought their reputation to rock bottom.

That wouldn’t necessarily have immediate consequences but opened the Niqols to future threats. Their apparent weakness and unreliability might embolden someone to attack them, putting the entirety of Nitis at risk.

Nura couldn’t help but fall silent, knowing that Musa was correct. However, their silent companion felt the need to comment on a specific point.

“[Can it truly be considered a betrayal]?” Bislan wondered. “[We have all seen the video. Everyone did. Even the Elders can’t deny those symbols].”

That point made even Musa fall silent. Yes, Niqols had a duty toward their species, but the symbols Prince Khan and Liiza wore spoke to some of their oldest and deepest traditions.

No Niqols could disrespect or oppose that union. The political environment had simply created an impossible situation, forcing them to antagonize something they would have praised under normal circumstances.

Also, the video showed far more than that. The Niqols understood the mana at a level that few could, so they instantly believed the universal threat the recording described.

Moreover, Prince Khan had announced his willingness to take things into his own hands, doing something as dangerous as flying to the Nak’s home world.

That declaration was the sole reason why the Niqols were somewhat managing to track him, but Musa didn’t know how wise it was to interfere with that quest. After all, it was for their own good, too.

“[Musa, can’t you contact Chief Doku]?” Nura questioned, almost pleading. “[He might try to convince the Elders to abandon the chase and make a proper invitation if enough of us are against it].”

That suggestion wasn’t anything new. The idea had been growing among the Niqols ever since the Elders issued the mission, and most of it had to do with rumors from over ten years ago.

The sunlight crisis had destroyed the Niqols in many ways, but some stories had survived. People knew, and some even remembered, about humankind’s presence on Nitis. One name stood out among those tales, together with unfathomable details.

Therefore, as the mission kept adding days, weeks, and months to its duration, many Niqols began to question their approach.

A growing faction even believed Prince Khan and Liiza were escaping simply because the Niqols were chasing them but would instead accept formal, friendly invitations to negotiating tables.

Musa was almost about to accept Nura’s request when a few red symbols on the control desk brightened, making the latter turn. Nura gasped, wasting no time in updating her companions.

“[We have incomi]-” Nura began to warn, only for the ship to tremble violently and spin on itself.

The artificial gravity failed. Nura was thrown off her seat and slammed into the control desk but clung to it with everything she had to attempt to resist the centrifugal force.

Meanwhile, Musa and Bislan weren’t as lucky. The sudden tremor sent them to the floor, and the spinning hurled them toward one of the walls, where the centrifugal force pinned them.

Luckily, the violent event was short-lived. The ship suddenly stopped spinning, releasing the three Niqols from that squashing pressure. Yet, none of them relaxed. Their wary, glowing eyes illuminated the small vessel’s insides as they recomposed themselves, worried their predicament had only just begun.

That worry turned out to be true. Sizzling noises resounded through the ship as various systems failed or broke. Everything soon went dark, leaving only the three Niqols’ bright eyes as a source of light. Still, even that didn’t prompt them to move.

Then, three rhythmical tremors ran through the hull, spreading into the ship’s insides. The Niqols exchanged wary glances, and to their surprise, they all felt that they had reached the same conclusion.

As impossible as it sounded, those rhythmical tremors had made the Niqols think about the act of knocking on a door.

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