In his hand, the scanner chirped softly. Numbers lined up. Rei glanced at them, then returned his gaze to the hull immediately. The problem wasn't on the surface. He pressed his fingertip against the pipe joint. Metal temperature. Faint vibration. The heat dissipation from the energy cell felt subtly different on the left side. Just slightly——but unmistakably. (Third coil, then.) Rei stood up. He wiped his hands on his work clothes and turned to face the ship's owner——a burly hauler. "[serious]Three heat exchange coils are severed. You can't see it from outside." "What? But the engine was running." "[serious]It was running because four coils were still working. Keep using it like this and you'll overheat in twenty hours." The hauler's face went pale. "[scared]……Twenty hours." "[serious]Four hours to repair. Four hundred Galds." The hauler grimaced at the price but didn't argue. Knowing his ship would die in the middle of space in twenty hours, four hundred Galds was cheap. Cantina Station. Dock D-14 sector. Repair shop Gearbox——that was Suzuki Rei's workplace. A small spaceport two kilometers in diameter. The edge of the galaxy. A hunk of metal floating in the frontier where law and proper police barely functioned. One hundred twenty years since the Galactic Unified Government collapsed. This area had stayed the same the whole time. No one kept the peace for you. Survival depended on your own skill. The ships lined up in the port were all beat-up secondhand. The factory walls were blackened by oil and exhaust. Old pipes coiled around the ceiling. Not a clean place. But Rei didn't hate it here. A whistle drifted from the back of the factory. That was Jin. Welding mask pushed up on his forehead, he hummed while heading to the workbench. Twenty years old, one year older than Rei. Over one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall, broad shoulders. But despite his looks, his catchphrase was "ah, whatever." He got angry sometimes, but didn't hold grudges. When Jin was in the factory, the place somehow felt brighter. "[excited]Rei——how long for that hauler's repair?" "Four hours." "[laughing]Instant answer again. Seriously, what's going on in that head of yours?" Jin laughed and moved his welding rod. Sparks scattered. At the shelf, operating a tablet——that was Tamaki. Eighteen years old, small frame, narrow eyes that moved constantly. Checking inventory. Occasionally clicking his tongue. Something was missing, or the numbers didn't match. Tamaki's tongue clicks meant one of those two things. "[sarcastic]Generic energy cells are short again. Three of them. Already used up what I bought from the free market." "One cell is thirty Galds." "[sarcastic]I know. But there's no other choice." Tamaki sighed and leaned the tablet against the shelf. "[sad]Anyway, synthetic bread prices went up again this month. Five Galds became six." "[serious]Water rations dropped too. Lost half a liter per day since last week." "[sarcastic]……The frontier is seriously messed up." No one laughed. The frontier's reality wasn't a joke. The nearest leap gate——Fringe Gate 7——took eighteen hours at sublight speed. If the gate worked, you could jump to the central sector instantly. But those eighteen hours isolated this place. Call for help and it'd be over by the time they arrived. That was the rule here. Rei pulled the toolbox closer and started the coil replacement. His hands moved on their own. He'd done this work countless times. But his mind was elsewhere. This month's income. Next month's parts costs. Those three energy cells Tamaki mentioned. (Was it easier when Gordon was healthy?) Half a year since his mentor Gordon broke his body. Now he was recovering in another sector. The factory ran on Rei, Jin, and Tamaki. Nineteen-year-old Rei was effectively in charge. Not by choice. But no one else was here, so he had to. Rei worked silently. --- The alarm sounded near the end of the job. At first it felt distant. One second later, it echoed through the entire station. Rei stopped. Jin's whistle stopped. Tamaki dropped his tablet. The external monitor activated automatically. The old screen fixed to the ceiling lit up. Rei held his breath. A warship floated above the station. Not one. Two, three……before he could count, the screen ran out of space. Twelve combat vessels slowly surrounded Cantina Station. Black hulls. Red marks on the sides. Blood color. "[scared]……Vorg Raiders." His voice cracked. Anyone living in a frontier port knew that mark. A pirate fleet with over twelve hundred members. Twelve warships. Absolute obedience——traitors executed on the spot. Stories about Vorg Raiders usually came with stories about star systems being burned. The real thing had come. The fleet on screen began descending slowly. "Run." Rei threw down his tools. Ran for the exit. Jin and Tamaki followed. The emergency exit was in the factory's back——behind the shelves. Through there, down to the lower passages, into the administrative sector. But. The factory entrance shutter was kicked in from inside. Metal crumpled. Light poured in from outside. Armed soldiers entered. Not one. Three, four. Energy rifles raised. Blocking the exit. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. Coming from three directions. Surrounded. "[scared]……" Tamaki stopped. Rei stopped. Jin stepped forward. "[angry]What right do you bastards have to——" Jin grabbed a soldier's arm. The next instant, a rifle barrel pressed against his temple. Rei's feet froze. Couldn't move. No voice to shout. No one to call for help. Wardogs——the station's private security, twelve employees——couldn't handle this. This was the frontier's reality. Law didn't work. The stronger side won. Jin's face went rigid. Only his eyes looked at Rei. Tamaki's hands shook. --- The vice-commander's right half was scarred from burns. Large frame. Movements without waste. The moment he entered the factory, the soldiers stepped back. That alone showed his rank. The vice-commander came straight to Rei. "[cold]You're Suzuki Rei." Rei didn't answer. "[cold]Heard you had skill. Coming with us." "[serious]No." The vice-commander's eyes narrowed. Rei continued. "[serious]If you're taking me, release my friends first." The vice-commander went silent for one second. Then he grabbed Rei's collar and slammed him to the floor. The impact whited out his vision. Dull pain in his back. Blood taste spread in his mouth. The metal floor was cold. Factory oil smell. "[cold]Come quietly." Cold metal clamped around his wrists. Restraint cuffs. A chain rattled. The vice-commander turned toward Jin and Tamaki. Two soldiers pressed rifle barrels against their necks. "[cold]Run and I blow their heads off." Tamaki stifled a sound. Jin clenched his teeth. That face——Rei understood it. Tamaki was scared. Jin was scared too. But neither tried to run. They were looking at Rei. (Sorry.) He said it in his head. Didn't speak it aloud. Losing friends was worse than chains. That was all that mattered now. Rei stood up. Looked at the vice-commander. "[serious]……Understood. I'll go." --- Bloodnova was massive. Eight hundred twenty meters long. Three hundred eighty crew. Overwhelmed just looking at it from outside. Thinking this floated in space made his head spin. Dragged by the chain through the corridors, Rei walked. Metal walls. Red-tinted lighting. High ceilings. Long passages. Every soldier he passed had the same eyes. Empty eyes. Eyes that only followed orders. (Big organization.) The maintenance dock came ten minutes after boarding. Vast space. Work tables in rows. Tools and parts piled everywhere. Nearly thirty maintenance crew moving around. But their movements were inefficient. Awkward. Wasteful. "[cold]Fix the ship's systems. All problem areas are on the list." The vice-commander threw a tablet. Rei caught it, chain rattling, and checked the screen. Many problems. Energy circuit shorts. Thrust control system malfunction. Propellant circulation pump blockage. Fourteen items total. Normal work would take weeks. "[cold]When done, I'll give you more. Don't think about escaping. All exit routes are sealed." The vice-commander turned and left. Two guard soldiers stood behind Rei. Rei headed to the workbench. --- While working, his mind thought other things. Escape routes. Camera positions. Soldier shift changes. Chain length and tool reach distance. But not yet. Not enough information. Rush and fail, Jin and Tamaki suffer. So now, just repairs. Started with the energy circuit. Removed the circuit board. Replaced the burned connector. Thirty minutes done. One maintenance crew member leaned in to watch. "……That took us three days." Rei didn't answer. Moved to the next problem. Thrust control system. Wiring tangled complex. But the tangle had logic. Someone did a bad modification. Returned it to normal. Rerouted correctly. Three maintenance crew gathered around Rei. All silent. But watching. Half the list done in two hours. (Circulation pump left and……) Checking the tablet, Rei's hand stopped at one place. Ship core sector wiring route. Strange readings there. Energy consumption fluctuation. Pattern too irregular. What machine would create numbers like that? Rei didn't know. Didn't know. That was rare. (Something's there.) Rei turned to the guard soldiers. "[serious]The core sector has a problem. Need to see it or repairs won't complete." The soldiers exchanged looks. Hesitated. One finally spoke. "……Brief time only. When time's up, we return." --- The corridor to the core sector was quieter. Lighting dimmer. Wall color different. Dark gray. Footsteps absorbed, didn't echo. The soldier opened the hatch at the end. Rei entered. First thing he felt was sound. Not sound. Vibration. Inaudible. Came through his feet. The floor trembled faintly. Steady tremor. Seeped into his core. Low vibration. Then Rei saw it. A black sphere. Three meters diameter maybe. Floating in the room's center——not floating exactly, sitting on a pedestal but looked like floating. Light streaks ran across the surface. Irregular light. Inconsistent. Like breathing. (What is this?) He approached. One step. Another. The air warped. He saw it. Not an illusion. The space around the sphere bent visibly. Not light refraction. The space itself—— Gravity was wavering. Rei stopped. Cold ran from his neck down his back. Unknown technology. Not propulsion. Not weapons. Not energy reactors. No circuit pattern like this in any technical manual. (How was this made?) Tried stepping closer. An arm grabbed him. "Time's up. Return." Pulled back. Hatch closed. Vibration faded. Rei was dragged while repeating that sensation in his mind. --- That night, pushed into a corner of the maintenance sector. Back against the wall, sitting. Chain stretched across the floor. No one nearby. Guards outside the corridor. Quiet. Ceiling pipes creaked occasionally. Small sounds of a ship floating in space. Rei stared blankly at the ceiling. (Jin and Tamaki, are they okay?) Didn't know. No way to contact them. What they were doing now——pointless to think about. But he thought anyway. Tamaki's scared face. Jin's clenched teeth. Those faces wouldn't leave his head. (Have to get out.) Planned escape. What he learned today. Corridor structure. Soldier positions. Ejection pods——east side of the maintenance dock. From there, could run sublight for seventy-two hours. But. That sphere smoldered in his mind's corner. (What was that?) Every time he thought about escaping, that vibration returned to his feet. The sensation of warped space. Was escaping enough? If Kurou had something like that——if that man was planning something—— Rei pressed his head against the wall. Closed his eyes. (Still don't know. Not enough information.) Tonight was thinking only. Moving came later. When ready. But couldn't sleep. Bloodnova's vibration transmitted