Celestial Seeker | The Stolen Artifact

Chapter 3 | Chaos

"What's going on? Is there an issue with the ship?" he said with his hands on his knees.

"We're not sure what's happening. It looks like we've been hit by an EMP attack, and a security Cosmo ship just got obliterated!" Cole explained frantically.

"Are we under attack? Who destroyed the ship? And where on earth is the Orbit's security?" the official questioned with a frown.

Suddenly, another shockwave rocked the ship, again disorienting everyone aboard. The Cosmo official was thrown to the ground, hitting his head fatally. While the others were shaken, they remained unharmed after this second blast, but confusion and concern were evident on their faces.

"Fuck, not again! He's dead! We've gotta get out of here, but we're powerless without any electricity. If only this ship ran on fuel!" Cole exclaimed, stabbing his knife into a nearby slab of wood.

As Cole and Meeko were regaining their stamina and breath in the cockpit seats, they looked out the windshield and saw an unfamiliar spacecraft set right in front of them. The ship, looking like neither Cosmo nor Orbit, seemed to have been using some kind of cloaking device, appearing out of nowhere.

"Who the hell is that? They just teleported right in front of us!" Cole gasped.

"I don't know, they don't look like any Vanguard or Kallon Rise type space ships, but they're just watching us. They're not attacking, and there's nothing we can do. I can't even activate these weapons," Meeko said helplessly.

Just as they stared at the mysterious ship, which had its missiles and guns pointed directly at them, an Orbit spacecraft zoomed in at full speed, likely alerted by something on their scanners. Without hesitation, the unknown ship fired upon the Orbit craft, disintegrating it instantly.

"They're not attacking us! They're after the cargo. Since we can't pilot this thing, we need to get to the engine room and figure out a plan. Ricard, you started in maintenance, right? You know what to do?" Natalia proposed as she was trying to use her phone.

"Yes, I know what to do. Let's move, now," Ricard replied, seeming confident and charge.

"Whoever is out there obviously wants the cargo, which is only gettable from the cockpit right outside the door there, or by blasting the top, which would eject potentially us and the cargo into space. We don't know their next move; they might be boarding us as we speak. And with Styx out cold, we have to decide whether to stay put, split up, or take him with us," She continued, her tone conveying a mix of concern and stress.

"Yes, you are right. This is a critical situation. Life or Death, they want the cargo so they might just kill us for it. We have no idea who they are and they are destroying all the Orbit and Cosmo ships outside. I say we move right now out of here and get Styx to medical in the barracks first, then everyone heads to the engine room and find the remaining passengers. Time to gear up. Cole, grab our pistols from the seat sides, and I'll get the Eclipse rifles from the locker for us and Natalia. Ricard, make sure your LC rifle is ready," Meeko said, quickly laying out their plan.

Cole moved swiftly to retrieve the pistols, tossing one to Meeko who snagged it with one hand. These were no ordinary pistols; they were the 'CC Cannons,' high-quality guns designed for Comet Cosmos. Crafted to fire bullets made of corzonian, a rare mineral from a moon in the Comet System called Corzo, these pistols could shoot at incredible speeds, causing explosive impacts. The large barrel, titanium finish, and solid wooden grip added to the pistol's weight, power, and beautiful look.

They also had Eclipse Rifles, assault rifles that used 7mm CC ammo, also made from corzonian.

"These pistols are something else. I hope we won't need them, but we gotta protect ourselves. Let's move!" Meeko urged as he handed Natalia and Cole the Eclipse Rifles.