Chromium

13.1

Meet me where it all began.

Dia kept looking at the words on the computer screen, her brow furrowed like she was trying to decipher some arcane message or cryptic code, but the result was the same: she had no idea what that meant.

"That's it?" Dia asked Reyes, but she kept her head down.

Maybe that weird dream was still affecting her, but she couldn't meet his eyes at the moment. All the ship's personnel - except for Omen who was still in the sickbay - was assembled in the bridge. There were more than forty people around her, but the room was unnaturally quiet.

"No, there is more." Reyes tapped a button on the console.

She raised a brow, "Star coordinates?"

Reyes nodded, "They point..." He pushed another button, "...here."

Dia opened her eyes wide when she saw the hologram of a binary star system appearing above her head.

Rodriguez whistled, "Isn't that the..."

"... Gaerius system." Dia sounded out of breath.

Why there, of all places?

Her Homeplanet, and the Academy, the place where she'd met Reyes for the first time, were there. The crew members exchanged worried glances, a tense silence spreading across the bridge.

"But that's a Core system!" Willis shouted, his high pitched voice breaking the silence, "Why would he go there? That place will be swarming with imperials!"

"Not necessarily." Reyes contradicted him, "As I mentioned before, the Navy is moving. The Empire is preparing for a large-scale offensive. Most of their warships are heading to the front or patrolling the Fringe Sector."

Dia's brow snapped together, "The Fringe Sector? Why?"

Reyes gave her a meaningful glance, "The emperor knows that this is the best time for the dissidents to act."

Dia took in a sharp breath, "He is afraid of a rebellion."

A smile danced Reyes' lips, his eyes sparkling with amusement, "He declared martial law and preventively executed a few known rebels to scare the others."

"Imperials." Willis spat the word with disgust, "They'll never know the true meaning of freedom."

Dia bit down on her tongue, but the scowl on her face turned into a smile when Rodriguez ruthlessly nudged him in the ribs.

Willis winced, bowing to his toes, "What was that for?!"

In the meanwhile, the crew, most of which composed by hardened pirates, was having a hard time not laughing.

Reyes cleared his throat, "Anyway, the Empire has no resources to spare at the moment. Which means that the Core Worlds are unusually undefended. Besides, the place Gibson picked is...well, it's easier if I show you." He glanced at his pilot, "Mitchell, on screen."

The bridge was suddenly bathed by a grim light, a deep red vortex similar to a sea of blood.

"The Ophiuchi nebula?" Rodriguez asked softly.

Reyes nodded, "The third biggest nebula in the known universe."

Dia looked dubious, "But there is nothing there."

"That's not entirely correct." Reyes nodded at Mitchell.

Another hologram, but this time, it looked like some sort of building. The interesting part, however, was that it was floating in the middle of the nebula.