The operator's words sent a shockwave through everyone present.
Violent tremors followed one after another. The Pinnacle was like a kite with its string cut, plummeting rapidly toward the ocean surface.
The operator hammered at the virtual keyboard, reporting anxiously: "Captain, the Pinnacle is currently at an altitude of 28,764 meters. Without the counter-thrust from the landing gear, our descent speed is approaching 300 kilometers per hour. If we hit the water at this speed—"
The operator didn't finish the sentence, but everyone in the cockpit knew exactly what it meant. At this velocity, the impact would result in nothing less than the total destruction of the ship and the death of everyone on board.
Alarms blared deafeningly. Red warning lights flashed frantically in the cramped cockpit, casting a heavy, blood-red hue over everyone's grim faces. Several crew members lost their footing, stumbling as they braced themselves against the bulkheads.
"Activate the backup counter-thrust system immediately. Keep it at full power!"
The operator tried several times before looking up in horror: "Dammit... the backup thrusters on the Pinnacle are also failing!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Natalie rushed to the console and took over the controls herself. Her fingertips flew across the virtual panel, but no matter how she adjusted the settings, the screen consistently displayed a red alert: "Propulsion System Total Paralysis." The backup power interface was showing a severed, malfunctioning state.
"Curse it! How can it be such a coincidence? Both sets of counter-thrust devices failing at the same time!"
Byrne looked away from the console and stepped up to Natalie. "No. In my opinion, this isn't a malfunction—it's sabotage."
Natalie immediately shook her head. "Impossible. We conducted at least three comprehensive inspections before departure. All systems on the Pinnacle were normal. There were absolutely no signs of tampering."
Byrne countered, "Who said it happened before departure? While the Juque was traveling through the orbital lane, the entire crew was in their respective quarters. That was the easiest time for someone to make a move."
Natalie's expression darkened. "Are you saying... there's a mole on the Juque?"
The hull suddenly jolted violently. The outer armor shrieked as it rubbed against the atmosphere at high speed. The Pinnacle was getting closer to the sea; in less than five minutes, they would strike.
Safe landing was no longer an option for the Pinnacle. Their only choice was to evacuate via individual escape pods. The ship was set to auto-pilot. The crew members quickly gathered their essential supplies and headed for the escape pod bay.
Byrne performed one final check to ensure no core materials were left behind before sliding into the outermost escape pod. The hatch slid shut, sealing out the blaring alarms and the turbulence. In the silence of the cramped space, there was only the sound of his own breathing and the soft hum of the pod powering up.
"Escape pod ejection sequence initiated. Countdown: 10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1. Eject."
With a loud thud, Byrne's pod was shot out. Simultaneously, Natalie and the other team members were ejected one by one.
The moment the pod launched, a powerful sensation of weightlessness swept over him. Byrne acted quickly, gripping the safety rails on either side of his seat. After a few seconds of freefall, the pod lost its kinetic energy and began to drop fast. Fortunately, the parachute deployed automatically shortly after.
With the parachute acting as a buffer, the descent speed rapidly decayed. Before long, the escape pod began to drift with the wind. The same scene played out for Natalie and her team.
Free from the immediate danger of a fatal crash, Byrne breathed a sigh of relief and looked out through the small porthole.
Due to the damage to the counter-thrust system, the Pinnacle's hull could no longer withstand the high-speed friction. It looked like a falling fireball. Finally, the ship struck the surface of the Lusarka Sea like a falling meteor.
The massive impact instantly kicked up a wall of water dozens of meters high. Deep blue seawater splashed in all directions, interweaving with the flames of the burning ship to create a massive cloud of white steam. Within seconds, the modified scout ship was smashed to pieces. Twisted metal debris tumbled in the waves before being completely swallowed by the sea.
Watching the destruction from his small window, Byrne's heart hammered against his ribs.
That was close...
Thank goodness the escape pods were functional, otherwise he would have gone down with the ship.
As the remains of the Pinnacle vanished, Byrne scanned the sky. Perhaps due to the lack of propulsion and the way the parachutes drifted in the wind, he could no longer see the other escape pods. He pressed the communication button on the bulkhead, trying to reach the others.
"Captain Natalie, this is Byrne. I'm okay. What's your status? Please respond."
There was nothing but the crackle of static in the channel. He tried several more times, but the bulkhead display consistently showed: "Severe Signal Interference. Unable to Connect."
Heh, quite the disastrous start.
The ship destroyed, thrusters sabotaged, and now no signal in the escape pod. Just as Byrne let out a long sigh of frustration, the pod suddenly shook violently.
Now what?
Startled, Byrne looked out the window. In the next second, he froze. On the distant horizon, a mass of pitch-black clouds was expanding at high speed, with golden lightning flickering within.
The lightning storm was coming.
Meanwhile, on distant Nowa IV.
Interastral Peace Corporation Headquarters, Aventurine's Office.
Aventurine was making an interstellar call. The recipient was none other than Dr. Veritas Ratio of the Intelligentsia Guild.
A few minutes later, the call connected.
"I am busy calibrating experimental data. You have three minutes. Speak quickly," Dr. Ratio's voice came through the holographic projection, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Aventurine sighed. "Professor, don't be so cold. I thought after our experience on Penacony, we were considered friends. Thank you for the medical advice you gave me back then, I—"
Before he could finish, Dr. Ratio cut him off: "A reminder: you have two minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I have no interest in your tedious pleasantries."
Aventurine chuckled. "How dull. Fine. To be honest, I'm calling because I want to ask you to make a trip to Lusarka."
He then gave a brief overview of Byrne and the Azure Crystals. After listening, Dr. Ratio remained silent for a moment before replying, "I can help you, but you must give me a reason I cannot refuse."
Aventurine nodded. "Of course. Buried in the deep seas of Lusarka is not just a mine of Azure Crystals, but also a Curio."
Dr. Ratio said dismissively, "I have seen plenty of Curios. That isn't enough."
The corner of Aventurine's mouth curled into a smirk. "No, Professor Ratio. This is no ordinary Curio. It is the key to taking down Oswald Schneider."