Chapter 37: And There's Also a Space Scavenging Segment
"Well, it looks like the Astral Express has a brand-new extracurricular activity lined up for today," Rekka announced, leaning casually against the observation car's plush seating.
"What new activity?" March 7th perked up, her camera dangling from her neck as she turned toward him.
"Take a look outside." Rekka gestured toward the massive panoramic window. "We've drifted into a massive graveyard of battleship and spacecraft debris. I just ran a quick scan. None of these hulks match any registered models in the IPC database. Which means we can go exploring."
"Battleship debris?" March 7th's attention was instantly hijacked. She bounded over to the glass, pressing her hands against the cool surface. "Wow, there really is a ton of it! What even is that thing over there? It's literally just half a spaceship!"
Rekka strolled up beside her. His gaze drifted through the reinforced glass, sweeping over the silent, floating metallic carcasses. Jagged edges of torn hull plating caught the distant starlight.
"These have been drifting for a long time," he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the sheer level of degradation on the exposed metal. "At least several Amber Eras, judging by the cosmic weathering."
"Yay! I love exploring the most!" March cheered, practically vibrating with excitement. "Staying cooped up in the carriage all day was making my bones rust. Those giant pieces of junk out there look like they have some serious stories to tell!"
She pressed her cheek completely flat against the glass, trying to get a better angle of the wreckage.
"Don't get too excited just yet."
Dan Heng materialized behind them with his usual silent footsteps, his arms crossed over his chest. "Unidentified battleship debris equates to unknown dangers. There is a high probability of active, undestroyed automated defense systems lurking inside. We aren't going on a picnic."
March pouted, peeling her face off the glass. "Well, that's true, but..." She suddenly blinked, a teasing grin spreading across her lips as she looked the spearman up and down. "Wait a second. Dan Heng, how come you're already geared up to come with us?"
"I am worried about you two causing trouble," Dan Heng replied smoothly, his expression completely unreadable.
"Wow. Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence." March rolled her eyes, though her grin only widened. 'Is it really just that, or did he just want to come along?' she thought to herself.
After suiting up in lightweight protective gear, the trio cycled through the Astral Express's airlock and launched themselves into the silent void of the debris field.
The absolute sensation of weightlessness instantly swallowed them. March took to the zero-gravity environment like a fish to water, giggling as she propelled herself gracefully between massive chunks of twisted metal. She darted around, occasionally grabbing onto a protruding pipe to brake and examine a piece of scorched hull plating up close.
They handled toward the largest chunk of wreckage, the bisected half-spaceship March had spotted earlier, and slipped inside through a massive, jagged breach in its side.
The interior was a graveyard of shadows. The primary bulkhead lights had died centuries ago, leaving only the erratic, ghostly blue flash of a dying electrical conduit to illuminate the path ahead. In the absolute zero-gravity environment, the ship's guts spilled out into the open air. Broken passenger seats, scattered hardshell luggage, and a chaotic storm of miscellaneous personal items drifted lazily through the dark corridors like suspended dust motes.
"It's so eerie in here..." March whispered, her voice crackling softly over their local comms channel. She instinctively floated a little closer to the other two. "Do you think there could be ghosts?"
"No ghosts," Rekka replied deadpan, effortlessly gliding past a floating shoe. "At most, you'll bump into Amuro Ray out here."
March blinked, completely missing the reference, before her flashlight beam swept across a faded sign painted on the wall. "Storage area!" Her eyes lit up like supernovas. "Do you think there's a ton of treasure inside?"
"There might also be a ton of human remains," Dan Heng pointed out, his tone brutally practical.
March shot him a withering glare. Way to ruin the mood.
Ignoring their bickering, Rekka drifted over to the main storage hatch and carefully inspected the dust-caked control panel mounted on the wall.
"Did you figure out a way to bypass the security?" March asked, floating up behind him.
"Yeah. The door isn't locked."
March stared at him. "...That's it?"
"That's it."
Rekka reached out, planting his hand flat against the heavy metal bulkhead, and gave it a firm shove. With a deep, metallic groan that vibrated through their suits, the massive door slid slowly along its rusted tracks. The dark maw of a pitch-black corridor yawned open before them.
It really was a marvel just how absurdly magical the Path of Trailblaze could be. The sheer conceptual weight of their Path granted them an unmatched adaptability, allowing the trio to survive in the freezing, irradiated vacuum of deep space for an incredibly long time with nothing but basic protective gear.
They drifted in single file down the long, narrow corridor. Heavy metal doors lined the bulkheads on either side, spaced every few meters. The painted designations on the metal were heavily corroded, with only a handful of symbols remaining legible under the harsh glare of their flashlights.
March couldn't help herself. She grabbed the doorframes to brake, peering into every single open cabin they passed. Most of the rooms were absolute disaster zones. Unidentifiable personal effects, shattered glass, and torn bedding floated in a chaotic soup of debris.
"What exactly happened here?" she murmured, her playful demeanor fading into genuine unease.
"Hard to say," Rekka replied. He hovered in front of a partially jammed door, brushing a thick layer of cosmic dust off the wall panel. "But judging by the absolute state of this place, whatever hit them happened fast. Half these cabin doors were left wide open. Personal belongings were abandoned mid-use. This wasn't a calm, orderly evacuation."
His flashlight beam cut through the darkness of the room, illuminating the frozen tragedy.
A dented metal lunchbox drifted lazily past his visor.
Several tubes of space-ration toothpaste hung in the void, shriveled up and twisted like little plastic mummies.
A faded towel, bearing the face of some long-forgotten cartoon mascot, spun slowly in the center of the room.
Rekka swept his light further into the cabin, and suddenly, his eyes gleamed.
"March, Dan Heng. Get in here and take a look at this."
This particular cabin was significantly larger than the standard passenger quarters. Rows of heavy-duty metal shelving units were bolted directly into the bulkheads. While most of the shelves had buckled under some immense kinetic force, spilling their contents into the zero-gravity abyss, one specific item remained perfectly intact.
Bolted firmly to the reinforced wall at the very back of the room was a heavy, square black metal box.
"Is that a safe?" March asked, floating over his shoulder.
"Bingo," Rekka grinned. He cracked his knuckles, the sound muffled by his gloves. "You and Dan Heng go sweep the adjacent sectors. See if you can scrounge up anything else of value. Leave this bad boy to me."
"Are you sure you can crack that thing alone?" March eyed the heavy biometric locks and mechanical dials on the safe's faceplate.
"I'll figure it out. I always do."
March hesitated, glancing between the imposing black box and Rekka's confident smirk, before finally nodding. "Alright then. But keep your comms open! If you run into any weird alien defense systems or space ghosts, yell, and we'll come running right back!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill."
Rekka waved them off. He waited until the soft glow of their flashlights faded down the corridor before turning his full attention back to the heavy metal vault.
He floated closer, pressing his ear against the cold, dark metal, and gripped the primary mechanical dial.
"Let's see here. Three turns to the left, two turns to the right, then one and a half turns back to the left..." he muttered to himself, his fingers moving with practiced precision.
Click.
The heavy combination dial gave a satisfying, tactile jolt beneath his fingers. The first internal tumbler dropped into place.
One down. Two more to go.
Meanwhile, further down the derelict ship.
"Hey, there's a whole row of lockers over here!" March called out, propelling herself forward with a swift kick off the wall. Dan Heng drifted silently in her wake, his spear collapsed but ready at his hip.
They floated into another relatively intact cabin. Several rows of tall metal storage lockers lined the walls. While the structural frame of the room had warped, crushing half the lockers into jagged modern art, a few doors remained perfectly sealed.
"Dibs on the first one! I'll open it!" March announced eagerly. She grabbed the handle of the nearest intact locker, braced her boots against the wall, and yanked it open.
Instantly, a massive, colorful explosion of fabric erupted from the pressurized interior, expanding outward in the zero-gravity environment and slapping her directly in the face.
"Ptooey! Blegh! Get it off!" March flailed, spitting out a mouthful of synthetic silk as she frantically swatted at the blinding mass of fabric.
She managed to push the colorful cloud away, her eyes widening as the items drifted lazily around the cabin. It was a massive collection of neatly folded, well, formerly neatly folded, clothes.
"What exactly was the primary function of this vessel?" Dan Heng floated closer, his brows furrowing as a bright neon-pink feather boa drifted past his stoic face. He reached out, catching a ridiculously extravagant, gold-trimmed velvet jacket between his fingers.
"It looks like..." March reached out and snagged a heavy ballgown completely smothered in glittering, iridescent sequins. "Wait, could this have been one of those interstellar touring spaceships? Like a traveling theater troupe?"
"It is highly probable," Dan Heng agreed, releasing the velvet jacket to let it float away.
March peered deeper into the open locker. Beyond the explosion of theatrical costumes, the shelves held a treasure trove of performance gear. There were rows of dusty, vacuum-sealed cosmetics, a few bizarrely shaped brass musical instruments that looked like they hadn't been played in centuries, and...
"Ooh, what's this?"
March reached all the way to the bottom shelf, her gloved fingers closing around a heavy, palm-sized metal box. She pulled it free, holding it up to the light of her flashlight.
The surface of the box was stunning. It was engraved with incredibly complex, flowing patterns that resembled blooming nebulas. Despite sitting in the dark for countless Amber Eras, the exquisite craftsmanship of a bygone civilization still shone through the tarnish.
She gripped the lid and tugged, but the mechanism refused to budge. It was sealed shut.
"Well, I can't get it open right now," March muttered, turning it over in her hands. "Let's just take it back to the Express. Maybe Himeko or Mr. Yang can figure out what it is."
She unzipped her utility pouch and securely tucked the mysterious box inside.
Clack.
The heavy internal deadbolt slid back with a resounding thud. The third and final lock had been conquered.
Rekka exhaled a breath of satisfaction and grabbed the heavy handle, pulling the thick vault door open. It swung outward, completely silent in the vacuum of the room. He aimed his flashlight into the dark, velvet-lined interior.
Three distinct items floated gently within the confined space, disturbed by the sudden shift in air pressure.
The first was a heavy, perfectly minted coin that gleamed with the unmistakable luster of pure gold.
The second was an incredibly luxurious brooch, set with a massive, flawless blue sapphire that caught the flashlight beam and fractured it into a dozen azure prisms.
And the third was a small, palm-sized leather-bound diary.
Rekka ignored the gold and the jewels. He reached into the vault, his gloved fingers carefully closing around the worn leather cover of the book.
He flipped it open. The pages were remarkably well-preserved, the ink still stark against the aged paper. He shined his light on the very first page, his eyes scanning the elegant, handwritten script.
"To those who come after:
If you are reading these words, it means we are no longer here.
Do not pity us. Some journeys simply require someone to stay behind and turn off the lights. The vast majority of our crew and passengers boarded the escape shuttles early on. Only a handful of us old folks decided to remain, choosing to stand guard over our beloved ship until the very last moment.
Do not feel sad for us. This was our own choice. We lived a life among the stars, and we are content to rest among them.
Finally, if you are a traveler of good heart, I wish you a safe and prosperous journey across the cosmos. Please, feel free to take the items left inside this vault. May they bring you more joy than they brought us in the end."
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