vrcanaries Chapter 18: Risks of Scavenging
Chapter 18: Risks of Scavenging
Chapter 18: Risks of ScavengingWith the Range Falcon unable to come any closer due to the debris floating nearby, we had to cover the last 300 meters to the shipwreck using our powered suits' thrusters.
They weren't fancy or particularly powerful, so our pace was roughly the equivalent of a brisk jog. Any faster, we would risk slamming into the ship in front of us without enough time to stop ourselves.
{Arthur...! Don't go too fast!}
Even before we could reach the wreck, Eva was already complaining and sticking uncomfortably close to me. I didn't have time for that, though. I had to scan the surroundings and find anything worth salvaging while we were still there.
Of course, plundering wasn't the only reason we dared to come here. This dimension was huge—so huge that it was nearly impossible to navigate without proper mapping, especially considering our tight 50-hour one-way time limit. Thus, securing the black box of this ship was a priority. It must contain logs of their exploration in this dimension, which could offer critical clues about where Major Terrence's fleet had gone. At least, that is how it works in the game.
'In the game, getting the blackbox should insert some sort of quest marker on the map, but reality's not going to be that kind for sure...'
{Hey! Are you listening?! Say something already...!}
Eva just wouldn't shut up, probably trying to drown out the ominous silence of the void. But I wasn't in the mood for playing games with her. "Nope, can't hear you."
{Bastard! Then how the hell did you reply?!}
"Come on, quiet down." I motioned to quiet her. "Or that little guy behind you might get angry."
{...!}
Her silent scream came through the comms just in time for her to rush forward and awkwardly crash into me, pressing tightly against my suit. Unfortunately, the thick powered suits we wore killed any "softness" from her contact... What a waste.
{T-There's nothing...} she whispered, nervously looking over her shoulder. {You...! Stop scaring me! Do that again, and I'll rip your thrusters off right here!}
"Oh? So you admit you're scared, then?" I grinned, locking my visor's display with hers. "Sticking to me like glue. Looks like our little Eva is a scaredy-cat~!"
{I-I'm not scared! Not at all!} she snapped defensively, her voice cracking over the comm.
"Yeah, yeah. You're not scared. Definitely. No room for doubt."
{You don't believe me!}
I laughed at her indignant response, but our banter ended as we reached the shipwreck.
The Vernal Torrent was in bad shape—it had practically been split in half with just a few stray wires keeping the two pieces tenuously connected. Our entry point was clear at a glance: that big, gaping fissure between the two parts of the ship. I carefully navigated through the debris, clearing a path for Eva, before finally landing on solid metal.
"Whew. That is one massive ship," I mused as I appreciated its size. "It's even bigger than the Range Falcon!"
The Vernal Torrent was wide, with an average width easily twice that of my ship. Though as a military-grade heavy cruiser, it was built for combat, so its massive size made sense. After getting an eyeful of the scenery, I turned to Eva and spoke.
"Alright, let's split up and
It was unmistakably one of those exploding aliens we'd run into before!
"Shit, shit, shit!" I shouted, turning around and slamming my thrusters to max power.
There was no way we could take on one of those things with just powered suits. Escape was our only option for survival. The bright blue flare of my thrusters lit the wreckage as I shot forward like a missile. Eva stayed right ahead of me, screaming incoherently into the comms.
And as if a cat enticed by anything moving, the alien began chasing after us, "swimming" through the cargo hold space.
Just like that, a deadly game of tag began.