Star Hedonist-Chapter 10: Into the Storm

The crew of the Safira is shocked as they see, displayed on the large screen in the bridge, their companion Nyx at the front of an alien barbarian army, riding her hoverbike.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"She really outdid herself..."

"This is insane!"

The scene sparks a mix of emotions among the group. Everyone is astonished and, to some degree, impressed—but without exception, they are worried.

After all, that storm of destruction is heading straight for them—and fast.

"ECHO!" Clara calls out to the ship's AI assistant. "Open a channel to Nyx."

"Establishing connection—" The robotic voice responds immediately.

But the news isn't good.

"Failed. Too much interference in the signal."

"Try again!" Clara demands, her voice full of concern.

"Establishing connection... establishing..."

All eyes remain locked on Nyx's image on the screen—nervous, anxious, desperate.

Until finally—

"Guys."

A soft, calm voice comes through the ship's speakers.

"Nyx?!" Clara instantly responds.

"Clara? Ehh... the situation got a little out of hand..."

"A little?? Fuck! We can see the entire Thek'Shar army behind you!"

"That..." Nyx continues speaking with the same eerie calm, still piloting her hoverbike without even glancing back.

"I was doing well, infiltrating the Thek'Shar high command... but the Crimson Nebula got there before me."

Nyx pauses—and the entire crew of the Safira tenses up, confused, curious.

"They knew about me too!" Clara exclaims, furious. "How the hell—"

She stops.

People exchange glances, all realizing the same thing.

...

"We'll deal with that later—right now, we need to get you the hell out of there!" Clara quickly refocuses.

"Did you get it?" Nyx asks, intrigued.

"Do you even doubt me?" Clara's voice is full of pride and confidence.

"Nice!" Nyx cheers.

"Focus, Nyx, focus!" Clara urges, then glances at Jex. "We're coming to pick you up before the Thek'Shar do."

"No."

Diego's cold voice cuts through the conversation.

"The fuck??" Clara whirls toward him, furious.

Diego points at the screen. "Are you seeing the same thing I am???"

Before Clara can respond, he continues. "The Safira barely survived a fight against one of those giant worms, and you want us to fly straight into a whole army of them?"

As soon as Diego speaks, many crew members side with him.

"This is madness! It would be pure stupidity."

"That's suicide..."

"You'd be taking us all to certain death."

"We can't do it..."

Some disagree, but they understand the fear their comrades feel.

Clara, on the other hand, flips them off.

"You cowardly shit-eaters!!!" She spits on the floor.

"How many times has Nyx saved your asses??"

"Not only has she saved every single one of you in battle—she's also patched up your wounds after!"

"This damn crew won't last long without her."

Despite her harsh words, Clara stirs something in their hearts.

The crew members exchange glances, remembering all the times the terrifying but loyal Doctor Nyx had saved them. They owe her. They're grateful.

But...

Fear still clouds their eyes.

They don't want to fly into a swarm of giant sandworms—not even for a crewmate.

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Diego holds his stern expression toward Clara. "You see? This is exactly why we have that rule: if a crew member puts the rest of us in danger, we leave them behind."

"You can't ask us to break that rule, right Nyx?" Diego speaks louder so Nyx can hear over the open channel.

"I understand." Nyx's calm voice responds.

Clara grits her teeth.

"FUCK that stupid rule!"

Impatience grows in Diego's eyes while the white-haired man watches everything in silence, ready to act if anyone threatens Clara directly.

As the tension builds, Matteo quickly steps closer to Diego, using a calm and respectful tone.

"Captain... we're talking about Nyx, one of the most valuable members of our crew."

Diego shakes his head. "No, Matteo—"

"There's another way." Matteo interrupts. "Instead of flying straight to Nyx, why don't we just give her a few minutes to get here?"

When the old man suggests that, several crew members exchange glances, their eyes sparking with new hope. Diego sighs in frustration but continues listening.

"Jex can keep the Safira ready to take off at the first sign of danger. We just need to give Nyx a chance."

Matteo points at the image of Nyx on the screen. "Look, she's about a mile ahead of the creatures. She might be able to widen the gap just enough to make it."

Diego strokes his chin, lost in thought, making the entire crew uneasy as they wait for his order.

Clara doesn't wait. "You owe her that, damn it! How many times has she saved you and your stupid brother?? You won't even give her a few minutes?!"

"For fuck's sake, Clara!" Diego snaps, pointing a hostile finger at her. "Do you ever stop complaining? No one does more for this crew than I do!"

"Ah!" He sighs, glancing back at the screen. "Alright, Nyx. I'll give you a few minutes. That's all I can do without putting everyone else at risk."

"Understood, Captain." Nyx responds immediately.

Her voice remains as calm as ever, but Clara notices something—a faint sadness in her tone.

"Can you make it here in time, Nyx?" Clara asks, concern in her voice.

"I don't think so." Nyx replies, still calm, but now with a touch of melancholy.

"What's the problem?" Diego asks first.

"These things are fast as hell, so I've been pushing my hoverbike to the limit for hours... burning through twice the usual fuel."

"I've been running on reserves for a while now—I don't think I'll last a few more miles."

Hearing that, the hope in the crew's eyes fades again.

The creatures are closing in fast—less than eight miles away. Every second counts.

"JEX!!!"

Two voices shout at the same time.

On one side, Diego, the captain of the Safira, loved by some, respected by others.

On the other, Clara, a key crew member and loved companion.

"Fuck you!" She curses at Diego. "I'm going after her!!"

Diego is furious with Clara—but since she's about to rush alone toward an army of giant monsters, he's not going to stop her.

"You've got three minutes." He says quickly.

Clara clenches her fists but ignores her anger, sprinting toward the corridor. "DON'T LEAVE THIS DAMN PLANET WITHOUT US, JEX!"

Before Jex can respond, Diego cuts in. "She follows my orders!"

Clara ignores Diego and keeps moving.

As she passes the white-haired man, their eyes meet—and he immediately follows her.

In seconds, they cross the main corridor and descend the elevator into the hangar.

Clara doesn't have time to think. She jumps onto the nearest hoverbike, all while using her earpiece to speak to Jex.

"Turn the ship and open the rear gate for me, Jex!!"

"Right now!"

As Clara mounts the hoverbike, she feels the white-haired man step beside her—but she raises a hand, stopping him from getting on behind her.

"Only two seats, big guy." Her voice is rushed, but her eyes hold deep affection as she glances at him. "Wait for me here, I'll be back fast."

She nods.

He nods.

He doesn't need to understand her words to trust her.

The rear hangar gate opens, revealing the storm of sand and death ahead.

The ship is now facing the battlefield—Nyx is about seven miles away, with an army of Thek'Shar warriors riding monstrous sandworms close behind her.

The thundering sound of the giants tunneling beneath the ground fills the air, sending clouds of sand sky-high.

Clara doesn't hesitate.

She grabs the protective mask hanging from the hoverbike's handlebar, pulls it over her face, fires up the engine, and slams the accelerator.

She rockets toward the storm.

The white-haired man watches as Clara disappears into the distance, his gaze filled with admiration, excitement, and pride.

Clara feels her heart pounding faster. She's afraid—she wishes the mysterious man who makes her feel so safe and confident were with her right now.

But she focuses on the mission, pushing the hoverbike to its limit, slicing through the sandstorm with determination.

"Nyx, are you there??" she calls through the communicator.

"Clara!" Nyx's voice, once calm and cold, now sounds emotional.

"I'm out of fuel... I'm sorry..."

"I see you!!" Clara shouts. "Get ready to jump!!"

Clara closes in on the massive sandworms, entering the densest part of the storm.

Aboard the Safira, the crew watches Clara vanish into the sandstorm on the large screen in the bridge, their anxiety rising.

In the hangar, Matteo and other crew members gather beside the white-haired man, watching the same intense scene unfold on a small tablet.

At that moment, everyone wonders what's happening inside that massive, raging storm.

Then—

"FUCK YEAH!!!"

With a victorious shout, Clara bursts out of the sandstorm on her hoverbike—with Nyx.

On the bridge, Diego remains serious, while the rest of the crew cheers for the girls' escape.

In the hangar, their friends celebrate loudly, and a spark of relief shines in the white-haired man's eyes.

But it's not over yet.

Clara and Nyx have lost some of their lead during the rescue—now, the monsters are less than half a mile away, and only two miles separate them from the Safira.

From above the stone saddles, the large humanoid figures with orange-red cracked skin begin preparing to attack.

"They're going to make it..." Jex whispers, almost like a prayer.

"They won't make it!" Diego exclaims negatively.

"Jex! Get us out of here before those monsters take the Safira down for good." He commands.

"But, Captain—"

"No, Jex! Do you want to die for them??"

Jex hesitates. She's afraid of the monsters, but she won't abandon her loyal friends.

Diego sees her hesitation and shoves Jex away from the pilot's seat.

"I'll do it myself! You can take over once we're in space."

Jex can't fight back—she's pushed aside as Diego grabs the controls of the Safira and begins liftoff.

"Echo, prepare thrusters!" Diego orders the AI assistant.

But at the same time, Jex's eyes glow with determination and defiance.

"DON'T DO IT, ECHO! WAIT FOR CLARA!!"

"What are you doing?!?" Diego shoots a furious glare at Jex.

But she ignores him, and he turns to the AI again. "You have to listen to me, Echo! I'm the captain of this ship!!"

"My directives prioritize obeying the highest-ranking officer present." The AI's voice remains robotic.

"Echo..." Jex's eyes narrow, pleading.

"My directives—"

"Shut up and just do what I said!!" Diego yells.

He slams buttons on the panel frantically, but nothing happens. "Release the thrusters already, damn AI!!!"

"Look!" Jex points at the screen. "They're less than a mile away—just a little longer..."

"So are the monsters!!!" Diego presses a red button, disabling Echo's functionality. "Fuck this shit!!"

He slams another button, and suddenly the entire ship vibrates as the main engines roar to life.

Then he grips the large acceleration lever and pushes it forward.

TREMBLE

The Safira shakes violently, throwing people off balance—they stumble, grabbing onto whatever they can to avoid falling.

"The ship is still damaged! You need to go slower, or you'll kill us all!!" Jex shouts.

"I know what I'm doing!!" Diego grits his teeth, forcing the Safira to ascend as fast as possible.

But because of the previous battle with the sandworm, the ship is critically damaged—operating at only half its usual capacity.

Due to the delay in the main thrusters activating, Diego also pushes the ship forward, putting distance between them and the approaching horde of monsters—and the girls.

"No! No!! No!!" Clara watches in horror as the Safira pulls away—just when they're only a few dozen meters away from reaching it.

She can see the white-haired man standing at the rear hangar, the cargo bay door lowered like a ramp. The rest of the crew struggles to keep their balance, thrown around by the instability of the ship.

"JEX!! We're so close—just one more second!!" Clara begs through the communicator.

"I can't do anything—it's the captain!!"

"SHIT!!!" Clara curses, pushing the hoverbike to its maximum speed, but the Safira is climbing too fast.

They're less than 100 meters away, but they can't reach it—and the creatures are now less than 500 meters behind them.

Clara knows that if the Safira ascends just a little more, the hoverbike won't be able to keep up.

This is their last chance.

In that moment, her gaze locks with the mysterious white-haired man.

He ignores the ship's instability, standing firm at the edge of the hangar ramp. One hand gripping the side of the door, the other out in front of him—almost like he's ready to extend it and catch Clara in mid-air.

But there's still 100 meters between them, and neither of them can do anything.

"The capture claw!!" Nyx suddenly shouts in Clara's ear.

Clara doesn't think twice—she presses a button on the hoverbike's panel, and a metal claw shoots out from the front of the vehicle, attached to a steel cable.

The tool is designed to capture small creatures or even people, but right now, it's their only chance for survival.

BAM

The claw latches onto the edge of the hangar's door, snapping shut in a firm grip—but without a solid anchor, it immediately starts slipping.

"SHIT—" Clara almost curses her bad luck, but—

Whoosh!

Lightning-fast, the white-haired man sees the claw sliding loose—and throws himself to the side on the hangar ramp, grabbing onto the steel cable.

"Damn!" Nyx exclaims, just as shocked.

The Safira continues its rapid ascent into the sky, and Diego activates the hangar door closure to stabilize the ship.

The ramp begins to rise, the hangar doors closing, while the white-haired man grips the edge of the hangar with one hand—holding onto the steel cable with the other, keeping Clara and Nyx from falling.

The combined weight of the two women and the hoverbike is nearly half a ton—an impossible feat for any ordinary human.

But it doesn't seem to affect him at all.

The real problem? Both of his hands are occupied, and his position is terrible.

Matteo, still recovering from being thrown to the floor by the ship's abrupt takeoff, sees the situation—his eyes widening in shock.

"HOLD ON!!!"

The good old man rushes to the hangar's control panel and starts hitting the open button, fighting against the bridge's override commands.

The hangar door stops, then starts closing again, then stops once more—caught in a repeating struggle.

On the hoverbike, Clara desperately tries to climb the steel cable.

"We have to get up!!"

But it's nearly impossible with the ship moving so violently.

With no time to think, the white-haired man makes a decision.

He only cares about saving Clara—the woman who freed him.

So he tightens his grip—pulling with all his strength.

SHOOOSH

He yanks the steel cable—flinging the hoverbike forward.

Clara and Nyx are launched toward the hangar—shooting inside just as the doors are about to close.

THUD

The hoverbike crashes against the wall, sending Clara and Nyx tumbling across the floor.

But in perfect synchronization, they spring up immediately and grab the steel cable together—hauling the mysterious man in behind them.

BAM

He flies through the hangar doors at the last second—completely out of control—and collides with the girls.

The three of them roll across the floor in a chaotic tangle.

"DAMN!!"

"YEAHH!!"

"Hahahaha~"

Clara and Nyx burst into laughter, relieved.

But he doesn't laugh.

He doesn't say anything.

He doesn't move.

Because—

His face is buried deep between two divine mounds.

Something soft is resting against his chest.

Something even softer is pressing into his waist.

That feels really good.