Space is black. Or rather, space is nothingness which we perceive as black. For all the massive power behind the light of a star, there is simply too much vastness to bring color to all the universe. They are but a match trying to light an empty chasm of eternal night.

  There is darkness, and then there is whatever the fuck that thing is. The color Black itself would call that too black. It’s so dark it doesn’t feel like it belongs in this reality. A little window into a realm where light is but a legend. It brings a chill down my spine in a way I can’t fully comprehend.

  “What do our scanners say?”

  “A-aproximate size is one hundred and fifty thousand kilometers across. I can’t get anything else.

  “Biiio scanners cannooot penetraaate the suuurface.”

  “Joan listens. There is sounds. It is… wrong. Chillings to Joan.”

  This is going nowhere fast. Why weren’t we told about this beforehand?

  “Send a probe. We should at least take a look inside.”

  A small unmanned probe is launched. Flying closer to this new unknown where we dare not yet tread.

  “Inanna, please tell me there is something in the files about there being a cauldron of dark magic in this sector.”

  “No Captain. I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

  The probe reaches this Dark Nebula. From the feed I can see its approach. The screen being consumed with so much darkness I would have thought it was off. Contact is made. And…

  “Captain, we have lost contact with the probe. All communication stopped the moment it crossed the border.

  That is exceptionally not good.

  “Deed, mind checking all Union files to see if we missed something?”

  “Searching: No information about an anomaly such as this exists in Galactic Union files. We Diegiton have no info as well.”

  “Well, did you check the restricted files?”

  “Interjection: To do so would go against my oath to not directly harm the Galactic Union.”

  “Save the negotiation talk when we aren't staring at the pupil of God. I’m giving you full access. Just please find something because it’s freaking me out.”

  “Searching: One relevant file found. I do not have access to this information even with your clearance.”

  “Then hack into it. I know you can.”

  “Affirmation: Hacking into files. I-”

  Deed’s head twitches. His limbs start jutting out in all directions. The carefully crafted LED face shifts through a hundred pained looks in half a second. Then he starts to tip over.

  CLANK

  “DEED!”

  Alcea rips off a panel to his chest circuits. Smoke starts to bellow from a small fire in his motherboard.

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  “What in the fuck just happened?’

  “A death protocol.”

  “Inanna, what?”

  “Only the most restricted of information in all the Galactic Union have one. Seems even the Diegiton can’t beat it.”

  I see the machine that hacked every system in my ship like he was smashing a cracker beneath his metal feet, now a smoldering wreck across the floor. All from just trying to read a single file.

  “What in the Space Hell have we gotten ourselves into?”

  “Everyone.” Fairy is pointing out to the darkness. “Is it me, or is it getting closer?”

  I stare at the abyss as the abyss stares back. It really is coming closer.

  “Vivvian, full reverse. I would rather not find out what's in there.”

  Vivvian hits the gas and brings us up to full throttle. The Dark Nebula is still growing larger.

  “Vivvian, maybe step on it a bit.”

  “Run as fast as you wish, the wind is always faster.”

  “Well we can run a little bit faster than wind so hop to it. Now.”

  I watch my Helmsman pull the speed lever from fast to get the fuck out of here. Still, the Nebula is only getting closer.

  “Raze, fire weapons.”

  “Which ones?”

  “All of them!”

  “With pleasure.”

  Beams, missiles, plasma cannons, rail accelerators, some kind of net looking thing I don’t even know the name of. Everything we have that can be fired does. They enter the darkness. Nothing comes out.

  “Screw this. Hyperspace jump. I don’t care where as long as it isn’t here!”

  What stars can be seen stretch as we accelerate beyond the natural speed of the universe. And still it follows.

  “What in the fuck is that thing?!”

  No matter what that darkness creeps closer. Got to think of something and fast.

  “Vivvian, we have to make a hard stop. We’ve got hundreds of lightyears mapped out in every direction. Find a safe spot and bring us to normal space as quickly and safely as possible.”

  Vivvian halts our speed faster than I expected. The Hyperspace dampers stop before the momentum dampeners fully kick in. Feels like my gut is doing somersaults. Good thing I didn’t finish that meatloaf. An object travelling at Hyperspeed will pass through anything that might get in its way. Including other hyperspeed objects. Only when you return to normal space can two things interact again. Whatever that Dark Nebula was, it passed us entirely. It will be ten million kilometers away before it realizes we aren’t in front of it anymore. By the time it doubles back we will be gone.

  “Random jump. I want three in different directions. Make us untraceable.”

  We jump and stop, then jump again. Vivvian takes the extra effort to go six times. Can’t blame her. I can tell she’s doing her best to hold it together. Tracking through Hyperspace is an extremely advanced technique. The kind of thing most will never see in their entire lifetimes. Even in our line of work that alone would be terrifying.

  “Alright, we should be far enough. Joan, I want a message to the nearest outpost as soon as possible. Alcea, is Deed still alive or do I have to stop another war with the Diegitons?”

  “H-his repair systems are working overtime. He should be… be…”

  “I know, I know. Just let his body do what it does best. Now, back to the actual problem at hand. What in all the Space Hells was that about?”

  We all speak at once. Theories and conjecture based on nothing are tossed all round. Except for Raze. He’s got a real serious look in his eyes.

  “Raze, what do you know?”

  “I know nothing. But… there is this legend. The oldest that exists in Rackter history. It’s… it’s stupid.”

  “Stupid is smarter than what we are working with. Go on.”

  “Legend goes that at the dawn of time, there was a great war in the stars. One that burned away our seas and turned our grassy fields into molten fire. A war between divine beings of light, and a nebula of utter darkness. Some amongst us have said those beings of light could be the Seraph. Or possibly the Cosmos. The Dark Nebula was thought to be more of a metaphor. I don’t believe in the old myths. But that…”

  Myths sometimes tell more truth than anyone would like to admit. A war between beings of light and a Dark Nebula. Why is it always me?

  “Warning:” Deed shoots up from the ground, his systems just barely functional enough for him to regain consciousness. “Hostile incoming! Must evacuate sector!”

  “It’s ok Deed. We already got away.”

  “Rejection: No we have not. Hostile incoming!”

  Darkness appears once more. It followed us. Landing out of Hyperspace less than a thousand kilometers away. Its mass is coming closer every second. I have no more orders to give. No more clever off the fly plans to fail. No words to waste air pointlessly. All I can do is watch as the darkness engulfs us.