Thiefs in stars

Rule one of robbing gods: don’t get caught. Simple, right? Kael Virek kept whispering that to himself, upside down in the pitch-black guts of the vault. His boots stuck magnetically to some skinny beam above, hands lowering him inch by inch toward the jackpot. Down below, floating like some forbidden fruit in a cage of light, was the relic a chunk of crystal, palm-sized, throbbing like it had its own pulse. The God Core. The big one. The kind of score that’d make every bounty hunter in the sector foam at the mouth. Kael grinned, all teeth in the shadows. Worth more than every Dominion warship put together. Worth enough to get him killed in at least ten different creative ways. Hell, worth the price on his head again, and again, and again. His wrist-com buzzed quietly. Kael, came Jessa’s rasp, all nerves. She was his pilot, but honestly, she was more like his designated worrier. Sensors are spiking. Patrol routes are tighter than you said. I’ve got a bad feeling. You always have a bad feeling, Kael shot back, lowering himself another notch, sweat trickling even though the air was colder than a grave. Relax. I’m tiptoeing through a ghost town. This isn’t a ghost town, it’s the damn Oblivion Spire, Jessa hissed. And you know how half the stories about this place end? With people screaming. He snorted. Stories are just stories, Jess. Propaganda, mostly. Not that the silence around him did much to comfort. The Spire was basically a black hole for thieves. Dead empires built it. No one even remembered who. The Core pulsed again. For a second, Kael swore it was calling him. Like, come on, touch me, I dare you. He popped the extractor clamp out, hands steady as he guided it to the cylinder. Blue sparks flickered where the fields bit at the metal. One wrong twitch and it’s game over. Almost got it… The clamp closed. The relic jerked. The vault did not approve. Everything went nuclear lights everywhere, alarms screaming. Kael swore, boots losing grip, his body flailing as the cylinder exploded and the Core rocketed up like it was making a break for it. Oh, come on! Kael lunged, somehow snagging it against his chest. It was hot like, burn-your-bones hot beating against him, a second heart pounding. KAEL! Jessa’s voice had gone into full panic mode. The whole Spire’s awake! Yeah, no kidding. He could hear stuff grinding, ancient machines coming alive, walls humming like they were about to eat him. Then bam a spotlight hit, pinning him in place. He clutched the Core tighter. Yeah. Easy job, my ass. The floor split. Drones floated up, black and shiny with way too many blades. Their eyes? Murder red. Thief detected, some ancient metal voice boomed. Termination authorized. Kael didn’t bother with a comeback. He chucked a smoke bomb into the swarm, the room dissolving into chaos sirens, drones screeching, laser beams everywhere. He ran for it jumping off beams, bouncing off walls, adrenaline on overdrive. The Core thumped in his arms, like it wanted him to run faster. He bolted through a collapsing door, spiraled down stairs, and dashed across a glass bridge that cracked underfoot. He could barely breathe. I see you, Jessa barked in his ear. Dock’s three levels up. But Don’t say it. They’ve launched interceptors. He actually laughed. It was way too quiet, huh? Another hallway, more drones. Kael slammed his palm to a charge he’d left on the way in boom, the wall blew, fire and metal everywhere. The blast flung him forward. He staggered, coughing, still clutching the Core. Finally, the docking bay. Doors buckling, drones right behind. His ship the Starbreaker hovered with the ramp open, looking like salvation. Kael jumped. Behind him, the vault’s voice roared, pissed off one last time. The Thief of Stars is marked. The Core will not forgive. A blinding beam scorched the deck. Kael crashed onto the ramp, rolling inside as Jessa slammed the hatch. The ship jerked, engines roaring, tearing away as the Spire tried to drag them back. Flat on the floor, chest heaving, Core burning a hole through him, Kael just started laughing. That wild, holy-crap-I’m-alive kind of laugh. He gasped. That was gorgeous. Jessa whirled, eyes shooting daggers. Gorgeous? You nearly got us vaporized! Do you even know what that thing is? Kael looked down at the relic, its light flickering, almost like it was breathing. Nope, he said. But I’m about to find out. Outside, the Spire’s shadow stretched, Dominion interceptors blazing after them. Let the chase begin.