[The starship is approaching the pre-set coordinates. We will exit warp drive soon. The passcode signal will be activated shortly.]
"Good." Erin was relieved that things were going smoothly.
Erin knew that his starship would gather attention the moment it left warp drive. Based on what Winslow told him earlier, the Ursidae Tribe had many guard-ships stationed at every entrance of their spatial channel.
These channels were very useful because they accelerated the speed of the starships that traveled through them. The exterior of these channels also acted like a natural barrier. Even netherstorms couldn't damage these channels!
Beastman tribes treated these channels like valuable territory and frequently fought over them. The one they were going to has been owned by the Ursidae Tribe for tens of centuries.
[The passcode signal has been activated. We will be exiting warp drive in the next ten seconds.]
The moment the starship exited warp drive, Erin saw an astonishing sight. There was a gigantic tube-shaped channel that stretched though this space like an endless rope! It was covered in radiant white swirls. The interior of this channel couldn't be seen at all.
'Are these channels exclusive to this universe?' Was a thought that crossed Erin's mind. He couldn't recall anything similar in his own universe.
Near this channel, there were over thirty medium-sized battleships in a triangle formation! These were the guard-ships that Winslow mentioned earlier. They were all in front of an open-hole which allowed entry into this huge channel. This hole looked like it could fit a couple carrier-class starships side-by-side.
Erin saw that half of these battleships had their weapons pointed at his starship. The only reason why they didn't fire was because of the passcode signal that was being emitted.
[A communication signal is being sent by the opposing forces. Accept?]
"Call Winslow to the command center immediately. Tell him it is urgent!"
Erin didn't immediately accept the request for communication. Even though he could speak their language, first-impressions were important too. Any mishap might lead to problems. Erin didn't want that.
[Understood. Transmitting orders to Winslow now.]
After a couple minutes passed, Winslow finally made it to the starship's control center. Beads of sweat were dripping from his face.
Because the communication channel didn't open yet, all of the Ursidae battleships were now pointing their on-board weapons at Erin's starship. Fortunately, Erin didn't deny the request either. If he did, it could send the wrong message.
"As you can see, your tribe's guard-ships have their weapons pointed at us right now. They've requested a communication channel that I will be opening now." Erin got straight to the point.
"I understand. Thank you for your patience." Winslow bowed his head at Erin and walked next to his seat.
"Great. AI, accept the communication request." Erin ordered.
[Understood. Responding to the singal now.]
[Signal has been accepted. Active video transmissions are now being sent and received.]
A large video screen popped up in the front-center of the command center.
Erin saw a beastman in a Command Officer's uniform on the other side of this wide video feed. He appeared to be inside his starship's command center. Erin could see many other beastmen officers in the background. Winslow recognized the main figure on this screen and let out a sigh of relief.
"Goodness. It took you far too long to accept our communications. All of my men are tense now. I was on the verge of sending out some warning shots too." The beastman commander had a rough voice. His tone was slightly passive-aggressive.
Although his eyes were squinted with frustration, they quickly changed into becoming wide open. The person sitting on the other side of this transmission wasn't a beastman. It was a human?!
He was speechless. Although humans were very rare in the Beastman Universe, they still existed. It's just that most of them were merchants that arrived via the Elfen Universe. The Ursidae Tribe controls the territory that borders the Terren Universe. The Planetoids don't take kindly to foreign races. So from his perspective, this human probably crossed most of the Beastman Universe to get here.
Even though he was shocked, when he saw Winslow standing next to Erin, the beastman raised his eyebrows pleasantly.
"Brother Winslow! What are you doing here?" The beastman commander was very confused.
"Greetings, Brother Warrick. You look as strong as ever." Winslow was glad to see his friend doing well. "Unfortunately, my planet faced destruction by the hands of Planetoid starships. This young Dragon Rider saved us. Otherwise, I wouldn't be seeing you here today."
Winslow's words continued to shock Warrick. Concern flooded Warrick's eyes. It seems like he knew something that Winslow wasn't aware about.
The term 'Dragon Rider' attracted Warrick's attention the most. Many people welcomed them because of their power and high-morale standing. This was a figure that even the main tribe's Chieftains would want to befriend! Warrick secretly glanced around the wide video feed and saw a small dragon hatchling sleeping on a nearby chair.
He was secretly impressed by Winslow's mix of misfortune and fortune. Losing his planet but gaining a powerful friend was something very bittersweet.
"I understand. It has been tough on your Brother Winslow." Warrick sighed. Even though he confirmed that this human was a Dragon Rider, he hid these emotions deep inside of his heart.
"My deepest thanks to you for saving Winslow and his lineage." Warrick glanced at Erin and bowed. The beastmen in Warrick's command center were stunned hearing their commander's polite tone and seeing him bow.
If the figure on the other side was someone that the Commander respected, why were they pointing their weapons at them?! The passcode signal being released by their target was valid too. The only reason why their weapons were pointed was because Erin's starship had no insignia to identify them with.
Since this unknown starship was personally identified by the Commander, all the surrounding officers quickly relayed orders to withdraw their weapons. They even started opening a path for Erin's starship.
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much. As you are aware, military rules in our tribe are strict." Warrick sighed. He was under orders not to leak any information at all; even to fellow clan members. Warrick was making his stance clear in front of his subordinates on purpose. This would prevent any unsavory rumors.
Winslow was understanding. "It is alright Brother Warrick, I dare not put more pressure on you."
The two of them knew each other well. These words were merely formalities to reassure others.
"My thanks. Needless to say, I do agree that it would be best for you and your surviving clansmen to head deeper into the tribe's territory. Have your friend's starship stop next to mine. We'll attach a tribal insignia to his starship."
"As of recent days, the security around all the homeplanets have increased significantly. Even merchants cannot enter normally anymore." Warrick cleared up the things that he could explain.
"The nearest one is the outer-homeplanet controlled by the Morack family. I'm sure you're aware of this since your branch's main city is on this planet."
"Of course, that is our destination. Thank you for your assistance." Winslow responded.
Erin accepted Warrick's offer quickly and nodded gratefully. The insignia is one of the things he very much wanted.
"AI, head next to the starship emitting this communication signal."
Since there were no obstacles nor weapons being pointed, Erin's starship quickly approached Warrick's battleship.
When it paused, a few smaller starships flew out of Warrick's battleship. They were carrying two very large circular stone tablets. There was a beautiful golden bear's face carved onto the front of these tablet's. The backgrounds behind these faces were made of pure silver too.
Erin ordered his AI to release the shields of the two areas that the small starships were approaching. The small starships placed these circular stone tablets towards the upper-center portion of the starship's giant hull. The tablets connected to the hull like extremely strong magnets.
Once this process was done, the small starships quickly returned to Warrick's battleship.
"It is done. You may enter the spatial channel safely now. When you arrive, the guardships shouldn't give you much trouble." Warrick said as he glanced at Winslow and Erin.
"Thank you Brother Warrick." Winslow bowed with gratitude. "May we see each other under better circumstances next time."
"I truly appreciate your help." Erin thanked Warrick as well.
Warrick smiled. There were a lot of hidden emotions in this smile.
'I might not be able to see you again, Brother Winslow.' This was a thought he never vocalized. 'I hope that the Dragon Rider friend of yours can help elevate your status. There is far too much turmoil inside the tribe right now. The insignias should prove very useful for the two of you.'
"Then, I shall bid you all farewell. Safe travels, my friends." Warrick ended the communication channel with these words. In the video-feeds background, a lot of officers were in a daze.
They never expected Warrick to attach such important insignias to Erin's starship! Even as a Commander, this was completely overstepping his bounds. Erin and Winslow didn't notice these reactions because their attention was focused on Warrick.
The only reason why none of the subordinate officers did anything was because Warrick's personal background was simply too high! Even though he didn't have the military authority to give those insignias, he definitely had the personal authority.
Very satisfied by how everything played out, Erin ordered the AI to pilot the starship into the spatial channel's entrance.
"That Warrick fellow was too accommodating. What is your relationship with him?" Erin was no fool. He could tell that Warrick gave them special treatment because of Winslow.
"We used to be comrades-in-arms." Winslow was somber as he thought about the past. The memories dated over a century ago.
"I didn't realize he was stationed nearby. Our military is strict and communication outside the ranks are very limited. Otherwise we would have kept in touch." Winslow sighed. It would have been nice to meet Warrick under different circumstances.
"I see. I'm glad that you both still care about each other." Erin's words were genuine. Their relationship saved him a lot of hassle.
After a little more small talk, Winslow thanked Erin for his continued assistance and returned to the dormitories.
After Winslow left the command center, the AI automatically changed his access-privileges. The only reason Winslow was able to enter here was because of Erin's invitation. Now that he left, Winslow couldn't even get near this command center unless Erin allowed it.
Erin's eyes sharpened.
"AI, scan the objects that were attached to our ship's hull. Check for everything."
[Understood. Scanning..]
[No harmful elements detected. No tracking devices detected. These objects are incapable of sending out any transmission.]
[The surface of the circular tablets have a unique code ingrained. It appears to be made of highly reflective materials. Basic radars can easily detect this code.]
"Can you determine the intentions of this?"
[The AI has estimated a 93% chance that the code is for authentication purposes.]
"As for the other 7%?"
[Unknown. No relevant data to reference.]
"I see."
"Since we need them, just continue to monitor them. We were fortunate to get insignias this time. Let me know immediately if anything unusual occurs."
Erin wasn't stupid enough to let strangers attach objects to his starship and not check them.
[Understood. The external objects will be under constant surveillance.]
As Erin finished his conversation with the AI, the starship finally entered the spatial channel.
Unlike the exterior, which was covered in radiant white swirls, the interior actually looked like ordinary space! There was a translucent barrier that marked the edges of this space channel.
'One-way mirror effect?' Erin was very intrigued by this. People outside couldn't see inside the space channel. Yet the starships inside could clearly see everything around them!
Before Erin could admire this sight even more, the starship started naturally floating in a specific direction.
[Notice. This channel appears to be full of energy waves. The direction of these waves match the direction of the downloaded star route. There are no harmful elements detected in them. Estimated time till arrival is two weeks with warp drive activated. ]
[Warp drive is possible. The consistency of these energy waves allows a natural direction for the warp to follow. Would you like to enter warp?]
"Remarkable." Erin understood that these energy waves were probably what made travel in these channels fast.
"Activate it now. It's going to take us some time to get there." Erin ordered.
The AI had the starship enter warp-drive shortly thereafter.
As the days passed, the beastmen refugees in Erin's starship started to finally relax. A vast majority of them were increasingly grateful to Erin and were very cautious not to cause any problems on his starship. Even those with a yellow, neutral aura were mindful not to create any issues.
However, those with a red aura started spouting out a lot of nonsensical rumors that Erin did not take kindly to. There were conspiracy rumors that claimed Erin was partially responsible for their planet's destruction. There were even rumors downplaying the honor of a Dragon Rider.
Winslow was very quick to squash these rumors before they spread out.
One week and two days passed quickly. There were only five more days till they arrived at the outer-homeplanet.
Erin and Winslow were having a conversation while seated in one of the starship's cafeterias. Erin ordered the AI to only allow Winslow into this specific cafeteria. Thus, it was virtually empty. The two of them were currently having lunch while talking.
"Honored one, my apologies for the troubles."
Even though Winslow knew Erin's name, he dared not be impolite with him. He would only respectfully address Erin during their conversations.
"The ones creating rumors are blind if they think I can't find them. I've already narrowed it down to a select few people. They are also outrageous enough to lie about receiving smaller food rations, poorer quality supplies, and lesser allotted time in the basic facilities. Many of my people are disassociating from this group of trouble-makers."
'Oh, they probably aren't lying.' Erin thought to himself. He could guess that this small group were most likely all beastmen with red auras. Since the hatchling marked them accordingly, the AI was treating them with the heaviest restrictions. This was originally Erin's orders.
"Relax Winslow. I am not petty enough to be driven by baseless rumors." Erin said. Contrary to these words, Erin already had an idea of how to deal with them.
'If they have ill-intent, I can't simply leave them on my starship scott-free. Being kind to potential enemies was being merciless to oneself.' Erin was going to implement his idea before the starship arrived at the planet.
"If they are so concerned, I'll have my AI prepare good rations for them tomorrow. Even if they're troublemakers, these are still your people. Just tell them that you personally requested extra rations yourself."
"I don't want anyone to misunderstand, so only distribute these extra rations to them. If anyone else wants extra rations, don't give the ones already distributed. Come talk to me again and i'll prepare more. I want to make it clear that I truly care." Erin sounded sincere as he finished his food. Their conversation ended and Winslow thanked Erin before leaving.
What he didn't tell Winslow was that he planned on spiking all of these rations with special nanochips. These are the same nanochips that are usually put inside food given to prisoners.
Erin had quite a lot of these nanochips. They were incredibly tiny things that couldn't even be seen by the naked eye. Large military grade starships have their own prisons, so when Erin asked Pearson to buy supplies previously, Pearson included many containers of these special nanochips. These were only a small part of the supplies Erin bought in bulk.
When those ill-intent beastmen leave his starship later, so long as they were on the same planet, the AI would still be able to track them through these nanochips. Because of their unique functions, Erin planned on having the AI program these nanochips. They would have the option to detonate when triggered. This program would be active at all times; even if the affected beastmen left the starship's range.
The main trigger was hostility. If the beastmen reached a certain threshold of hostility against Erin, it would trigger the nanochip's program. This granted Erin some peace of mind.