Awakening

I woke to a bone-chilling cold, the kind that clawed its way into my very core.

It was dark. Silent.

And freezing.

"Where… am I?"

My breath came out in shallow puffs as I opened my eyes. Stars. Endless, glittering stars stretched before me, framed by the faint glow of a nearby nebula. It wasn't just beautiful—it was overwhelming. A vast asteroid field loomed close enough to touch, its jagged debris floating in eerie silence.

"What the hell…?"

The asteroids—so sharp and detailed they didn't look real—seemed like something out of a VR game. No, scratch that. They were something out of a game. There was nowhere on Earth where you could see something like this up close, not even in the most advanced simulations.

I tried to move, but something restrained me. A harness was strapped tightly across my chest, pinning me to a seat.

Wait.

I glanced down at the control panels surrounding me, faintly glowing in the dim cockpit. It was a setup I knew all too well. My breath caught in my throat.

"This is… no way…"

The cockpit wasn't just familiar—it was mine. I was sitting in the pilot's chair of the Erebus Veil.

The custom starship I'd spent years perfecting in Blood in the Stars, the VRMMORPG I had poured countless hours into. The game where everything was possible—creating sprawling black markets, running smuggling rings, or even infiltrating NPC factions to rise through their ranks. Some players built empires of crime, while others turned entire planets into industrial powerhouses. Me? I was a mercenary, a lone wolf taking the jobs no one else wanted.

And my pride and joy, the Erebus Veil, was the ultimate tool for survival.

It was a hybrid ship—a sleek, deadly combination of a predator's speed and a warship's firepower. Designed for hit-and-run combat, the Erebus Veil could outmaneuver most military vessels and destroy them before they even had a chance to react. Its official designation was the RX-77 Erebus Veil, but I just called it "the Veil."

"Is this… real?"

My hands hovered over the controls, shaking. I tapped one of the holographic panels, and the ship's systems flickered to life. A faint hum filled the cockpit as the life support kicked in, blowing warm air into the freezing chamber.

"Okay… stay calm. Just figure this out."

I glanced at the environmental readout. Oxygen levels were low—dangerously low—but climbing. The internal temperature was still subzero, and I could feel it in the way my fingers ached.

If I'd stayed unconscious for a few minutes longer, I would've suffocated or frozen to death.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to think. No matter how real this felt, there had to be an explanation. Maybe it was a dream—a vivid, lucid dream. That would explain everything, right?

"Yeah… just a dream," I muttered, pinching my arm hard. The sharp sting didn't wake me.

A flicker of unease crept up my spine.

I tapped the throttle, and the Erebus Veil responded immediately. The ship glided forward, smooth and effortless, the stars outside shifting as I adjusted the controls.

It wasn't like the keyboard and mouse I used in Blood in the Stars, but my muscle memory adapted quickly. The ship responded perfectly to my commands, and for a moment, I almost forgot to be terrified.

"If this is a dream, I might as well test the weapons."

I activated the armament systems, and the Veil revealed its teeth. Two plasma lances extended from the wings, glowing faintly. Beneath the cockpit, canister-shot cannons emerged, their barrels ready to fire. The ship hummed with barely-contained energy, like a predator waiting to pounce.

I targeted a nearby asteroid, locked on, and pulled the trigger.

The plasma lances fired first, spearing the asteroid with brilliant blue beams. Fragments shattered and scattered in all directions, slamming into the Veil's shields. The cannons followed, unleashing devastating explosive rounds that reduced the remaining debris to glowing dust.

"Whoa!"

The sheer force of the weapons took me by surprise. In the game, the Erebus Veil was powerful, but feeling it was something else entirely.

I leaned back in the pilot's chair, heart pounding.

This wasn't just a dream. It couldn't be. Everything—the cold, the inertia, the hum of the ship's systems—felt too real.

I stared out at the stars, a sinking feeling settling in my gut.

If this wasn't a dream, then I was trapped in a reality I didn't understand.

And if the universe of Blood in the Stars was as dangerous as the game made it out to be, I was in serious trouble.

"Alright," I muttered, tightening my grip on the controls. "First things first: survive."

DRIFTING

I tapped the Galaxy Map icon on the console, hoping for a miracle. Instead, the display flashed [NO DATA] in cold, unhelpful letters.

"Fantastic," I muttered, leaning back with a frustrated sigh.

Stranded in the middle of nowhere with no mapped coordinates and no idea where to go. It wasn't like I could just pick a direction and hope for the best. Space was vast, and getting lost out here was as good as a death sentence.

The status report wasn't much better. I was unaffiliated—just a civilian floating aimlessly with no guilds, allies, or safety nets. The good news? No active bounties on my head. The bad news? My credit balance sat at a depressing 0 credits.

"Perfect," I groaned.

The ship's cargo manifest offered a small glimmer of hope—and an equal dose of dread. Food and water were limited but enough to last a week if I rationed. The real kicker, though, was the stash of rare metals sitting in the cargo hold like a flashing neon "rob me" sign.

Rare metals were the lifeblood of smugglers and black-market traders. Untraceable and absurdly valuable, they were worth a fortune on the right market. They were also pirate bait. Carrying them was like dangling raw meat in front of a pack of wolves.

[Warning: We are being scanned by an unidentified ship.]

The calm, emotionless voice of the ship's AI sent a chill down my spine. I glanced at the radar. An unknown vessel had appeared on the edge of the asteroid field, holding position just long enough to make my heart rate spike.

"Well, that didn't take long," I muttered.

The comms crackled to life, and a rough, mocking voice filled the cockpit.

"Hey there, friend! Fancy running into someone out here in the middle of nowhere. That's a fine ship you've got. And oh… what's this? Cargo? You wouldn't mind sharing a little, would you? Just a friendly toll."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. Pirates. Of course.

"Sorry, no freebies today," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I can sell you some—if you've got the credits to cover it."

The pirate cackled. "Oh, I like you! Got some fight in you, huh? Too bad you're not in a position to bargain."

Before I could respond, three more ships warped into the sector, surrounding me.

I tensed, quickly scanning the new arrivals. They were classic pirate trash—patched-up civilian models bristling with mismatched weapons. Their hulls were dented, their plating worn. The kind of ships that barely held together under the strain of a fight.

"Alright, kid," the pirate leader continued, his tone turning darker. "You've got two choices. Hand over the cargo, and maybe we'll let you limp out of here. Or…"

"Or what?" I cut him off, a grin creeping onto my face as my fingers hovered over the controls.

I powered up the Erebus Veil's reactor, the hum of the systems growing louder as I pushed the output to combat levels. The ship's sleek hull shifted, revealing its weaponry. Four manipulator arms extended, each equipped with pulse laser cannons, while twin canister-shot barrels locked into position.

"Let's make this quick," I said, cutting the comms.

The Erebus Veil roared forward as I slammed the throttle to max, the G-forces pressing me into the seat. The pirates scrambled, their sluggish ships struggling to react to my sudden burst of speed.

"Fast! He's too fast!"

Ignoring their panic, I targeted the closest ship. The manipulator arms adjusted, and the pulse laser cannons unleashed a volley of searing blue energy. The beams shredded the pirate's shields and punched through its hull.

The resulting explosion lit up the void, scattering molten debris in every direction.

"One down," I muttered.

The second pirate ship broke formation, its engines flaring as it tried to escape. I pushed the Veil into pursuit, closing the gap in seconds.

"Wait! No! Don't—"

The pirate's panicked voice cut off as I fired another volley. The laser beams pierced its engines, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction. The ship detonated in a burst of fire and shrapnel, leaving nothing but drifting wreckage.

"Two down."

The third pirate decided to put up a fight, zigzagging through the asteroid field in a desperate attempt to evade me.

"Clever," I muttered, smirking.

I threw the Veil into a series of tight loops, dodging through the asteroids with ease. The pirate fired wildly, but his shots barely grazed my shields.

"Is that all you've got?" I taunted, lining up the shot.

The canister-shot cannons roared to life, their explosive rounds shredding the pirate's hull. His ship broke apart in a fiery burst, scattering wreckage into the asteroid field.

"Three down."

I scanned the radar, my grin fading as I spotted the fourth ship lurking just out of range.

"Smart," I muttered.

Unlike its companions, the fourth pirate hadn't rushed into the fight. It hung back, watching, analyzing. A predator waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Let's see what you've got," I said, pushing the Veil toward the ship.

The pirate reacted instantly, firing a barrage of missiles and laser fire. I spun the Veil into a barrel roll, the incoming fire grazing my shields but failing to do any real damage.

"Not bad," I admitted.

I flipped the ship into a tight turn, closing the distance in seconds. The pirate tried to retreat, but I wasn't about to let him escape.

The pulse lasers fired in perfect unison, hammering his shields. The ship wobbled, its engines flaring in desperation.

"Time to end this," I said, switching to the canister-shot cannons.

The explosive rounds slammed into the pirate's hull, tearing it apart in a spectacular burst of fire and shrapnel. The wreckage drifted silently through the void.

"Four down."

Silence returned as I powered down the Erebus Veil's weapons, the hum of the reactor fading to a soft vibration. The debris from the battle floated around me, illuminated by the faint glow of the nearby nebula.

I leaned back in the pilot's seat, letting out a slow breath.

"Well, that was fun," I muttered.

As the adrenaline faded, one thought lingered in my mind:

This wasn't a dream. This was real.

And if the galaxy was anything like this encounter, I'd better be ready for whatever came next.