On an abandoned mining planet, the air carried the scent of sulfur and engine oil, the sky stained a grayish-yellow by dust and mist, as if forever draped in a heavy shroud of mourning. Ethan Cross stood before the wreckage of an old ship, holding a charred circuit board, his brow furrowed. The ship was named Dawn, the first prototype vessel he and Victor had designed together in the early days of Federation Corp. Back then, it had carried their dreams, rough but brimming with hope—its engine hand-welded, its hull pieced together from recycled metal, even the control panel’s buttons scavenged from a junk market. Now, discarded by Federation Corp, it lay abandoned in this desolate mining zone, as if it were a forgotten relic. Ethan’s gaze swept over its rusted hull, and he murmured, “Victor may have thrown you away, but I haven’t forgotten.” He patted the faded characters of “Dawn” on the ship’s side, then turned to look at Jake Riley behind him.
Nearby, Jake Riley crouched on the ground, using a wrench to pry open a rusted engine cover, a cigarette dangling unlit from his mouth. He waved a hand to disperse the rising dust, inspecting the old propulsion system, occasionally letting out a thoughtful hum.
“With this pile of scrap metal, can it even fly?” Jake glanced up at Ethan, his tone half-joking, half-serious.
Ethan gave a bitter smile, tossing the circuit board aside. He paused for a moment, This thing can’t even take on a colonial scout ship, but we’ve got to start somewhere. He brushed the dust off his hands. “Fix it up, and it’ll fly. We’ve got no money, no fleet—we can only start by picking through the scrap heap.”
Jake spat out the cigarette, stood up, and wiped the oil smudge from his face. “Alright, I’ve got nothing better to do anyway. Building a team to take on Federation Corp sounds insane as hell, but I like a challenge.” He looked around at the desolate scene, the ground littered with discarded mechanical parts and cracked, dry soil. “But do you really think we can recruit anyone? In this system, people are either Victor’s lackeys or terrified refugees.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Ethan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the colonial army outpost faintly visible on the distant horizon. That bastard Victor already has half the system in his grip, but I refuse to believe no one wants to fight back. He said firmly, “There are always those who won’t submit. Yesterday, I contacted a guy named Nick—he says he’s a deserter from the colonial army and is willing to bring a few people over. As long as we can get a working ship, they’ll join us.”
Ethan’s gaze fell once more on the scarred hull of the Dawn, a spark of hope igniting in his heart—she had been Federation Corp’s earliest success, a symbol of his and Victor’s original ideals, and now, she would become the starting point of their rebirth.
Jake raised an eyebrow. “Deserter soldiers? Can we trust them?”
“How will we know if we don’t try?” Ethan turned, picked up a metal plate, and handed it to Jake. “First, let’s get this pile of scrap in order. Nick arrives tomorrow—we need something decent to show for ourselves. Step one is to repair the communication system and the engine, then we need to find a permanent base and start recruiting more people.”
Ethan looked toward the distant horizon, his expression heavy. These days were especially tough. Fuel was scarce, food was limited, and they constantly worried that the colonial army’s patrols would discover their makeshift camp. Jake and Ethan took turns keeping watch at night, repairing the ship while listening to system communications, searching for potential allies.
Jake took the metal plate, grinning. This kid, he’s got a real stubborn streak. Whether this works or not, we’ll see what fate has in store. He tapped the engine with his wrench. “Alright, give me three days—I’ll make sure it flies. But you’ve got to promise me, once it’s up, the first shot we fire is at Victor’s pack of mutts.”
Ethan nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “That’s a given. We’re not just building a team—we’re building a company: Rebirth Company. Not to plunder resources, but to restore balance to the system and give people a real choice.”
