The Interplanetary Police Headquarters on Sphitt went up through the clouds and pierced the sky. The building also had another part that the citizens of Hittara couldn’t see. Beneath the ground, hundreds of other floors awaited, all the way through the planet’s crust. Most of these were the prison and the interrogation chambers.The heat from the planet's molten core infiltrated the walls, which the higher-ups appreciated. The increased temperature loosened the tongues of the prisoners, unsettling them during the questioning.Shayla sat on a plain metal chair, her wrists bound behind her and her back straight. Because of the dazzling light coming from a crack in the wall, she couldn't see anything in the room. She was tired of answering all the questions they hurled at her.The whooshing of a paper sliding across the table had a nice ring to it. Anything was better than the sound of the voice asking questions all the time. Her fingers touched the doc

“Home, sweet home!” mocked Tejeda as he entered the meeting room on SCF1.The admirals let him take his own spoils of war, meaning this old junk. The Nubilae thought he would forget the scent of mold and the patched-up walls. This was what he deserved for hoping. Well, he just had to shut off his smell receptors during his next shift.He jumped onto a chair and spun about, waiting for everyone to come in and take a seat. There was only room for seven persons at the table, so one place remained vacant. Tejeda had picked up E00 from the scrap metal junkyard, and their team was nearly complete.Shayla, C1313, Jackeye, E00, and the Interstellar Police officer who had passed Tejeda’s test were all in the room. The hacker and the energy being remained on their feet while the others sat at the table."I don't enjoy speeches, so I will keep this brief," Tejeda said, without pausing the spinning. "This ship is a total wreck. We need to make some

 Yellow arrows appeared on the walls as the meeting ended. Each one had a crewman's name on it. E00 showed them all to their quarters. Only Tejeda and Shayla remained seated at the table.“You aren’t going to tell me what that was about, are you?” she said, her arms still crossed over her chest as she leaned back.“I promise I will think about thinking about it.” Tejeda gave an all-knowing smirk.Shayla didn’t seem to appreciate his joke. “Why can’t you trust anyone? Why can’t you trust me?”"Oh, my dear Shayla, the answer is simple: you are composed of atoms, and I don't trust atoms since they make up everything.""I never get a straight answer from you. I am not sure why I bother asking you a question," she whispered, shaking her head.His smile widened. “I am glad you reached that conclusion. Now, I have some things I have to talk about with you. Firstly, this

Erchpri was not suitable for life without additional support. The vast reservoirs of hydrogen fluoride scarring the otherwise barren surface made Erchpri uninhabitable. Instead of terraforming it, the company owning this planet constructed the trading center inside a large building covering the entire sphere. Built with the best materials, such as Tomengi crystals for increased stability, and up-to-date technology, Erchpri's Market Hub was the place to go for unique items.Tejeda could see the design of the superstructure via the window as the Space Spoon flew above the scarcely discernible planetary ring. Elegant, cone-shaped glass rooftops covered Erchpri everywhere you looked. Bright hues glistened over the frame and shoddy floors, revealing a vista rivaling the sunsetrise on Genoria Prime. That is one hell of an advertisement from space, in my opinion.The all-you-can-buy-if-you-have-the-credits vibe emanated even above the planet's atmosphere. Here lay heaven for

‘There is little effort involved in destroying everything you cherish. The gap between happiness and sorrow is only a few atoms wide, smaller than the depth of a daydream.’Hanga couldn’t believe that his brain spouted philosophical nonsense while he was being chased by merciless security droids. His heart threatened to grow legs and run faster than him. He used to stay in his workroom, not sprint like an athlete.On Valeria, there was a saying: “What a man does with his own two hands, not even the devil can undo.”An idea flickered inside his mind. Every evening, an event took place in the main corridor. One of the luckiest and wealthiest shopkeepers had the honor of showing the visitors some of the customs in the barbaric worlds and explaining them through science. Of course, in the end, he would invite the crowd to visit his shop and browse his wares. Everything was business on Erchpri.Along the way, Hanga managed to get