The silence didn't last long.
Without warning, the entire ship started shaking. A deep metallic clang echoed through the cabin, followed by a grinding vibration that made the walls tremble.
Zion put his hand against the wall as he stared out the window in horror. ''Uriel, what was that?''
[Magnetic pull detected,] Uriel replied instantly. [They've locked onto us. We've lost complete control over the ship.]
A second impact hit, stronger this time. The lights flickered as the small ship tilted slightly sideways as it got pulled up.
''Damn it,'' Zion muttered. ''They're reeling us in.''
[Confirmed,] Uriel said, solemnly. [Zero chance to escape… turning off thrusters.]
He nodded slowly, staring at the ships above. ''Then we wait and see what they want.''
The pull grew stronger, dragging the small vessel up with a deep, constant hum that echoed through the hull. Every few seconds, another metallic clang shook the cabin as the magnetic locks tightened.
Outside, the three ships changed positions, two of them breaking formation while the largest one opened a hangar bay ahead of him.
Zion's throat tightened as the lights from inside their ship filled the window. "Looks like they're inviting us in," he muttered.
[Good luck, host,] Uriel said, its tone low.
''Thanks,'' he mumbled, walking over to his ship's exit as his thoughts raced.
'If they reveal themselves to be hostile, I'll have to try and talk, or even fight my way out of it.'
[Docking complete,] Uriel said, snapping him out of his thoughts. [External power signatures are rapidly approaching.]
''Got it,'' Zion said, expression hardened. ''Open up the ship.''
[Opening now,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head.
A loud hissing sound echoed through the cabin as the hatch lowered.
As the pale yellow lights shone into his cabin, Zion had to squint his eyes from the bright contrast.
Outside, a large hangar revealed itself, lined with empty cargo crates and machinery. Though Zion barely had the time to pay any attention to that.
Instead, his eyes immediately swept past the figures surrounding his ship.
'About a dozen,' he thought, narrowing his eyes. 'And that's just one ship.'
Each of the figures wore some kind of armor with a red insignia on it while holding on to large weapons of which he was sure weren't part of their nanosuits.
[Energy readings suggest one C-rank, four D-ranks and six E-ranks,] Uriel's voice sounded quietly in his mind. [Approach with utmost caution.]
'Got it,' Zion responded internally. 'All of them have decent nanosuits, coupled with independent armor and weapons.'
He recognized at least three energy rifles among them, each one capable of destroying any normal E-rank without any unique weapons.
Even though his unique scales could likely withstand a few shots, they still didn't cover his entire body, making escape nearly impossible while surrounded.
With that on his mind, he grit his teeth. 'There's no way to fight my way out.'
A few seconds later, one of the armored figures stepped closer.
The faceplate slid open, revealing a rough-looking man in his thirties with short hair and a small scar under his eye.
"You in there," the man called out, his voice muffled and hoarse. "Step out slowly. No sudden moves or you're dead."
Zion stared at the man for a second. He was the only one among the dozen who hadn't raised his weapon, making it clear that he was the leader.
[No point in resisting,] Uriel's voice came through, snapping him out of his thoughts.
'Yeah, figured,' he muttered inside his head.
He gave a small nod, slowly raising his hands as he walked off the ramp under their watchful gazes.
Up close, Zion could see the state of their armor better. Each and every piece had been damaged badly and seemingly patched together with random items later.
Some wore human-made plates, others pieces that clearly weren't designed for human frames at all.
'Different body types,' he noticed. 'Not all of them are human.'
A tall, thin figure stood behind the rough man, insect-like limbs folded under a torn cloak. Next to it, a shorter, broad creature carrying a pulse hammer the size of Zion's torso.
[Multiple hybrid life-signs confirmed,] Uriel whispered. [At least six non-human species.]
'Shit,' Zion thought, grimacing as his suspicions were confirmed. 'A scavenger crew.'
''You,'' the man said, eyes cold. ''What faction are you a part of?''
Zion didn't answer right away, his mind racing for a suitable answer knowing saying too much or too little could get him killed.
Finally, a lamp lit up in his mind. He lowered his gaze slightly. ''Mercenary,'' he said. ''Used to be part of a small explorers group but we got separated.''
The man's head tilted slightly, clearly intrigued as his eyes checked the ship behind Zion. ''Where?''
Zion hesitated for a moment, truly unsure what the death planet he'd been on was called.
[According to their navigation system, the current name for the death planet is Exastre,] Uriel jumped in just in time.
''The nearby death planet, Exastre,'' he quickly said, silently thanking Uriel. ''Lost contact with my squad after a bunch of deathcrawlers showed up.''
The man's eyes narrowed. ''Deathcrawlers? You're telling me you walked out of that alive… by yourself?''
''Barely,'' Zion muttered, deliberately lowering his gaze further. ''Managed to find this wrecked ship while escaping and got it working just well enough to leave.''
For a moment, no one said anything.
Then, the man took another step forward.
Zion could finally see him more clearly under the lights now, immediately noticing his faint grey skin with deep blue veins, alongside a large scar just beneath his chin.
'He's a subhuman too, and a Veylan at that,' he thought, surprised.
''You must be quite lucky,'' the man finally said, his voice muffled and hoarse even up close. ''Most wouldn't survive a deathcrawler pack for ten minutes.''
He circled Zion slowly, scanning him from head to toe. ''Though you don't look like you did either.''
Zion's heart pounded heavily, eyes widening slightly. Remaining still, he forced himself to calm down. ''Guess I really did get lucky.''