After some time, things began to calm down in the living space. Razek was tied to the booth with Helaine's webs, and she stood over him, guarding him to ensure he didn't move or cause any trouble.
The ship was steady, the hum of the aether engine in the background providing a calm rhythm. Everything seemed peaceful… until the ship rattled, shaking the vessel.
Evryn and Helaine stumbled slightly, trying to keep their balance.
"What the hell was that?" Evryn asked, looking at Helaine.
"How would I know? I'm not driving," she snapped back.
"Go up there and check!"
"Okay, okay," Evryn muttered, heading down the hallway toward the cockpit where Cyrus was piloting.
He arrived at the door and pressed a button on the control panel to open it. Inside, Cyrus was leaned back, legs propped up on the steering wheel, hands resting behind his head, completely relaxed.
Through the viewport, the ship was steady, and in front of them loomed the desert planet, barely within reach of its atmosphere.
How much time has passed for us to get this close? Or is this ship really that fast?
Cyrus turned his head back, eyes meeting Evryn's. "What's up?"
"There was a rattle on the ship. I thought I'd check on what happened—well, Helaine told me to," Evryn explained.
"Oh." A sly smirk crept onto Cyrus' face as he shifted his gaze back to the viewport. "I shook the ship a little."
"Why?"
"Felt like it."
Evryn was taken aback by the nonchalance of the response. 'Felt like it?' Honestly, I don't even know how to respond to that.
Evryn let out a long sigh, trying to regain his focus. "How long until we reach the planet?"
Cyrus shrugged. "I'd guess… an hour? But that's if I don't do anything."
"What? What do you mean if you don't do anything? Aren't you supposed to be controlling the ship, making sure we don't go off-course?"
Cyrus chuckled softly. "No, the ship's on what you could call 'autopilot.' It's not exactly that, though. I don't know how to explain it, but I'll take control if anything goes wrong."
Evryn sighed again, placing his right hand to his chin and staring out at the viewport.
The planet was an endless sea of golden yellow sand, stretching as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of green, no patch of life—just barren dunes, broken only by the occasional jagged mountain rising from the desert floor like silent sentinels. The wind whispered across the surface, kicking up fine dust that shimmered in the pale light of the distant sun, giving the whole place a ghostly, forgotten feel.
"What's this place called?" Evryn asked.
"Drysalis," Cyrus replied.
"Drysalis, huh…"
Evryn glanced back at Cyrus. "Why would the Black Suns' stronghold be here?"
Cyrus leaned his head back again, studying Evryn. "What do you think?"
Evryn furrowed his brow. "It's a desert planet with nothing on it."
Cyrus smiled. "Yes, now think deeper."
Evryn paused, his mind working. A desert planet with no life, no water, no resources… Nothing of value to speak of. He dug deeper into the idea.
"They've got their stronghold here because there's nothing of value on this planet," Evryn mused. "So, no one would bother attacking them, or even try to raid their base in the middle of this desert."
Cyrus nodded, his smile fading as he turned his attention back to the viewport. "Exactly, but there is more to it."
"What else is there to it?"
"Drysalis is strategically located near several other planets in this section of the galaxy, right in the middle of most of them in the outer region. It gives the Black Suns more freedom to move and trade quickly, without much interference."
"Do they only inhabit this planet?"
"No," Cyrus replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with his left hand. "There are a few small cities on Drysalis—nothing too major, just trading hubs for other groups or regular folk. But the Black Suns control this place, for the most part."
"And since their little raid failed, they'll probably be pissed and won't expect us to waltz into their territory guns blazing, huh?" Cyrus said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Evryn couldn't help but notice the excitement in Cyrus's voice. He seemed entirely thrilled by the idea, almost like he was looking forward to the challenge.
"Actually…"
"Huh?" Evryn looked at Cyrus, wondering what he was about to do.
"Let's just go there now!"
"W-what?"
Without another word, Cyrus grabbed hold of the steering wheel and suddenly gunned the ship forward, heading straight for Drysalis.
Evryn stumbled backward but caught himself just in time, grabbing onto the same strap he'd held when they left Sythar. The engine roared to life as the ship shook, rattling violently as they hurtled toward the planet's atmosphere.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"We're going straight in, baby!"
Through the viewport, Evryn watched as the desolate desert landscape of Drysalis grew larger, the barren wasteland coming into clearer view. There were hardly any clouds—just a few scattered, wispy circus clouds dotting the sky.
Cyrus turned the wheel sharply to the left, causing the ship to shake even more.
"Cyrus, you need to slow down! If we enter the atmosphere this fast, the ship will burn up!"
"We'll be fine. I know what I'm doing!" Cyrus responded confidently, but his grin betrayed a bit of wild excitement.
As they drew closer to the planet, Evryn made out a large white structure, sprawling over a vast distance, almost like it was protecting the city beneath it. It looked as if the white dome was covering everything below, hiding the city from view.
Clutching the strap more tightly, Evryn felt a rush of excitement surge through him. He couldn't help but tap his thumb against his middle finger, his heart racing. For the first time in a while, he felt like a kid about to embark on a big adventure.
Thud!
A loud thud echoed through the ship, and Evryn quickly turned his head to see what had happened.
It was Helaine, slamming against the side of the hallway wall. She was scrambling to hold onto something, but with a quick reaction, she shot a web and anchored it to the wall to steady herself.
"What the hell is going on up there?!" she yelled, trying to regain her balance.
"I don't know! Cyrus decided to change plans and go now!" Evryn called back, his voice tinged with frustration.
"Tell him to slow down! I already slammed into the wall!" Helaine shot back, still gripping the web tightly.
"I don't think he'll listen!" Evryn yelled, glancing at the cockpit as the ship rattled.
"You two, shut up back there and let me concentrate!" Cyrus's voice came through, more focused on the controls than the chaos behind him.