LOWKEY INTERSTELLER CAPTAIN

The Imperial Academy’s corridors were colder than usual, the very walls carrying the whispers of looming conflict. Cheno Bo walked with measured steps, his thoughts tangled between the impending trials of graduation and the relentless pursuit of Void Sovereign’s missing fragments. He was running out of time.

The political climate outside was shifting dangerously. The Supreme Council’s debates on military expansion had reached a boiling point, and Grand Admiral Xian Wu’s grip on the Empire was tightening. He had maneuvered key figures into positions of power, ensuring that the Xian family’s influence remained unchallenged.

But there was something far more sinister happening beneath the surface.

The System’s New Directive

[Binding Progress: 46%.]

[Warning: Enemy surveillance detected.]

Cheno narrowed his eyes as the system’s voice echoed in his mind. The Empire’s intelligence networks were beginning to take notice. His covert operations, retrieving the lost fragments of Void Sovereign, had not gone completely unnoticed.

“System, estimate threat level.”

[Current Threat Level: Medium. Immediate action recommended to prevent escalation.]

He exhaled. The Academy was becoming a prison rather than a sanctuary. He needed to act fast, or soon he wouldn’t have any room to move.

Xian Ren’s Next Move

Across the Academy’s command center, Xian Ren stood before an array of strategic reports. His father’s orders were clear, Cheno Bo had to be broken before he left the Academy.

His smirk widened as he analyzed the latest data. The moment of graduation would be the perfect opportunity.

Aeliana, seated nearby, studied the reports with interest. “You seem too confident,” she remarked.

Xian Ren didn’t look up. “I have reason to be. His records are tarnished, his qualifications sabotaged. Once he graduates as a free soldier, he’ll be a powerless drifter. And if he tries to resist?”

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. “Then I’ll make sure he disappears.”

Training in the Simulated Void

Cheno sat inside the Academy’s advanced starship combat simulator, his fingers tightening over the controls. This wasn’t just another exercise—it was his last chance to sharpen his instincts before the real battles began.

The simulated battlefield loaded before him. A fleet of enemy ships, overwhelming in number, surged toward him.

[System Override: Command Interface Connected.]

Cheno smirked. They would not defeat him.

He maneuvered his ship with terrifying efficiency, exploiting weaknesses, calculating attack patterns, and breaking through formations that should have been impossible to overcome.

Observers in the command center watched in disbelief. They had seen cadets perform well before, but never like this.

“He’s executing strategies beyond normal human reaction time,” one instructor muttered. “It’s almost as if… the ship is an extension of him.”

Xian Ren, watching from the shadows, felt his confidence waver for the first time. Cheno Bo was no ordinary opponent.

A Desperate Decision

That night, Cheno received a hidden transmission through his system’s encrypted channels.

[Urgent: You are being monitored. Immediate extraction recommended.]

The warning was clear. If he didn’t act now, he might not make it to graduation.

Setting his jaw, he made his choice.

He would leave the Academy’s confines under the cover of darkness, retrieve another fragment of the Void Sovereign, and return before anyone noticed.

Failure was not an option.