Prologue: Glitter in the Void
Iroha Senda drifts through orbit, fog in her eyes. Debris field ahead, radar flashing. Chu, her robot sparrow, lands on her shoulder. “Cargo on approach, boss.” Here come the pirates again.
Motivation: To One Lost Girl
There’s a single reason Iroha keeps chasing ghosts through deep space. It’s her twin, Saki—gone since the Fell Star event broke Mars string-ten months ago. Some call Iroha foolhardy, but this hope guides her. Have you ever tried to fix what’s left behind after disaster?
Assembly Crew: Drifters and Dreamers
This run’s barebones.
Bao—half-Zen, never fully sober, former miner.
Lilli—planetech thief, ear still clipped from a Saturn runout.
Chu—the tiny synth, uploads gossip to keep their moods up.
Efi—the ex-military engineer with haunted sleep.
Loot or Rescue?
The message ping came an hour ago. It’s a relic ship, Echo Engine-era—make older than Earth’s orbital wars. Could Saki hide within one driftpod? Chu adds, “Pirate bandit Emerson flagged a prize near Moonlight Chasm too.” The crew faces a choice: cut closer to the wreck, risk a scam, or let Saki’s trail fade. What would you do, trust yesterday or your last friend?
Breach: Into the Stray Hull
Iroha leads. Spirits edge high, and Bao roots for her with old jokes. The hull is torn, bits of blue astro-fabric floating like ghost ribbons. Chu chirps, “There’s heat down two decks.” Efi scowls—danger is never more than a panel away. They breach. Silence eats their flashlight beams.
Mirages and Voices
Lilli says, “This place feels wrong.”
She isn’t wrong, but Iroha pushes forward. Panels flicker, showing old logs of Mars kids laughing—and a small handprint, Saki’s size. In zero-g, what’s dream or recorded? Is space even trying to help her?
Pirate Showdown
Emerson’s squad bursts through the opposite hatch: scrap cuirasses, blasters ready. They’re not alone. Emerson’s AI, Fiona, warbles digital static. Bao whispers, “We’re not fighting, right?” Not by choice, no—but a fight cannot be avoided.
A Stubborn Gambit
Iroha tries to stall, shouting, “We just want people, not cargo!”
Emerson cackles: “Every crew tells a tale!” Chu triggers an emp bottletop—one of Lilli’s old designs. Bang—lights go out. Shots cast blue on faces as forcefields pop. Did pirates kill Saki, or did the void itself swallow her?
Heart in the Relay
Efi takes a hit and locks the door behind. Bao and Lilli patch her. Iroha sees another handprint by a blown relay; Chu pipes data spike from the relic’s log, tracing the way.
Last Mark and Unknown Threat
The logs talk about a girl in cryo hidden in Annex 6. Saki—or someone else? The pirates’ AI goes mad. Gravity changes. Space flicks with hostile, flickering images. Chu’s last words: “Incoming unknown!” 
Cliffhanger: Unmasking the Starlit Stranger
The hatch opens. There’s a small figure behind a sheet of frosted glass, awake before sleep time, azure eyes almost shining. She looks like Saki, but older, changed by something vast. Air rattles, and lights fade.
“Sister?”
The stranger echoes, robotic—voice both known and beyond years. Is she friend, ghost, or fuel for another loss? Would you wake her?
Arc End—more answers in Nebula Decay
Cosmic drift closes.
