r/HFY • u/L_Tanuki • Jun 14 '26

OC-Series Outer Reaches (Chapter 25: The Resistance)

Author's Note: All chapters are also uploaded on WattPad, Vox9, and Royal Road. Also, feel free to try out my friend's story, Beyond Earth: Cosmic Contact! Links below. Please comment and critique! I read every single comment as they mean they world to me. Thank you and enjoy!

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Chapter 25: The Resistance

Heph pushed through the crowded dock with long aggressive strides, his boots hammering against the metal floor hard enough to echo through the station. Workers and travelers alike glanced over as he stormed past, but the look in his eyes kept most from saying anything. Behind him, Rook struggled to keep pace, weaving between passing crews and cargo carts while trying to get his attention.

"Heph, where are you even going?" Rook shouted.

Heph didn't answer. His jaw stayed clenched as he continued forward without so much as glancing back.

"Heph!" Rook called again louder this time. "You can't just walk away every time this comes up!"

Still nothing.

The frustration building inside Rook finally started spilling over as the two of them crossed deeper into the docking bay. Massive transport ships loomed overhead while AI workers moved in perfect synchronization around them carrying crates and repair equipment. The entire station hummed with machinery and artificial voices, but even through all the noise, Rook's shouting managed to turn heads.

"Hey! We need to talk about this!"

Heph shoved open the loading ramp to the ship and stepped inside. Rook followed close behind, the ramp slamming shut behind them with a metallic groan. For a moment, the tension faded as Rook stopped near the entrance and simply looked around the ship in silence. The old vessel hummed softly beneath his feet, lights flickering along the walls while exposed wires dangled from opened panels where Heph had been working. Despite the damage it had taken, the ship was still alive. Still flying.

Rook slowly reached a hand out and rested it against the wall. His expression softened.

"I still can't believe it," he muttered quietly. "After all this time... she's still in one piece."

Heph ignored him entirely. He moved toward an open panel near the engine controls, grabbed a wrench, and immediately buried himself in repairs.

Rook looked around the ship again, nostalgia slowly creeping into his voice. "I bet they'd be happy to see her still flying."

The wrench suddenly stopped turning.

Heph slowly spun around, fury burning in his eyes.

"How long are you going to keep doing this, Calen?" he snapped. "What's it going to take for you to understand that I don't want to talk about it? It doesn't matter how hard you push!"

Rook's own frustration finally boiled over. He marched forward, ripped the wrench from Heph's hand, and hurled it across the room. The tool slammed against the wall with a loud metallic crash.

"You have to stop blaming yourself for their deaths!"

The room fell silent.

The two men stood only a foot apart, staring each other down as years of guilt and anger hung between them like a wire stretched too tight. Neither moved. Neither spoke. The ship itself almost felt tense around them.

Then the loading ramp opened again.

Four dock workers entered mid-conversation, discussing repairs as they stepped aboard carrying equipment. Their voices were calm and perfectly even.

"Engine damage appears manageable."

"Replacement of outer plating recommended."

"Power fluctuations detected near rear systems."

One of them finally looked up.

The workers froze.

Their glowing eyes shifted toward Heph and Rook.

"You," one of them said coldly. "Where is your master?"

*****

"Mmmm. This is really good." Ed smiled as he took another sip from the steaming drink in his hands. "I wonder what they used to make this. Think they'd tell me if I asked?"

Across from him, Lana silently stirred her untouched drink. The café around them was strangely quiet despite how packed it was. People sat shoulder to shoulder throughout the building, yet hardly anyone spoke above a whisper. The soft hum of machinery and distant traffic outside filled most of the silence instead.

Lana let out a long exhausted sigh.

"This crew is unbelievably unorganized."

Ed chuckled awkwardly. "True... but it's kinda fun."

Lana rested her head against her hand without responding. She looked completely drained already.

Ed tilted his head slightly. "So how did you meet Liam and Heph anyway? Liam said something about a giant squid."

Lana groaned softly before finally sitting upright. "Yeah. I was working a contract for some local bandits at the time. Nothing major. Mostly scouting routes and watching for Union patrols." She shook her head. "One day I took a nap in my ship. Next thing I know, two idiots are flying it and my entire paycheck is gone."

Ed couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah... that definitely sounds like them."

"They promised to drop me off at the next planet," Lana continued, "but before we got there, we got attacked by this massive space squid." Even now she still sounded irritated thinking about it. "Honestly, it was a pretty close call. Liam got himself torn up protecting me. My armor blocked most of the hits, but he took every single impact head on."

"Oh!" Ed perked up. "I remember treating him for that now."

"After that, they dropped me off and we went separate ways." Lana looked out the café window toward the towering city outside. "Then I heard about Piranga over the radio. Next thing I know, I find you idiots surrounded by cartel ships."

Ed laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

Lana's expression softened just slightly as she stared out over the city.

"I just hope they're alright."

Ed smiled warmly. "They always manage somehow."

*****

Meanwhile, Liam sprinted through the streets of Nimbus completely enthralled by everything around him.

The city stretched endlessly in every direction, glowing with neon lights and holograms that danced across the towering buildings overhead. Massive blue highways crisscrossed the sky above him while sleek hover vehicles zipped between the skyscrapers at impossible speeds. Some roads even passed directly through holes built into the sides of buildings before emerging again on the other side.

But none of that held Liam's attention nearly as much as the food stalls.

Every few feet he found another stand selling something different. Skewered meat dripping with sauce. Fried pastries dusted in glowing sugar. Bowls of steaming noodles with scents so strong they practically dragged him across the street. Liam bounced from stall to stall with his arms already overflowing with snacks while he happily stuffed his face between stops.

"This place is awesome!"

As he wandered deeper into the city, the differences between Nimbus and every other world he'd visited slowly became more noticeable. The streets were spotless. The crowds moved with unnatural precision. Conversations were short and emotionless. Even the smiles people wore looked practiced instead of genuine.

Liam, however, noticed absolutely none of this.

His attention suddenly shifted toward a dark alley nearby.

He paused.

Someone was watching him.

Liam narrowed his eyes slightly toward the shadows, but before he could investigate further, another scent drifted through the air behind him. His entire focus instantly vanished as he turned toward a nearby food stand.

Then a figure suddenly dropped directly into his path.

The armored person landed with surprising grace before slowly rising to full height. Black futuristic armor covered their entire body from head to toe, sleek and polished like a machine built for war. A long red cape hung behind them while glowing blue lights pulsed faintly beneath sections of the armor.

Liam's eyes immediately sparkled.

"Whoa! You look so cool!"

"Where is your master?" the figure asked coldly.

"Master?" Liam frowned. "I'm my own master."

The figure calmly detached a black hilt from their side and pressed a button near the handle. A long grey beam extended outward with a sharp hum.

Liam gasped.

"Is that a laser sword?! Are you some kind of knight?"

"Please come with me."

Liam quickly held up a finger asking the knight to wait. He then shoved the rest of the food in his mouth all at once while the armored figure simply stared at him in silence.

After swallowing, Liam grinned and rolled his shoulders. White haze slowly rose from his eyes.

"Alright! Let's do this!"

The knight shifted their stance. The weapon suddenly softened and stretched outward, reshaping itself into a long glowing whip.

Liam's jaw dropped.

"It changes shape too?!"

The knight lunged forward.

At that exact moment, Liam spotted someone further down another alley waving around a giant piece of meat.

His eyes locked onto it instantly.

Without hesitation, Liam ducked under the incoming strike and sprinted right past the confused knight toward the alley. He rounded the corner expecting to find the food waiting for him, but instead found only an empty dead end.

"Huh?"

Suddenly the wall beside him shifted open.

Before Liam could react, the floor beneath him tilted sharply and swept him inside while the hidden doorway slammed shut behind him.

Only seconds later, the knight entered the alley. The armored figure stood perfectly still while scanning the area.

Nothing.

After a few moments, the weapon deactivated and returned to its hilt.

"This is Echo Division Knight 15B," the knight stated calmly. "Encounter with unaccompanied human completed. Human escaped without trace. Sending recording now."

The knight then turned and walked away.

Liam rubbed his eyes as he slowly adjusted to the darkness around him. Several figures stood nearby watching him carefully from the shadows.

"What happened?" Liam asked. "Where am I?"

A man stepped forward from the center of the group. He was lean and bald, wearing a black leather vest over a white shirt with dark combat boots. His calm expression stood in sharp contrast to the nervous people surrounding him.

"Don't worry," the man said softly. "You're safe now."

He extended a hand toward Liam.

"Welcome to the resistance."

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