Robert Galaxy—Fifth Star Ring—Mechanical Hydra
Strictly speaking, the modified planet Mechanical Hydra was located between the Milta Federation and the Galen Republic, right on their border.
Under normal circumstances, a black-market planet like this, once situated within civilized territory, would inevitably come under attack from the armed forces of civilization.
More dangerously, the Milta Federation and the Galen Republic—hegemonic civilizations in the Kote Star Sector—were currently locked in a military standoff. Quite a few skirmishes had already broken out along the border, and the slightest misstep could draw them into the flames of war.
Yet, miraculously, Mechanical Hydra remained perfectly intact in this dangerous region. Countless underground transactions centered around the planet, with people constantly coming and going. There were even three interstellar spaceports floating above the planet's orbit. These white, colossal structures were upgraded versions of interstellar stations, capable of accommodating more spacecraft. Almost every moment, ships arrived through cosmic tunnels.
Vita was a docking officer at Snakehead Spaceport. His usual job was to guide ships in and out and direct them to their berths. It was an extremely easy job, because no one dared cause trouble on the Collector's territory. As an interstellar refugee, Vita was quite satisfied with his current life. After all, not everyone was willing to take them in, especially with the Void Dwellers hunting them down.
On this planetary day, Vita was sitting leisurely in the docking room as usual, watching streaks of light transform into spaceships—or watching ships enter "lightspeed mode," turn into beams of light invisible to the naked eye, and disappear.
Just as he was wondering how many more planetary hours would pass before his shift ended, streak after streak of light suddenly appeared, revealing the silhouettes of ships in the deceleration channel.
Why are so many arriving all at once?