Kadisha painfully opened her eyes and saw that standing outside the medical pod was her father's personal Guard Captain. The scratches on his golden battle armor proved that he had just gone through a fierce battle.
Beyond the porthole behind the Guard Captain, dozens of warships bearing the Starship Alliance emblem stood in neat formation, their main cannons at the bows glowing with gathered energy.
"Uncle Chen...?"
Kadisha's voice was hoarse and dry. "Where... are we?"
"At the edge defense line of the Big Dipper Sector, Miss."
Chen Haobei's eyes reddened.
"After learning that you had been ambushed, the master ordered this subordinate to bring the main fleet here for support. We intercepted the Black Raven Mercenaries' follow-up forces at the edge of the asteroid belt."
The medical pod's hatch slowly opened. Kadisha propped herself against the pod wall and sat up. The piercing pain in her chest made her frown, but the spiritual power flowing through her body once more told her that she had survived.
She looked at the familiar starships beyond the porthole and suddenly remembered that golden figure from the final moment. Unable to resist, she asked, "The one who saved me just now was...?"
"It was the Star Spirit Battle Puppet newly developed by the master, Miss."
The Guard Captain handed her a cup of nutrient solution. "It was forged from the Star Core Fragment your mother left behind, specifically to deal with crises like this."
Kadisha's hand trembled slightly as she took the nutrient solution. Her mother's Star Core Fragment...
Her father had always said it was the Alliance's most important legacy. So he had long since turned that legacy into the power that protected her.
She looked out at the deep universe beyond the porthole. The stars there still glittered, as though they