In a stretch of empty space outside the Proxima Centauri system.
A massive space station was under construction there. Construction robots resembling mechanical spiders scuttled through its half-finished sections, welding steel plates unloaded from cargo ships as sparks flew.
Just then, the void nearby suddenly warped, and a pitch-black vortex appeared, like a doorway opening.
An oval ship's bow slowly emerged from the vortex, growing larger and larger. A conspicuous red letter B was emblazoned on its prow.
Two smaller Space Battleships emerged next. Soon, all three ships—one large and two small—had passed through the wondrous passage, revealing themselves in full. The vortex gradually vanished behind them.
The largest warship was cigar-shaped and roughly one kilometer long, painted black from end to end. Menacing gun muzzles studded its hull, and its design was decidedly rugged. This was a Gemini Sea Race pioneer ship.
The two smaller warships were only about half its size and belonged to the frigate class in the Gemini fleet.
One shared the pioneer ship's design style, while the other was disc-shaped, with silver-gray paint and a blue letter B emblazoned on its hull.
The disc-shaped warship had an exceptionally smooth exterior clad in mirror-reflective armor. It looked elegant, standing in stark contrast to the rugged warship beside it.
Both belonged to the Gemini Civilization, yet their designs differed dramatically. The reason lay in the Twin Stars' origins.
The Gemini Civilization was a peculiar civilization, at once divided and united. Cooperation and competition were its defining traits.
Its homeworlds were two planets orbiting the same star. They shared an orbit but lay on opposite sides of the star. With the star blocking their view, neither discovered the other's existence until both had entered the interstellar age.
By then, both sides possessed immensely destructive weapons. Once they confirmed