"Great story."
"But we're not like you. If we hadn't joined the Tyran Navy, we wouldn't be trapped here. Right now, all we want is to get out of this hellhole."
One of the crewmen voiced his dissatisfaction.
"At least we're still alive!" Taren rebuked them angrily. "If you fear the void, if you fear the terrible truths of this universe, then why did you join the Tyran Navy? Why did you enter the naval academy? You people who took part in the Golden Crusade are actually this cowardly!"
Taren's anger received nothing but mocking responses.
All the crewmen laughed at him. When they seemed to have laughed enough, they spoke at once, in perfect unison: "Interesting insects."
Taren wanted to continue rebuking them, but the room suddenly plunged into darkness, and the entire escape pod shook violently.
The captain immediately became alert, his face cold and faintly ferocious, like a veteran who had suddenly encountered an enemy in battle.
This anomaly was not the first in twenty years. It happened nearly once every day.
Taren knew what would come after the escape pod began acting strangely. To deal with what was about to appear, he sat cross-legged facing the posters and insignia, forcing himself to calm down.
Then the entire escape pod suddenly became translucent, as did the bizarre universe outside it. The "kaleidoscope" was still there, but from within the pod, Taren could see the world beyond the rings of stars and planets.
Outside was a nebula.
Nebulae of every color swirled over, gradually gathering into something.
What the nebula had formed was beyond Taren's ability to describe.
He could clearly see it, yet its shape could not be described. Merely glimpsing one corner of it dealt a violent blow to Taren's mind.
Taren did not close his