Chapter 131: Echoes of Stardust |
When the morning light pierced through the workshop's dust-proof glass, I noticed faint blue glimmers lingering in the metal patterns on the floor, like starlight left on the beach after the tide receded. The Mechanic Lin Mo's toolbox lay open, with tiny energy crystals condensed on the wrenches and screwdrivers inside, refracting rainbow hues in the sunlight. The traces of last night's fierce battle were quietly fading, leaving only the laser-scorched mark on the corner wall that still whispered of the night's heart-stopping events.
The patrol ship's engine sound grew from afar, and when the hatch opened, it wasn't armed guards who stepped out but investigators from the Star Alliance. The silver-haired woman leading them surveyed the workshop's disarray, her pupils contracting slightly when her gaze fell on the evidence chip Lin Mo handed over: "The Obsidian Legion's encryption key... You actually cracked it?" The recorder behind her emitted a soft hum as it systematically archived the residual energy readings on the floor and the metal fragments from the black warship wreckage.
Lin Mo pointed to the flight helmet by the console: "It's part of Stardust's legacy." His mechanical arm glowed softly with a matte sheen in the morning light, its previously exposed hydraulic lines now covered with new bio-metal. "Twenty years of truth are stored inside, including transaction records between high-ranking military officials and the Legion." When the investigator inserted the chip, her portable terminal emitted urgent alarm beeps, with flashing red code on the screen indicating the highest level of evidentiary classification.
A commotion arose in the distance as several figures in military uniforms attempted to breach the patrol ship's defensive line, only to be repelled by the energy barrier. Lin Mo watched their panicked faces and suddenly chuckled: "They probably never expected the backup data they destroyed would be hidden in an old airship." He pulled a worn ID tag from his pocket, the characters "Lin Chen" barely legible. "My little brother always said important things should be hidden in plain sight."
The investigator's communicator suddenly buzzed with an emergency broadcast from Star Alliance Headquarters echoing through the cabin: "All involved military personnel have been detained, and the Obsidian Legion's secret base coordinates are locked." When she turned off the communicator, her eyes held new respect as she looked at Lin Mo. "The Alliance will restore Captain Lin Chen's honor, and Stardust's story will be written into interstellar history." Sunlight filtered through her silver hair, casting fragmented light patterns on the floor remarkably similar to the dissipating starlight particles from Stardust last night.
While cleaning the workshop, I discovered a small box in the mechanical arm's maintenance compartment. Inside lay a rusted medal engraved with "Pioneer of Subspace Exploration" on its back. When Lin Mo took the medal, the energy patterns on his fingertips lit up again, perfectly matching the medal's engravings. "My brother received this before he disappeared. I've been searching for twenty years." He pinned the medal to his work jacket, and with the soft clink of metal, a sudden flashback appeared in my mind - a young pilot in white uniform accepting the medal amid applause, his smile brighter than the spotlight.
As the patrol ship departed, the investigator left behind a new analyzer: "We've detected energy readings from an underground mechanical vault—there might be dormant core components." She pointed to the ground fissures. "The Alliance will send engineers to assist excavation. This technology could advance subspace travel research by at least a decade." Lin Mo crouched by the fissure, pressing his palm against the metal floor, and the slumbering mechanical units seemed to respond with faint vibrations as if answering a summons.
By noon, the sunlight grew intense, yet Lin Mo retrieved an old jacket from the workshop corner. "This was my brother's flight suit," he said, shaking off the dust when a silver star insignia slipped from the pocket. "He always said blue best complemented Stardust's energy light patterns." The insignia's back bore tiny navigation coordinates pointing precisely where Stardust's main ship had vanished last night. I suddenly understood—these seemingly chance discoveries were all guided messages across time and space, secret signals the brothers had arranged long ago.
A scrap-collecting robot passing by brightened at the sight of the black warship wreckage by the entrance: "These rare metals could—"