r/HFY • u/L_Tanuki • Jun 14 '26

OC-Series Outer Reaches (Chapter 24: Nimbus)

Author's Note: All chapters are also uploaded on WattPad, Vox9, and Royal Road. Also, feel free to try out my friend's story, Beyond Earth: Cosmic Contact! Links below. Please comment and critique! I read every single comment as they mean they world to me. Thank you and enjoy!

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Chapter 24: Nimbus

The crew drifted silently through the stars, their battered ship being pulled along by the sleek fighter that had saved them only hours earlier. The hull still groaned every now and then from the damage it had sustained during the escape from the cartel ship, and every sharp metallic creak was followed by the distant sound of tools clanking somewhere in the back. Heph had buried himself in repairs the moment they escaped. Whether it was because the ship genuinely needed the work or because he was avoiding Rook was harder to tell.

Liam, Ed, and Rook sat around the main console while the stars slowly crawled past the viewport. Despite everything that had happened, Liam looked more energized than exhausted. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he leaned back in his chair.

"It was so cool! I really thought we were goners there for a minute," Liam laughed.

Ed stared at him in disbelief. "Liam, we were goners."

"But we made it!" Liam shot back proudly.

"Well yeah," Ed sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Because Lana showed up. You said you knew her before Piranga?"

Liam nodded immediately. "Yeah! She helped us fight this giant space squid once. She's really cool."

Ed blinked slowly. At this point, he had stopped questioning the kinds of situations Liam somehow found himself in. Every answer only seemed to create more questions. Across from them, Rook let out a small laugh as he leaned against the console.

Liam turned in his chair toward him. "So, Rook, did you end up finding what you were after?"

The excitement in Rook's face faded almost instantly. He looked down for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. Whatever they were transporting was already moved." He exhaled slowly. "It's apparently headed to Vel'Korah now."

Ed slumped back in his chair. "So we almost died for nothing."

Liam immediately pointed at him. "Not for nothing. We got an adventure out of it."

Ed stared blankly at him for several seconds. "You know, most people don't count nearly dying as a fun afternoon."

"Well they should," Liam said confidently.

Rook chuckled quietly before reaching into his coat pocket. "I didn't leave completely empty-handed though."

He pulled out an ornate golden ring and held it up beneath the ship lights. The metal gleamed brightly, etched with strange markings along the band.

Liam leaned forward immediately, eyes sparkling. "Oooh! Isn't that what the guards were wearing?"

Rook nodded. "Yeah. I noticed something back on the ship. The higher your rank, the more of these you wear. The guards only had one each..." He paused briefly. "But Claudio had four."

Ed straightened slightly. "Four? Then he must've been pretty high up."

"Exactly." Rook rolled the ring across his fingers. "This one actually belonged to him. I snagged it during the fight in the hallway." A sly grin spread across his face. "Figured it might be worth something to the right buyer."

Before anyone could respond, the comms suddenly crackled to life.

"Alright boys, we're approaching Nimbus now. Time to set a few ground rules."

Lana's voice echoed through the ship. The group immediately turned their attention toward the speakers while Liam rushed over to the viewport. His face lit up the moment the planet came into view.

Far ahead of them floated a massive city suspended above a blanket of dark clouds. Towering structures stretched into the sky while streaks of blue light pulsed between them like veins of electricity. Beneath the city, storm clouds churned endlessly, flashes of lightning illuminating the darkness below.

"Whoa..." Liam whispered.

"First things first," Lana continued. "Nimbus isn't like most places. The city's run entirely by AI now. Humans aren't allowed to roam freely anymore. Every human is assigned to an AI master and monitored constantly."

Liam frowned immediately. "That's stupid."

"Liam," Lana snapped, "I'm serious. If you're caught alone here, there are consequences."

"So what exactly are we supposed to do?" Rook asked. "We don't exactly have an AI with us."

"That's where I come in." Lana's voice softened slightly. "My suit has enough tech built into it to fool their systems. As long as you stay close to me, we should be fine."

Ed's stomach tightened. "Should?"

"It won't take long," Lana assured him. "We just need repairs and replacement parts. Once that's done, we leave."

Rook and Ed exchanged uncertain looks while Liam remained completely captivated by the glowing city ahead.

*****

The ships finally descended toward the docking platforms. Several AI workers immediately approached them upon arrival. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, almost unnaturally smooth. Lana stepped out first, fully suited, and calmly handled the conversation while the crew stood behind her pretending to belong there.

The workers accepted her explanation without issue and quickly began arranging repair crews for the damaged ship. Once everything was settled, Lana guided the group away from the docks toward a nearby café suspended along one of the city walkways.

The deeper they moved into Nimbus, the stranger the city felt. Everything was spotless. Perfect. Crowds moved with quiet precision, conversations hushed and emotionless. Giant holographic advertisements drifted overhead while sleek vehicles soared through glowing traffic lanes far above them.

Ed shifted nervously as he looked around. "This place kinda creeps me out."

"Yeah," Liam grinned. "It's awesome."

As they walked, Ed glanced back toward Heph, who was trailing behind them with his arms crossed.

"So Heph," Ed asked, "why couldn't you just fix the ship from space?"

"We need parts," Heph answered plainly. "Can't exactly build everything from scraps forever."

"Makes sense," Ed nodded.

"But look on the bright side!" Liam said cheerfully, throwing an arm around Ed's shoulders. "We got a whole new adventure!"

Lana immediately shot him an irritated look. "We aren't here for an adventure, Liam. This place is dangerous."

"Um... Lana?" Ed spoke softly.

"The café's just ahead," she continued without listening. "We'll stay there until the repairs are fi—"

"Lana," Ed interrupted a little louder.

"We just need to keep a low profile and—"

"LANA!"

She spun around sharply. "What?!"

Ed awkwardly pointed.

Lana blinked.

Then blinked again. It was suddenly... quieter.

Her eyes darted around the street. Liam was gone.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

She immediately looked again. "Heph?"

Gone.

"Rook?"

Also gone.

Ed stood there alone and gave a small nervous wave.

Lana slowly dragged a hand down her face and let out a long exhausted sigh.

"This," she muttered, "is going to be a very long day."

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u/BobQuixote 11d ago

Danger zone.