After Aldred's short session of meditation, the Stardust Voyager went on its journey smooth sailing.
There were no monsters, no space anomalies, no demonic army appearing out of nowhere, no xenos creatures infiltrating their ship. There was only calmness.
The journey became quite boring as they encountering nothing but darkness. Sometimes the crew would have a great conversation, but after some point, there was nothing to talk about.
"I have a great idea," Cleome said. "Why don't we turn on the TV. I am sure there are a lot of movies we can watch on Jackflix."
Shinari's eyes lit up, finally having the hope of removing this boredom. "Why didn't we ever thought of that before?"
Shinari grabbed the remote and pressed some buttons. A TV, hidden in the ceiling, slowly revealed itself. "Thank the Emperor, the TV isn't destroyed."
Aldred hadn't been watching TV for since a long time. After all, there was no TV back in his world, except for his time on Earth.
The TV began to turn off, but just as the screen activated, it turned blank, and a set of words appeared: "No Signal"
Cleome clenched her hair. "Crap! We are in unexplored sector of the galaxy. Of course there will be no signal."
Meanwhile, Salamander was laughing his ass off. "I already know about that, but I let you guys try to make a fool of yourself. Hahaha!"
Cleome threw a remote which ricocheted against his helmet.
"Note that I won't repair that remote anytime soon."
"I can't even use the TV, so I don't need the remote." Cleome was annoyed.
"Anyway," Aldred started. "Salamander, do you always use your power armor all of the time? I mean, isn't it hard to move around in that thing? You can't even fit in the toilet in that."
"It's not that hard to move around with this thing actually. I designed it that way. But it's true, I cannot fit in the toilet."
"That being said, I actually never see you go to the toilet." Aldred looked at him weirdly.
"Uhhh… my power armor has a storage for waste management."
"Wait, so you're saying that you're currently sitting on piss and shit? And while you fight, you also bring piss and shit with you?" Cleome was flabbergasted.
"That's disgusting!" Shinari commented.
Elralya nodded. "I agree. That is indeed disgusting."
Cellaeth nodded as well. "You humans always new ways to disgust us. I shouldn't be surprised anymore."
"It doesn't smell. I provide the power armor with chemicals that kills the bacteria that produce the bad smell. You can even say that my shit and piss are sterilized. You can even drink and eat them in times of emergency."
Everyone's face turned horrified.
"I am going to my room." Cellaeth stood up and leave.
"M—me too." Elralya left as well.
There were Aldred, Shinari, and Cleome still staring at Salamander in disbelief.
"Don't look at me like that. It's not that bad."
"Not that bad my arse!" Cleome retorted. "What if in a battle, your waste storage was destroyed? Won't your piss and shit be splattered everywhere?"
Salamander was silent for a second before he replied. "I never thought of that."
"Fuck… I don't want to be near you when we fight ever again."
Salamander looked at Aldred for salvation.
"If I am fighting. I will burn you along with your shit and piss," Aldred jokingly said which made Cleome and Shinari laughed.
"Ugh, fine. I will make sure to clean it frequently."
The four of them had a short conversation before they entered a state of boredom again.
This went on for weeks until they saw a spatial rift in the distance.
The Eye of Clairvoyance flew out of Aldred's pocket and then let out an ethereal glow.
Everyone looked at each other and stood up immediately.
"Is that the Veil of Shadows?"
Shuzib pulled out some kind of ancient books, and flipped through its pages. "Yes! We finally found it! This is the Veil of Shadows!"
Aldred, standing on the bridge, observed the cosmic anomaly with a sense of both caution and excitement. "We've reached the entrance to the Veil of Shadows. Everyone, prepare for what lies ahead. Cleome, Salamander, ensure all systems are at optimal levels. Shinari, keep an eye on the navigational instruments. Let's not underestimate the challenges within the Veil."
The crew, now invigorated by the prospect of entering a new and mysterious region of space, diligently prepared the Stardust Voyager for the journey through the Veil. The spatial rift loomed larger, its swirling darkness beckoning them into the unknown.
"Are we ready to enter it?" Shuzib asked.
"We've come so far. It would be a waste no to enter it."
"After we go in, we may never able to escape."
Aldred looked at everyone. "Well, does anyone want to abort?"
Everyone looked at each other and contemplated their choices. Space travel was extremely dangerous, and they understood that after what they had gone through, however, exploring the Veil of Shadow was even more dangerous.
Unpredictable and unknown, the Veil wasn't a place with conventional physical laws. It was another dimension entirely influenced by thoughts and emotions of sentient beings.
Exposure to its energies could have various unpredictable effects.
For all they understood from it, the chance of them dying the moment they entered the Veil was extremely high.
"I wouldn't mind, if any of you leave," Aldred said. "There will be no shame on your name. You are not a coward if you turn around and never look back again, even after everything we've been through to get this far."
"I am sure you have something far more important to do back home. Make your choice while you still can," Aldred told them.
They all turned silent for half an hour before Shuzib stepped forward. "I am in. I've dedicated my whole life for this moment. Exploring the unknown is carved in my soul, and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I leave now."
Salamander, aware of the potential hazards, chimed in, "I've faced dangers and demons; I've fought in battles that shook worlds. This, this is just another challenge. I'm not backing down."
Elralya and Cellaeth, rejoining the group, exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "We've come this far together. There's no turning back for us," said Elralya.
"I won't back down after all the things we did to get here," Shinari said.
With the crew unanimously deciding to enter the Veil of Shadows, they mentally prepared themselves for what lay ahead. Salamander activated the ship's systems, and the Stardust Voyager moved toward the spatial rift.
