With the Erchius Force Field fully activated and stable, mining became a straightforward operation. They extracted a medium-sized Erchius crystal, granting them a permanent energy source for the ship. Alongside it, they harvested a significant quantity of smaller crystals—enough to power the hyperdrive for long-term travel. Now, the ship was running at maximum capacity: internal systems like the teleporter, solar system-wide travel, and the long-dormant ship AI were fully online. All restrictions were lifted.
Returning to the planet they had now officially named Pangea, Dr. Dew, Leonardo da Vinci, and Paracelsus resumed work on their unfinished project—reconstructing the Koh-I-Noor. But midway through their planning, Dew paused.
"What if we built the other races' ships?" he said suddenly, looking up from the console.
Leonardo arched a brow. "To what end?"
Paracelsus leaned forward with mild interest. "Testing replication fidelity?"
Dew shook his head. "No. Think about it. Each Starbound ship is hard-coded with a respawn machine linked to its original captain. If we construct a Nova Kid-class vessel and don't override the DNA programming—just leave it intact—the system should restore the original Nova Kid captain."
They all knew that the system could not resurrect Heroic Spirits like Leonardo or Paracelsus. Magecraft-based existences had no anchor within the machine's parameters. But Nova Kids, Glitch, Apex—those were biological or elemental species that the machines had been explicitly designed for.
It was possible.
And more importantly—it was testable.
They began construction on a Nova Kid vessel. Piece by piece, the familiar aesthetic took shape—brass and steel plating, rustic engravings, and tech built to mirror a spacefaring frontier saloon. They installed the default, unmodified respawn machine, linked it to the ship's original configuration, and stepped back.
Dr. Dew activated it.
A low hum pulsed from the machine as ambient energy collected in the chamber. Then, without warning, the center of the respawn pod ignited.
A miniature star flared into existence.
All three instinctively shielded their eyes, their enhanced senses absorbing the overload of heat, radiation, and gravitational distortion that shouldn't have even been possible in such a confined space. Sparks of lightning danced within the containment field, stabilizing what should have been an unstable cosmic mass.
They had expected the captain.
They had not expected this.
The star pulsed, shifted colors, and gradually condensed in on itself, shrinking rapidly in size until a humanoid silhouette emerged from its core.
Her shape was unmistakably feminine. Her body was composed entirely of living starlight, glowing with radiant white plasma that gently shifted in intensity. She lacked a face, yet bore a visible metallic circlet across where her brow would be—an omega-shaped symbol, glowing faintly in contrast to the rest of her body.
She moved slowly at first, as if reacclimating to being alive. Then, she tilted her head, observed them silently, and broke the stillness with a voice full of twang.
"I know I don't have any inappropriate bits like y'all, but it's still rude to stare at a lady when she's stark naked."
They blinked.
In the shock of witnessing her form take shape, they hadn't even considered clothing. Her radiant, plasma-based body didn't broadcast nudity the way a human's would, but technically, she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Leonardo cleared her throat, slightly flustered. "Apologies. That wasn't our intention."
Paracelsus adjusted his gloves. "Do you require garments? There should be fabric in the supply compartment—"
"Ain't no need," she interrupted. "I got my own."
She strode confidently to the back panel of the ship's chamber and pressed a glowing hand against a smooth section of wall. A previously invisible seam clicked open, revealing a hidden compartment containing her clothing, belt, side pouch, and Matter Manipulator.
All three of them leaned forward in surprise.
"…That compartment was part of the respawn system?" Dew muttered.
Leonardo nodded slowly. "A secured locker. Triggered only upon revival."
Paracelsus narrowed his eyes. "It was never visible before. Until now."
They had known the system could revive the original captain. They had not known it also preserved and restored their gear through a hidden retrieval function.
"Well," Leonardo murmured, "now we know."
The Nova Kid calmly retrieved her gear and stepped off to dress. A few minutes later, she returned wearing a long brown duster, star-shaped belt buckle, high-collared shirt, and well-worn boots. Her Matter Manipulator was holstered like a sidearm. She looked every bit the wandering gunslinger—except made of celestial fire.
She leaned against the console and gestured casually. "So, mind tellin' me why y'all are hangin' around my ship?"
Dew stepped forward, hands slightly raised. "You're not wrong. This is—technically—your ship. The respawn machine reactivated your original genetic and quantum profile."
Leonardo added, "We constructed it to test the integrity of original captain revival."
Paracelsus stepped in. "And it worked."
She crossed her glowing arms. "So I died, huh?"
Dew nodded. "You did. Along with your ship. We don't know the full details, but we've pieced together that a massive tentacle creature attacked your planet."
She was quiet for a long moment. Despite her faceless features, her energy dimmed slightly. "So that's it… everyone's gone."
Leonardo and Paracelsus said nothing. It felt wrong to offer comfort when the reality couldn't be softened.
Finally, she straightened. "Well. Nothin' I can do about the past. But I'll thank you for bringin' me back. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not wander around aimless. If y'all got a spot for me, I'll make myself useful."
Dr. Dew extended his hand without hesitation. "We'd be honored."
Leonardo smiled. "It's not every day we resurrect a stellar being."
Paracelsus quirked a brow. "If your memory remains intact, do you know the respawn codes for any of your old crew?"
She nodded slowly. "I reckon I do."
Dew glanced at the terminal. "If you give us the codes, we might be able to bring them back too. Though we're still not sure if it's truly revival… or cloning."
She gave a short laugh. "Doesn't much matter to me. If they look and act like my crew, they're my crew."
With introductions in order, Dr. Dew stepped forward. "I'm Dr. Dew."
Leonardo followed. "Leonardo da Vinci."
Paracelsus offered a formal nod. "Paracelsus von Hohenheim."
She tilted her head, placing a glowing hand to her chest. "Well, shoot. Where are my manners?"
She stood tall, cosmic plasma flaring slightly in pride.
"Name's Celeste Starfire Cassidy. Nova Kid captain, bounty hunter, and professional star-wrangler."
And just like that, their world got a whole lot stranger. And brighter.
End of Chapter Twenty-Six