Reborn as a Space Mercenary: From Salaryman to Galactic Legend

Ethan sat in the driver's seat of the rented hover truck, his hands loosely gripping the controls as the vehicle hummed softly. Outside the windshield, the vast expanse of the southern desert stretched endlessly, the golden sands shimmering under the relentless glare of Kynara's twin suns. The faint whine of the engine and the steady hiss of shifting sands beneath the truck's skids were the only sounds accompanying him on his solitary journey.

The southern desert was unforgiving. A barren, scorching wasteland with dunes that shifted like restless waves, their peaks glinting like liquid gold. The oppressive heat distorted the horizon, making distant landmarks ripple and blur as if they were mirages. Ethan adjusted the truck's temperature controls, grateful for the cooling system that kept the cockpit tolerable.

Yet, despite the comfort of the vehicle, the weight on Ethan's chest remained heavy. The mission Kael had assigned him seemed simple: investigate a reported anomaly that had unsettled nearby outposts. But Ethan knew it wasn't just about gathering data. Kael had been gentle but firm when suggesting it, clearly hoping the change of pace would help Ethan clear his mind after the catastrophic assaults on Rath Zorrek and Kaelus Ryn's bases.

The losses from those missions lingered in Ethan's thoughts, raw and biting. Dax's easygoing grin and Leena's quiet determination flashed through his mind, memories now tinged with pain. They had died fighting for a cause Ethan believed in, but their absence left a void that no words or victories could fill.

"Why wasn't I there?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the hum of the engine.

If he had been present, could things have gone differently? Would his strategies, his skills, have saved them? Or would he have simply joined them among the dead? The uncertainty gnawed at him, compounding the guilt.

"Ethan," Iris's calm, mechanical voice broke the silence, "your stress levels are elevated. Would you like me to activate relaxation protocols?"

He shook his head. "No, Iris. Just… let me think."

The AI fell silent, leaving Ethan alone with his thoughts as the hover truck continued its trek across the unending dunes.

The desert grew more hostile as Ethan pushed deeper into the southern region. The heat seemed to intensify, and the winds carried fine grains of sand that clung stubbornly to the truck's exterior. The terrain shifted from rolling dunes to jagged outcroppings of reddish rock, their surfaces scarred by centuries of abrasive winds.

Ethan's attention was drawn to the faint crackle of static from the truck's comms system. He frowned and adjusted the controls, but the interference persisted. Then, the instruments on the dashboard began to flicker erratically.

"Iris, what's going on?" he asked, his voice tinged with unease.

"Detecting anomalous electromagnetic activity," the AI replied. "Interference is localized and increasing in intensity. Source unknown."

Ethan tightened his grip on the controls, steering the truck carefully as the terrain grew more unpredictable. The static interference grew louder, accompanied by a faint hum that seemed to vibrate through the very air around him. Shadows flickered at the edges of his vision, moving unnaturally against the backdrop of the sunlit sands.

His heart rate quickened. He had faced Syndicate soldiers, drones, and even mind-control alloy weaponry, but this....this was something entirely different.

"Can you pinpoint the source?" Ethan asked, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"Negative," Iris replied. "Electromagnetic patterns are erratic and inconsistent. Recommend proceeding with caution."

Ethan slowed the hover truck as he approached a cluster of jagged rocks protruding from the sand like broken teeth. The symbols etched into their surfaces immediately caught his eye, delicate, intricate carvings that glowed faintly in the shadows cast by the rocks. They pulsed with a rhythm that felt almost alive.

"What the hell is this?" Ethan murmured, stepping out of the truck. The dry desert wind hit him like a furnace, carrying with it a faint metallic tang that stung his nostrils. He adjusted the straps of his lightweight armor and activated his visor's scanning functions.

The visor displayed readings of faint energy signatures emanating from the symbols, but the data was fragmented and incomplete. The hum he had heard earlier grew louder, reverberating through his chest like the low thrum of a distant engine.

Ethan crouched beside one of the rocks, running his gloved fingers over the carvings. They were unlike anything he had seen before, their patterns alien yet strangely familiar. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching him, their glow intensifying slightly as his hand brushed the surface.

"Iris, what do you make of this?" he asked, his voice quieter than before, as if afraid to disturb the oppressive stillness.

"Unknown origin," Iris replied. "Energy readings suggest ancient technology, potentially predating known civilizations on Kynara. Further analysis required."

Ethan exhaled slowly, his breath hitching slightly as he rose to his feet. The glow of the carvings seemed to intensify, stretching across the rocks in a web of light that pulsed in time with the hum. He turned his gaze toward the horizon, where a faint glow flickered in the distance.

It wasn't sunlight. The glow was cold, almost ethereal, and it drew him like a moth to a flame.

The walk toward the anomaly was unsettling. The shadows around him seemed to twist and writhe as if alive, and the air grew colder despite the sun blazing overhead. Every step felt heavier, as though the sand itself was trying to hold him back.

Ethan's thoughts returned to the outposts that had reported strange phenomena in the area. At the time, the descriptions had sounded like exaggerations, stories born of fear and isolation. But now, standing in the middle of this unnatural expanse, he understood their apprehension.

As he approached the glow, the symbols on the surrounding rocks grew brighter, their light forming patterns that guided him forward. He reached a small clearing where the sand had given way to smooth stone, its surface etched with the same intricate carvings.

At the center of the clearing stood an object, a jagged monolith that seemed to hum with its own life force. Its surface was covered in symbols similar to those on the rocks, but more complex, their glow shifting through a spectrum of colors.

Ethan felt a strange pull, as if the monolith was calling to him. His mind raced with questions, what was this place? Who had built it? And why did it feel like it was meant for him?

"Iris," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "scan this."

The AI hesitated before replying. "Unable to complete scan. Energy interference is disrupting sensors. Recommend extreme caution."

Ethan approached the monolith cautiously, his hand hovering near the hilt of his plasma dagger. The hum grew louder, resonating through his bones, and the air around the monolith seemed to shimmer as if bending reality itself.

As he stepped closer, a sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it the faint sound of whispers. Ethan froze, his pulse quickening as he strained to make sense of the voices. They were faint, fragmented, and spoke in a language he couldn't understand, yet their tone was urgent, almost pleading.

The glow of the monolith intensified, and the carvings on its surface began to shift, rearranging themselves into new patterns. Ethan felt a jolt of energy surge through him, momentarily blinding him as his vision filled with light.

When the light faded, he found himself standing before the monolith, his hand resting on its surface. The whispers were gone, replaced by an overwhelming silence. Yet, deep within his mind, he felt something stir, an echo of a power he couldn't quite grasp.

Ethan stepped back, his breathing uneven as he tried to process what had just happened. The monolith's glow began to fade, and the hum softened, leaving him standing alone in the eerie stillness of the desert.

The answers he sought were still out of reach, but one thing was clear: this was no ordinary anomaly. Whatever secrets the monolith held, they were connected to something far greater than he could have imagined.