The interior of the Xeno-Mist was a labyrinth of light and noise.
Garishly colored gases choked our vision, while intense electromagnetic interference whited out the sensors. An ordinary merchant ship—no, even a specialized exploration vessel—would have lost its bearings and become stranded after venturing only a few miles inside.
"Master. Omni-directional sensor sensitivity is dropping. The noise ratio has exceeded eighty percent... Any further searching would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Lucia reported calmly as she worked the console.
Despite her composure, I detected a faint hint of frustration in her voice. Even her prized computational power was no match for this physical wall of interference.
"I guess ordinary sensors aren't going to cut it," I sighed, glancing back at the rear seats. "Mina, let’s use 'that' connected to the No. 2 Docking Bay. The 'New Autonomous Observation Unit' Varna forced on us."
"Wait, we’re actually using that? Really?" Mina’s eyes went wide.
I couldn't blame her. When we left Techne Prime, the 'Witch of Mechanics' herself had entrusted it to us, claiming she wanted to "conduct endurance tests in extreme environments and fine-tune sensor sensitivity." It was essentially a thirty-million-credit job, and it was time to earn our pay.
While she called it a 'Prototype Deep Space Exploration Probe,' the thing was as massive as a small liaison craft.
"If her word is anything to go by, this is exactly the kind of environment where it should shine. Ship-borne craft docking bay, open. Transitioning to launch sequence."
"Understood! Establishing connection bypass, releasing fixed arms!"
"Good grief. To think the first thing to pass through these doors would be such a rugged piece of hardware," I muttered, striking the launch authorization key.
Normally, this bay was reserved for nimble shuttles, liaison craft, or defensive ship-borne craft. As Mina worked her console, the heavy bass of the hull armor sliding back echoed through the ship, followed by the hiss of the airtight hatch.
From the docking bay, the rugged, black-painted unit slid into the void. Once released, it fired its thrusters, began its autonomous maneuvers, and circled around to the top of the hull. Its camera eye glowed a menacing red as multiple antenna arrays deployed.
"Whoa, is this really Varna's handmade work? Amazing... the signal processing algorithm is absolutely insane!" Mina cried out in admiration as she watched the flood of data streaming in.
The moment the unit activated, the bridge monitors flickered violently.
Zzzzt... beep... ping!
The sandstorm of noise cleared away like a receding tide. Gas density, electromagnetic intensity, and even minute fluctuations in gravity waves were suddenly displayed as color-coded contour lines. A clear "map" of the chaotic nebula emerged before us.
"Incredible... It’s not just canceling the noise. It’s analyzing the noise itself as environmental data to calculate the surrounding terrain," Mina explained excitedly.
It was a tool fit for a witch. Varna might have had a terrible personality, but her skill was the real deal.
"I have a contact! Starboard bow, distance eight thousand... It’s huge, President!"
In the center of the radar, a massive glowing dot appeared. Its estimated length was a staggering hundred and twenty meters. It was swimming through the sea of gas with slow, powerful movements.
"There it is." I tightened my grip on the throttle.
There was no mistake. It was the master of this sector—the Star Tuna.
"Slow speed ahead. We’ll come up behind it so it doesn't notice us."
The Sperm Whale approached in silence. As the mist cleared further, the creature’s true form was revealed.
It was a giant, streamlined body emitting a pale blue luminescence. Each scale overlapped like armor plating, and shards of plasma light leaked from the gaps in its fins. Rather than a fish, it looked like a cruiser with a biological silhouette.
"Beautiful... Just look at that streamline. It is a perfected predatory form, evolved to efficiently harvest interstellar matter," Professor Stein praised, his face pressed against the monitor.
"What does a thing like that even eat?" I asked.
"The high-purity energy gas drifting in this nebula, and the plasma microorganisms that thrive within it. You could call it a 'swimming nuclear reactor' that stores pure energy as fat."
"A swimming nuclear reactor, huh? In other words, if we eat it, we'll be brimming with power."
The Professor looked exasperated at my interpretation, muttering, "You truly are a piece of work," but he didn't disagree.
Distance: three thousand. We were well within range.
"Mina, how’s the fishing rod?"
"Cooling complete! Ready whenever you are!"
"Lucia, firing correction. Aim below the dorsal fin, right at the center of gravity."
"Acknowledged. Target locked."
I held my breath. This wasn't a battle; it was a harvest. We had to stop its movement in a single blow before it knew we were there.
"—Fire!"
Thrum!!
The mass driver at the bottom of the hull roared. The gravity anchor tore through the void and slammed into the Star Tuna’s massive flank.
It was a direct hit. The anchor’s claws tore through scales and dug deep into the flesh. Immediately after, space distorted around the warhead. Gravity waves surged out, becoming an invisible chain that linked our ship to the beast.
Gyaaaaaon!!
A roar that vibrated in our very bones propagated through the anchor. Startled, the Star Tuna lunged forward in an explosive burst of speed.
The Sperm Whale’s massive hull creaked under the strain as a tremendous "pull" surged back through the gravity anchor.
"Eek!? N-No way! I saw the data, but the real thing is on a whole different level! That’s not a fish, it’s a kaiju!" Emulgand screamed, clutching his head.
On the sub-monitor, strings of text garbled by noise flashed.
『—<<POWERFUL>>...<<LIFE SIGN>>...<<THREAT>>...』
Deep within the ship’s network, the bio-core was buzzing with agitation.
"Master. The bio-core is reacting. It seems to be resonating because the biological waves emitted by the target are so immense."
"Even the pumpkin is intimidated? This thing really is a legend," I said, putting my weight into the throttle.
"Warning. Target's propulsion is increasing. Plasma discharge from the rear is surging... It is rivaling our ship's thrust!" Lucia warned, her usual composure cracking.
On the monitor, the Star Tuna thrashed, discharging blue lightning from its entire body. Even though we were flying light, it was actually matching the monstrous output of the five-hundred-meter Sperm Whale. If a hundred-meter-class giant like that truly went all out, any ordinary ship would be dragged until it disintegrated.
"Like I'd let you go! We came all this way just to eat you!"
I fired the thrusters at maximum output, forcing the ship into a hard brake. It was a tug-of-war—a life-or-death contest of strength between a starship and a monstrous fish.
"Mina! Crank up the anchor output! Pull it in!"
"I'm trying! But if I go any higher, the barrel’s gonna melt!"
"Do it! I won't complain if it breaks! Just reel it in before it burns out!"
With a grinding groan of metal, the two giants drew closer. The Star Tuna resisted, whipping its tail fin to release violent shockwaves. The shields flickered and the deck shook, but our appetite wasn't about to be swayed by a little turbulence.
"Distance five hundred... three hundred...! It’s entering the kill zone!"
"Alright! Professor, where's the vital spot!?" I shouted.
If I fired recklessly, I’d ruin the meat. I needed one spot to finish it cleanly.
"I’m sorry, I don't have detailed data! The energy reaction is too high—I can't scan the internal structure!" the Professor shouted back.
Even for him, identifying the vitals of an unknown giant creature that spewed plasma was asking too much. Our lifeline was cut. But then, his words from earlier surfaced in my mind: 'Swimming nuclear reactor.'
"If a reactor is its energy source, then this ought to do it." I smiled ferociously and punched the shell selection key for the medium-caliber gauss cannon. "Lucia! Hit it with the electronic jamming beam! Slam it in at the same time as the EMP warhead!"
The electronic jamming beam was a close-in defense weapon designed to burn out the sensors of incoming missiles or torpedoes. It hadn't seen much use lately, but at this range, it would be devastating.
"EMP rounds alongside electronic jamming? Against a biological entity... No, I see your point," Lucia’s eyes gleamed coldly as she grasped my intent. "An ecology dependent on its own internal plasma potential. We will disrupt its bio-potential with the jamming beam and flood it with electromagnetic interference. A forced system shutdown."
Electronic jamming beams erupted from various points on the Sperm Whale's hull. They weren't as powerful as the main ion cannons, but they were perfect for dazzling the creature's perceptions.
In the heartbeat that the Star Tuna’s movements dulled, the medium-caliber gauss cannon turret pivoted, locking onto the thrashing beast.
Distance: one hundred.
The giant face of the fish loomed right before the bridge. Its eyes seemed to burn with primordial rage.
"Time to eat!!"
Flash!!
A silent burst of light erupted, sending a shockwave that rattled the entire ship. The specialized warheads detonated in point-blank range of the Star Tuna. It wasn't a physical destruction; a pale blue electromagnetic storm simply swallowed the creature.
Gya—...
Without even a final cry, the Star Tuna’s massive body gave one violent twitch and went limp, like a puppet with its strings severed. Its bioluminescent organs flickered out, and the giant mass became nothing more than a lump of meat drifting on inertia.
"...Target life signs confirmed lost. Neural activity has ceased," Lucia announced quietly.
A heavy silence filled the bridge, followed by an explosive wave of relief.
"We did it! We actually caught it!" Mina jumped for joy.
Emulgand slumped to the floor in a heap, while the Professor offered a round of applause. "Brilliant. Truly brilliant."
I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up at the massive prize on the monitor. External trauma was practically zero. It was a perfect "ike-jime," achieved by burning out only the internal nerves.
"That's a hell of a catch. Now then... let’s get this dismantling show on the road."
My stomach growled, trembling with anticipation.
Tuna lovers, stay tuned!