Chapter 2 part 4

When Shrimp Bait Hooks a Titan

"Mr. Narwhal, look over there... "

As I prepared to move, Aioi suddenly froze.

"No. Over there, other side of the crater.

"Oh..."

I followed her gaze and felt a chill. Across the crater, a hulking Wild Xeno Beast crouched, its single bloodshot eye locked onto us.

At first glance, it resembled a massive humanoid figure.

But its shaggy fur, exaggerated hunch, and glaring cyclopean eye marked it as unmistakably a Xeno beast.

It's hard to gauge distance with it on the opposite side of the near big crater, Even from this distance, its size was apparent—nearly three meters tall, an imposing void predator.

A Void Titan. One of the most dangerous Wild Xeno species.

"So, what’s the plan?"

Aioi set her rod down, reaching for her plasma blaster. Fishing was officially over.

Drawing my energy blade, I assessed the situation.

Void Titans are high-risk xenos:

monstrously strong, almost mindless, and completely fearless. They don’t see humans as anything but prey. The drool dripping from this one’s maw made that clear.

"It needs to be dealt with. If it crosses that big crater, it’ll reach us in no time."

"Really?"

"Really, really. Fun fact: they’re faster than humans and five times stronger."

"Crap."

"But they’re dumb as rocks. See how it’s just standing there, glaring? Obvious weak point."

"That grotesque eyeball, huh?"

Aioi aimed her plasma bow, her focus narrowing.

"Think you can hit it?"

"The magnetic field around here’s tricky. If I miss, we’re in trouble."

"True. Its body can shrug off most plasma rounds, so we’ll need to target the eye."

If Aioi’s plasma bow were one of those brutish heavy-duty models, it might have punched straight through the Void Titan’s dense hide to hit a critical point.

But Aioi’s precision was her strength—though her power output was still like that of a fledgling hatchling testing its wings. Realistically, we’d have to aim for its vulnerable eye to bring it down.

As for me, I had the strength for close combat but never had the patience to finish my blaster training. No ranged attacks hit unless I use my half-spec blaster.

"Go ahead, take the shot,"

"Don’t say it like it’s no big deal! What if I miss at a crucial moment?"

"A miss is fine. I’ll deal with it. Consider this target practice."

Aioi glanced at me, then at the Void Titan, her expression caught between exasperation and determination.

As I hefted my plasma sword, the energy humming in a low, steady cadence, she grimaced.

"Next time, bring that weird blaster of yours, alright?"

"Don’t call my half-spec blaster weird!"

The Void Titan roared, its guttural cry reverberating through our comms.

Its single eye, grotesque and bloodshot, gleamed behind what appeared to be an organic crystalline faceplate.

Its jagged teeth—uneven and sharp—visible even through the crystalline faceplate. Filthy xeno beast. They always make me sick.

"Neural Focus."

A faint blue light pulsed at Aioi’s temples as her neural implants activated, stabilizing her aim in the moon’s low gravity.

Her targeting locked onto the Titan’s eye with precision.

"Ion Burst."

The plasma bolt streaked across the void, a brilliant flash of energy cutting through the moon surface. It struck the Titan’s faceplate—

—but dissipated harmlessly against its energy shields.

"Gwohh!"

The Titan roared again, its fury amplified. The magnetic fields surrounding its body had deflected the shot.

"GWOOOOHH!"

Of course getting hit but not penetrated didn't make the Void Titan forgive us. It bellowed an even greater anger

With a burst from its magnetic field, the Titan propelled itself through the moon crater, closing the distance between us.

"S-so, I can leave this to you, right?"

"Leave it to me. But activate your emergency thrusters, just in case."

"I’ll cover you from range just in case...!"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Don’t let it damage the containment pod! We need it intact."

"Are you serious?!"

"Think about why we’re out here in the first place!"

"I’m thinking about not dying in the void!” 

Aioi shouted, her voice crackling through my helmet’s comms. I watched as she activated her suit’s emergency thrusters, jetting back toward the ship in a burst of blue light Meanwhile, I turned to face the Titan, gripping my energy blade tightly.

"Well now... looks like I’ve caught something far more interesting than void shrimp."

"GWOHH, GWAAH!"

The Titan roared again, its massive frame hurtling toward me like a meteor.

A towering form, nearly three meters tall, loomed even in the endless void of space.

Its sheer size might have been intimidating, but brute force was all it had. Against advanced tech like mine, the odds weren’t in its favor.

Even with a standard-issue energy blade, I held the upper hand tactically.

"Mr. Narwhal!"

If only I had my half-spec blaster. Then, this might’ve been an even fight. B

but void combat without the right gear? That’s a losing strategy—an Old Earth war lesson etched into every spacer's memory.

"Gah—!"

Before it could close the gap, I swept the blade across its massive arm. The plasma edge cut cleanly, breaching its organic armor.

The appendage twitched, useless now. With a sharp pivot, I angled the blade downward and slashed through its leg joint.

"GWAAAH!"

The cut wasn’t deep—barely a scratch on something this size—but the breach in pressure sent it into a frantic flail. Got it.

"GWAAAH?!"

Even a colossus like this was helpless when its vital systems started failing. Loss of mobility in low gravity meant no control.

The Void Titan spun out, tumbling awkwardly through the moon craters.

"Come on, come on," I taunted.

"GUBOH, GWAAH!"

"Angry? Good."

Time to end this systematically. I needed to pierce its hide

where the pressure loss would cripple it further—blood vessels, tendons, the works. No mercy.

Space predators like this were notorious for feigning death to land a final blow.

"Mr. Narwhal… you really know your way around void combat."

"Of course."

"But you're terrible at void fishing."

"Hey now, it’s just an off day."

"Realllly?"

Why was she so smug about her beginner’s luck?

"Alright then. Let’s call it even—next time, we’ll harvest void shrimp together. I’ll show you what I’m really made of."

"Heh, I’m looking forward to it. Oh, by the way, how do you prep void shrimp? Heat seal? Pressure cook?"

"Neither. You depressurize them in a stasis field for a full cycle. Processing them takes time."

"Ugh, what a hassle."

"You’re not wrong. I’ll bring some ready-to-eat ones next time."

That is, if I’m not stuck filling out reports for this unexpected Void Titan encounter first.

Xenos like this popping up in the middle of shrimping season? Annoying.

If this one wasn’t a lone wanderer and there’s a group of them spawning nearby, it could mean a massacre for any rookies in the sector.

How the Guild responds will be… interesting.