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Small droplets of sweat rested upon Nahim’s face. Parts of his shirt were soaked. Smeared streaks of grease and oil from his hands and forearms, absent of gauntlets and gloves, marked his pale face. What time was it? He didn’t know, but it couldn’t have been a full thirty hours yet.
Stepping back, Nahim viewed his work with the wires in the paneling. It looked good, but he still didn’t understand the purple wires, that seemed out of place. He rubbed his smooth chin, leaving another black mark. Grabbing some of his tools again, Nahim began to follow the wires.
Nahim side-jumped into the pilot seat of the ship, switching it on. He heard the winding sound as it powered up. He half-smiled, the last five days of work were not wasted. Flipping switches and checking gauges, Nahim made a couple self-notes before looking at the strange control the purple wires led to. Hopefully it isn’t a self-destruct control. It was a switch, with a glowing blue crystal symbol on one end. Taking in a breath, Nahim flipped it.
Safety arms emerged from the seat, crossing at an angle from each of Nahim’s shoulders to around his hips. He shook them with his hands, there was no way he would be able to get out of those without cutting them if the system failed. He got an uncomfortable feeling inside as a whining sound reached his ears. Some of the gauges went crazy, and the display screen morphed into a different shape, like that of a sandwich, cut diagonally, with the corners missing. There was a hole in the center with a blue-glowing orb floating in the middle. Nahim listened as a feminine robotic voice said,
“Welcome, Master. Cast a Shadow over all the world!”
“What is your name, Computer?”
“I am Achlys, Master.”
“What is this ship, Achlys?”
“It is the One forged in the Shadows. It is the One made with many black hands. It is the One that makes Legends. It is the One that cannot be stopped. It is the Shadowcaster. Invincible, immortal.”
“And who am I?”
“You are my Master, Master Shadow. You are the one who will build your own empire, you –”
“No! Achlys, I am not Master Shadow, I am…Nayhelm.”
“I do not understand.”
“I am Nayhelm, not Shadow.”
“I do not know any Nayhelm.” The cockpit’s lights flicked off, leaving only the control panel with light. “You shall die.”