The creature hit the metal floor of the airlock with a wet sound and stopped moving.
For a moment nobody spoke. The parasite twitched once, its legs curling inward before it finally went still.
Lyra slowly turned her head toward Vex.
"Did you see that?"
Ren looked at the sensor data on his wrist console again. His fingers moved quickly across the display while he tried to understand what had just happened.
"I am not detecting any weapon fire," he said. "No energy discharge either."
Corin leaned slightly forward, staring at the dead parasite on the ground.
"Then how did it stop in midair?"
Aria did not answer immediately.
Her eyes were fixed on Vex.
The gray skinned man stood quietly beside her, looking down at the creature as if he were just as curious as the rest of them. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, like nothing unusual had happened.
Lyra nudged the corpse with the barrel of her rifle.
"That thing jumped straight at us," she said. "Then it just stopped."
Ren slowly looked up from the scanner.
"I did detect something," he admitted.
Aria turned toward him.
"What kind of something?"
Ren hesitated for a moment before answering.
"An energy fluctuation."
Lyra sighed.
"That sounds vague."
Ren pointed toward Vex.
"It came from him."
The room fell silent again.
Corin folded his arms while studying the strange man carefully.
"I was already detecting unusual activity inside his body," the medic said. "This might be related."
Vex looked between them again, clearly aware that they were discussing him.
He did not seem uncomfortable.
If anything he looked mildly confused.
Lyra crouched down beside the dead parasite and inspected it closely.
"No burn marks," she said after a moment. "No bullet wounds either."
She stood again and glanced toward Vex.
"So whatever he did, it did not involve a weapon."
Aria remained calm.
"What exactly did you see?" she asked Lyra.
Lyra thought about it for a moment.
"The thing jumped toward us," she said slowly. "Then it just stopped."
Ren nodded.
"Like it hit something."
Corin raised an eyebrow.
"Except there was nothing there."
Aria finally looked back at Vex.
He was watching her again.
The red color of his eyes seemed darker under the airlock lighting.
She spoke carefully.
"Vex."
He immediately focused on her voice.
Aria gestured toward the dead creature on the floor.
"You did that?"
Of course he did not understand the words.
But he followed the movement of her hand.
His eyes moved to the parasite.
Then back to her.
For several seconds he said nothing.
Finally he slowly raised his own hand.
The gesture looked uncertain, like someone remembering how to move after a long sleep.
His fingers opened slightly.
Nothing happened.
Vex frowned faintly.
Lyra crossed her arms.
"Is he trying to repeat it?"
Ren watched the sensor readings closely.
"There is definitely something happening inside his body," he said.
The readings on his console flickered again.
Aria studied Vex carefully.
"You stopped it," she said quietly.
He looked at her.
For a moment there was something new in his expression.
Recognition.
Then he nodded once.
It was a small movement.
But it was enough.
Lyra exhaled slowly.
"Well."
She glanced toward Aria.
"I think we just confirmed that he is not normal."
Ren gave a small nervous laugh.
"I believe that was already obvious."
Outside the open airlock another parasite crawled across the hull toward the entrance.
Lyra raised her rifle again.
"Less talking."
She fired once.
The creature exploded against the outer plating.
Ren's combat robot stepped forward beside her, scanning the dark surface of the ship.
"No additional hostiles within five meters," he reported.
Aria closed the airlock controls.
The outer hatch slowly sealed shut.
As the pressure normalized inside the chamber, everyone turned their attention back toward Vex.
Corin stepped closer with his scanner again.
"I need to run a full analysis," the medic said.
Lyra smirked slightly.
"Good luck with that."
Ren was still staring at the data on his console.
"If he can do that again," he said slowly, "we might be dealing with something extremely unusual."
Aria looked at Vex for a few seconds longer.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Yes."
Her eyes remained steady.
"I think we are."
The airlock lights dimmed slightly as the outer hatch fully sealed.
A quiet mechanical hum filled the chamber while the pressure stabilized. The sudden calm felt strange after the brief burst of action.
Lyra lowered her rifle and rolled her shoulders once.
"Next time," she said, "let us leave the monsters outside the ship."
Ren was still staring at the scanner readings on his wrist console.
"I am trying to understand what happened," he muttered. "But the data makes no sense."
Corin stepped closer to Vex again and slowly lifted the medical scanner.
"Stand still," the medic said calmly.
Vex watched him with mild curiosity.
He did not move when the scanner passed across his chest and arms. The red light of the device reflected faintly across his gray skin.
Corin frowned slightly.
"The energy activity is still there."
Ren looked up.
"Stronger?"
Corin nodded.
"Yes."
Lyra leaned against the wall beside the airlock controls.
"So our new friend can stop alien parasites in midair and is apparently some kind of walking energy reactor."
Ren sighed.
"That description is not scientifically helpful."
Lyra shrugged.
"It is accurate though."
Aria remained silent during the conversation.
Her attention stayed on Vex.
The way he moved was different from any normal person. Every small motion looked deliberate, almost careful, like someone who was slowly rediscovering how their own body worked.
He raised one hand again and looked at it thoughtfully.
His fingers moved slowly through the air.
Nothing happened this time.
Ren watched closely.
"I am not detecting the same energy spike," he said.
Vex lowered his hand again.
The faint confusion returned to his expression.
Corin finished scanning and stepped back.
"I cannot explain his physiology," the medic admitted. "His body appears stable, but the internal energy pattern is completely unknown."
Lyra pushed away from the wall.
"Great."
Aria finally spoke.
"Back to the bridge."
The group moved through the corridor together.
Ren guided the combat robot back toward its charging station while typing commands into his console. Lyra walked ahead with her rifle resting casually against her shoulder.
Corin remained close to Vex, occasionally glancing at the scanner readings.
Vex followed Aria.
His eyes moved constantly as they walked.
The ship corridors, the lighting panels, the mechanical doors. Everything seemed to catch his attention for a moment before his focus shifted again.
Ren noticed.
"He is observing everything."
Lyra smirked.
"He woke up twenty minutes ago. I would probably do the same."
They reached the bridge.
Toran turned slightly in the pilot chair when the door opened.
"So," he said calmly, "I assume our mysterious passenger is responsible for the strange readings on my sensors."
Lyra pointed toward Vex.
"You are looking at him."
Toran studied the gray skinned man for a moment.
His expression did not change.
"Hm."
That single sound carried years of experience.
Aria stepped forward and looked at the forward display.
The abandoned station was already shrinking behind them as the ship slowly increased distance.
"Status," she asked.
Toran tapped several commands into the navigation console.
"Hull is clear now," he said. "The parasites did not cause any damage."
Ren stepped beside the sensor station.
"I am still detecting residual biological signals drifting near the station," he added. "But nothing following us anymore."
Lyra stretched slightly.
"Good."
Aria looked at the starfield ahead.
For a moment the bridge was quiet.
Then Toran glanced toward Vex again.
"So," he said calmly, "are we keeping him?"
Lyra laughed.
"I think he is keeping us."
Ren did not disagree.
Corin crossed his arms.
"We still do not know what he is."
Aria turned away from the display.
Her eyes moved toward Vex.
He stood near the entrance of the bridge, quietly watching the stars through the large forward window.
The crimson glow of his eyes reflected faintly in the glass.
Aria studied him for a few seconds.
Then she spoke quietly.
"For now," she said, "he stays."
For several minutes nobody spoke.
The salvage ship moved steadily through open space while the distant stars drifted slowly across the forward display. The abandoned station was already far behind them, reduced to nothing more than a faint signal fading on the scanners.
Vex stood near the large viewing window at the front of the bridge.
His red eyes followed the slow movement of the stars, reflecting faintly against the glass surface. The calm way he watched them made it seem as if the endless darkness outside was somehow familiar to him.
Ren noticed first.
"He has been standing there for a while."
Lyra glanced over from her seat beside the weapons console.
"And?"
Ren shrugged slightly while studying the readings on his scanner.
"I am just saying he has not moved for several minutes. Most people who wake up after something like that would be asking questions."
Corin folded his arms while leaning against the wall near the bridge entrance.
"He might simply be observing his surroundings. His memory is clearly damaged."
Lyra smirked faintly.
"He looks like someone seeing space for the first time."
Aria heard the comment but did not respond immediately.
Her eyes moved toward Vex, studying him quietly while he continued watching the stars outside the ship.
There was something calm about the way he stood there.
Not excitement. Not fear.
Just quiet attention.
Toran finally spoke from the pilot seat.
"Interesting reaction."
Aria turned slightly toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Toran gestured toward Vex with one hand while keeping the other on the navigation controls.
"Most people in his situation would panic. They would demand answers, or try to understand what happened to them."
He paused briefly.
"This one simply watches the stars."
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"You think that means something?"
Toran shrugged.
"Maybe."
Vex suddenly lifted one hand and placed it lightly against the viewing glass.
The reflection of his crimson eyes glowed faintly against the dark background of space while he continued studying the distant stars.
Lyra crossed her arms again.
"He really likes that view."
Ren checked his console once more, scanning the unusual biological readings.
"The energy fluctuations inside his body are stabilizing."
Corin frowned slightly.
"That is unusual."
Aria glanced toward the medic.
"In what way?"
Corin examined the data again before answering.
"When we first brought him aboard, the energy patterns inside his body were unstable. Now they are slowly forming a consistent structure."
Ren leaned closer to the display.
"A pattern?"
Corin nodded.
"Yes."
Lyra sighed.
"I have a bad feeling about that."
Before anyone could say more, the ship suddenly vibrated slightly beneath their feet.
Toran's hands moved instantly across the navigation controls while his eyes focused on the sensor display.
"Contact on long range scanners."
Aria turned toward him immediately.
"What kind of contact?"
Ren quickly transferred the sensor data to the main bridge display.
Three new signals appeared on the holographic projection in front of them. The shapes were small, but their movement pattern was clear.
"Three ships," Ren said. "Fast attack vessels."
Lyra straightened in her chair.
"Pirates?"
Toran shook his head while zooming in on the identification markers.
"No."
A symbol appeared beside the approaching signals.
The emblem was unmistakable.
Imperial.
Corin frowned.
"Why would imperial patrol ships be out here?"
Ren examined the scanner data carefully.
"They are adjusting their course toward us."
Lyra checked the charge level on her rifle.
"Of course they are."
Aria remained calm.
"Toran."
"Already adjusting course," the pilot replied.
The salvage ship shifted direction slightly as its engines increased thrust. The stars outside the forward window slowly changed position as the vessel accelerated.
Ren continued monitoring the scanner.
"They are still closing the distance."
Lyra leaned forward slightly.
"Then they are not just passing through."
Aria stepped closer to the main display while studying the approaching ships.
Their movement was precise.
Deliberate.
"They are intercepting us," Ren said quietly.
Lyra gave a short laugh.
"That means they want something."
At that moment Vex turned away from the window.
His red eyes moved toward the holographic display, watching the approaching ships as if he sensed the sudden tension in the room.
Corin noticed the change immediately.
"He understands that something is happening."
Ren shook his head.
"He cannot possibly understand the situation."
Aria did not answer.
Her gaze moved slowly from the scanner display to Vex.
He stood quietly beside the bridge entrance, watching the crew with calm curiosity.
Her expression remained neutral.
But the thought had already formed.
Perhaps the imperial ships were not approaching them by coincidence.