Chapter 1
Great Encounters

“I have bad news,” announced Aurora, the ship’s artificial intelligence, materializing as a translucent hologram. Her black hair floated gently around her face, while her deep, intense violet eyes radiated an impassive neutrality, as if nothing could affect her. The white tunic that enveloped her seemed untouched by the ship’s gravity; it was an echo of perfection, an almost ethereal image. Her tone, as always, was calm and devoid of emotion.

“And now what?” asked Castor, leaning back in his seat with a drink in hand, taking a sip. The cold glass refreshed his throat as he looked around calmly, without taking his eyes off Aurora’s projection.

“Look at the radar,” she said, her figure turning with a slight tilt of the head, projecting a warning panel on the console in front of Castor. “We are surrounded by hostile ships.”

Castor straightened, his drink spilling onto the floor, completely forgotten.

“Switch to manual controls,” he ordered, a spark of adrenaline in his voice.

“They’re firing,” Aurora confirmed, without altering her tone or expression as a laser beam crossed the void and shook the ship.

“Activate the shield!” Castor shouted, gripping the controls tightly.

The impact of the lasers made the entire hull vibrate. The Centurion 1 shook violently as Castor turned sharply, evading a second shot that grazed the side. While executing a 180-degree evasive maneuver, it became clear they were completely surrounded.

“We have a flo—” Aurora began, but Castor interrupted her.

“I know… I know,” he said, watching the horde of enemy ships unfold before his eyes.

Aurora, unfazed, continued projecting data and warnings. Her holographic presence floated beside the controls, as if she were part of the ship itself.

“Prepare the thrusters,” ordered Castor.

“Without any prior calculations, there is a 99% probability of crashing upon entering hyperspace—or worse, appearing in the center of a solid object. I do not recommend that move,” Aurora replied, her tone still utterly neutral, while her intense violet eyes lit up with the data projected over the panel.

More ships were approaching at full speed. The options were shrinking by the second.

“Chances of surviving this attack?” Castor asked, still calm.

“Zero percent,” Aurora replied without changing her expression or tone.

Lotus, hunched in his seat, watched everything with growing anxiety. Castor flashed a carefree smile, as if that desperate statistic were cause for excitement.

“One is always better than zero,” said Castor, winking at Lotus.

“Don’t you dare, bounty hunter!” Lotus shouted, clearly shaken, knowing exactly what was coming.

But it was already too late. Castor pressed the control, initiating the hyperspace jump.

The ship stretched as if reality itself were being violently torn apart. The pressure on the structure was unbearable, and the hum of the engines became deafening. The bodies of Castor and Lotus seemed crushed against their seats as the ship struggled to maintain coherence in the midst of distorted space. Every second in hyperspace felt like an eternity.

“Aaaahhhh! Aaahh!” Castor and Lotus screamed in unison, their voices echoing through the command deck.

Finally, with a violent jolt, the jump ended. The Centurion 1 burst back into normal space, emerging at full speed in the middle of an asteroid field. Castor reacted instinctively, grabbing the controls and turning the ship to avoid a head-on collision. Despite his skill, one of the side thrusters struck an asteroid, sending the ship into a spin.

“You okay?” Castor asked, barely catching his breath as he stabilized the ship.

“Still in one piece,” Lotus replied, who—despite his two and a half meters of height—looked shrunken in his seat, as if trying to disappear.

Castor glanced at Aurora.

“Location and status of the Centurion 1.”

Aurora closed her eyes, as if processing thousands of data points simultaneously. Her voice came out as calm as always.

“My systems are recalibrating. We have exited the known galaxy, most likely into the unexplored frontier. And one of the thrusters is no longer functioning properly. I recommend descending to a planet for repairs.”

“Give me the location of the nearest planet.”

“I’ve identified a planet 0.2 light-years away. Route plotted.”

Castor adjusted the controls, steering the ship toward the planet. As they approached, the second thruster failed as well, causing the ship to lose stability. Castor smiled to himself, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“I hate that look, I hate that look!” Lotus shouted, shaking his head nervously.

The ship spun and dropped toward the planet, the outer atmosphere painting the sky with purple and yellow clouds—electric and violent. It felt as if the very air were trying to push them back. Castor, jaw clenched, pulled the controls with force, his muscles tensing beneath the leather jacket as he fought to keep the Centurion 1 steady. Sweat dripped down his forehead, but there was no trace of fear in his gaze—only pure focus. His arms, hardened by years of combat and daring maneuvers, seemed like an extension of the ship itself, steady and controlled despite the chaos around him.

Finally, the ship crashed onto the surface with a brutal impact. Dirt and vegetation rose like waves in its wake. Everything around them groaned and trembled before the vehicle finally came to a stop.

“One day I’d like to land on a planet without being on the brink of death,” Lotus complained, rubbing his shoulders.

Castor, ignoring his companion’s complaints, turned back to Aurora.

“Keep the repair systems running on auto. I want the Centurion 1 ready as soon as possible.”

She nodded, without a trace of change in her expression.

“Repair systems activated.”

Castor shot a quick glance at Lotus.

“Until it’s ready, I’m going to explore the planet. Are you coming with me?”

Before he could respond, Aurora intervened in her characteristically calm tone.

“I do not recommend exploring the planet. We lack sufficient information, and safety has not been determined.”

Castor gave her an amused look and winked.

“Are you worried about me?” he joked, smiling.

Aurora looked at him without changing her tone.

“I’m simply stating the data,” she replied—but her projected image flickered slightly, as if something in her circuits had registered a minor malfunction.

Castor smiled at the subtle reaction and, without another word, stepped out of the ship, followed by Lotus.

They climbed out of the hollow to discover a dense, suffocating jungle. The air was thick, almost tangible, with a scent of rotting vegetation and moisture. Each step echoed through a silence broken only by distant creaks of something moving among the trees.

Castor looked around.

“This is very strange,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Why is there a depression in the middle of this jungle? And why does it have such a peculiar shape?”

The hollow was about twenty meters long, with one side much wider than the other.

“This place is… worse than I expected,” Lotus murmured, stepping on a giant root that seemed to have a life of its own.

“Come on, it’s just another jungle,” Castor replied, although part of him also felt that something on this planet was unlike the others.

They walked toward the wider side of the depression and continued in that direction. A few meters ahead, they found another similar formation.

“I think I know what they are—and they’re not just hollows,” Castor said, analyzing it thoughtfully.

Lotus looked at him anxiously as the ground trembled beneath his feet.

“What are they, then?” Lotus asked, his breathing short.

“They’re footprints,” Castor confirmed, glancing around. “We’re on a Jurassic planet.”

 Before they could grasp the gravity of the situation, a thunderous roar echoed through the air, followed by heavy footsteps growing closer and closer.

Lotus was preparing to run, but Castor stopped him with a quick gesture.

“It’s a titan,” he said, his eyes fixed on a massive shadow beginning to push its way through the trees. “I’ve seen them on other planets. They’re herbivores. As long as we don’t bother it, it won’t hurt us.”

The enormous creature, of impossible proportions, emerged from the dense vegetation. It was majestic, its long neck rising above the trees—but just seeing it approach made Lotus’s heart race wildly.

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Lotus muttered, trembling as it drew nearer.

Suddenly, a deafening roar cut him off, freezing the blood in their veins. It was an Allosaurus, a colossal beast with knife-sharp teeth. Its yellow eyes gleamed with primitive intelligence and insatiable hunger. The carnivorous creature lunged at them with astonishing speed.

“And this one—is it harmless too?” Lotus asked, doubt in his voice.

“Run!” Castor shouted, already on the move.

Will Castor and Lotus survive on a planet ruled by Jurassic colossi?

What mysteries lie hidden in this brutal jungle?

And who — or what — is stalking them among the trees?

You’ve barely taken the first step…

And it’s already too late to turn back.

Are you going to stay here, not knowing if they survive?

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About this series:

Pulp short stories set in the Imperium universe.

Each book is a self-contained adventure starring Castor Pollux on a different planet, facing new enemies, dangers, and mysteries. You can start with any one.