HSR: A Passing Crimson

 - Tss...

The metallic doors opened, and the figure of Merris, still wearing his white garments, walked in. His face was languid, but there was a trace of worry present on it, almost as if anticipating something dreadful while simultaneously looking innocently worried.

His eyes moved and looked at the person sitting in front of the controls before briskly walking over and speaking meekly.

"Ms. Acheron, you called?"

Sitting down, Acheron, who had been checking the various analytics present on the screen, turned her head and looked at him, her gaze still remaining tranquil.

Looking at his worried face, she lingered for a moment before giving her reply.

"You're here. Good."

"Umm... Is something the matter?"

She shook her head lightly.

"Nothing much. It's just that we're mere moments away from the black hole."

"...yes?"

The way she delivered was so nonchalant and casual that it took him a few moments before fully digesting what she had just uttered.

Upon realizing what she had just said, however, his eyes dilated as his innocent look of worry began to change to a genuine one.

Subtly trembling, he gazed at her with a wry look, his dark eyes full of worry.

"Hold on— really? That fast?"

"Well, the course you did take had very few obstacles so the trip was much faster than anticipated."

She paused for a moment before humming briefly and adding onto her words. "I guess you are what you claim yourself to be— a good navigator."

She nodded as she uttered those words, displaying her acknowledgement of his words.

As for him, remembering what he had said to her to hire him, he felt like the Aeons themselves were helping him build up his lie. Now if that were true, he didn't know whether to count his blessings or curses.

After all, nothing ever goes right when an Aeon gains an interest in you. At best, you'd become their Emanator which enacts their philosophy— or worst case, become a puppet to their will with no hope of escaping.

Really, he couldn't see much difference between the two outcomes.

Straightening his posture, he nodded lightly, his wry smile still plastered on his face.

"Aha... Yes, indeed. So, how about it? Have I passed the qualifications to be hired by you yet?"

He really needed to be hired by her. An opportunity of leeching off an Emanator was hard to come by, and only by doing so would his chances of surviving in this universe increase several-fold. Of course, if he doesn't get to do so, he could always just go rogue and find ways to get stronger by himself.

If push comes to shove, then he'd just go to a galaxy where the Swarm is and consume sole of them, thus never having to worry about food shortages ever again.

Who knows? He might even gain some kind of ability from continuously consuming the Scions of the Propagation... As bizarrely harrowing as it would be, in any way of shape or form.

But for now, he'd just stick to the much safer option of hiding behind Acheron.

Scoffing lightly, she found his words somewhat amusing. With that same monotonous voice, she shrugged.

"I'll admit that you can back your words well. The time initially needed was cut greatly due to your route... However..."

Her voice then turned stern as she nudged her shoulder, gesturing at the black hole in the screen behind her.

"We still have yet to experience how good your route is. Now, whether we'd survive this route or not is entirely up to what would happen soon."

Hearing this, he needn't even refute her words; he understood what she meant completely. Well, to be honest, even he didn't even know if his route would work so, again, he could only agree with her.

He shrugged.

"You're right. We ought to do something rather than say something to prove our point."

He then curiously walked over to her side, looking at the broad monitor, his arms behind his back. "So... There's only one way to secure my job recruitment, yes?"

As he flashed that faint comely smile of his which contrasted deeply with her stoic stone faced demeanor, a moment of silence permeated between the two who seemed to be going under an understanding.

Then, after a brief moment of looking into each other's contrasting appearance, Acheron was the first to break the silence.

"So it is. Well then... Are you ready? Needless to say, I won't be held accountable to whatever might happen to you during the process. Too many things could go wrong with your plan that I may or may not be able to lend my hand with. You do understand that, right?"

"Of course, of course! This is of my own accord. Even if I somehow get thrown off the ship and get sucked into the black hole, or mutate from the cosmic radiation and become some kind of bizarre creature— rest assured that my savior, Ms. Acheron, won't be held accountable."

She narrowed her eyes upon hearing his declaration, almost as if scrutinizing the validity of his words.

But in the face of the truth covered in lies, she could only stand at the edge of understanding, knowing that what secrets the man in front of her held would only be pried open if she forced him to.

But of course, such drastic matters aren't required yet. For now, all she harbored towards him is suspicion and curiosity.

Depending on what Merris would do next, Acheron would reciprocate appropriately.

"...alright."

Turning around and hovering her hand just above the lever that would accelerate them towards the Kerr Black Hole, she lingered for a moment.

"There's no going back now."

She said with a low voice and closed eyes, as if not only speaking to Merris but also herself, strangely enough. It was as though she was reminding herself of something crucial.

Standing just behind her, Merris nodded while crossing his arms.

"...Not like I have anywhere to go back to." He whispered under his breath, his smile faint.

He knew his words would still get caught by Acheron's sharp ears, but he didn't care. He believed that she would vaguely understand what he meant by it.

"..."

And, sure enough, she didn't point out his words. Like a breeze to the wind, it blended naturally with the somewhat somber atmosphere they had created.

Merris walked over to his seat and buckled himself tight, while Acheron lingered for a moment as she looked at the controls.

A few brief moments ticked by... And then...

"Let us begin."

 - Tud

With those words, the ship's reactor and engines began to work faster. One, two, then many more seconds passed by, and in under just those brief seconds, the ship accelerated to almost the speed of light.

It was now time to test out Merris' probability.

---

AM-Cruiser Type-Light, as the name suggests, is a light cruiser space vessel produced by the IPC designed for interstellar travel. It is fully capable of warp jumping between galaxies as well as being light enough to outmaneuver various threats roaming the cosmos— if the pilot is skilled enough, of course.

However, unlike the larger, heavyweight, and appropriately designed space vessels used by the IPC official members, which can warp jump across several galaxies, this type of Light Cruiser was never meant for arduously straining travels.

...and it just so happens that riding off a black hole's accretion disk— whose gravitational pull can disintegrate if the unfortunate gets sucked in enough— is not part of this Light Cruiser's intended use.

In the vastness of the cosmos, where every probability was considerably significant, somewhere in an unknown star system, that very type of Cruiser was making a beeline towards a rotating mass of nothingness— a black hole.

Buckled on his seat right beside Acheron, Merris alternated his sights between the blaring analytics available in front of him and the black hole in the distance.

'This is crazy...!' he thought to himself, his heartbeat— or whatever was inside him at this point— raced profusely. 'We're moving at almost the speed of light! No, wait... This isn't even close!'

It was understandable how frightened he was. After all, he was just a normal human being not too long ago— someone who didn't experience speeds of such magnitude before.

It was too nauseating.

Shifting his eyes, he looked over to the pilot beside him, who, in contrast to his frightened look, had a rather steadfast expression.

'Seriously, does nothing really faze her? How could she be fine at this speed...?'

He was almost envious of her.

Just as he thought that, she suddenly lowered the lever she was holding lower. "Increasing speed to seventy percent of the speed of light. Be ready."

"Increasing wh—"

Merris was never even able to finish his words due to how fast things happened. The ship greatly accelerated, and the cabin vibrated greatly as they approached the cosmic giant.

The ship vehemently shook, every room and facility within it was not spared from the same fate as they wavered from the drastic change in speed. Even the rooms where the gravity control was turned off had items oscillating midair, some even broke.

"Increasing to eighty percent..." Meanwhile, the pilot of the ship remained as focused and steadfast as ever, as if not minding the damages brought down to her own ship.

As for the perpetrator for the whole plan, he held on to his seat with his dear life, no longer having any ridiculous thoughts and is merely trying to preserve his life.

Soon, they reached the accretion disk of the black hole, and immediately, the ship began to accelerate further the moment it got caught by its gravitational pull.

Sensing this, Acheron expertly maneuvered the ship slanted, using the force of the black hole's gravity just as described by Merris to gain insurmountable velocity before jumping off.

However, something unexpected happened. The ship, which was supposed to glide over the accretion disk and use the black hole's gravity to accelerate and sling shot off of it, suddenly began to be dragged down.

 - Warning!

Instantly, alarms began blaring out all over the ship, signifying the error.

Seeing all the analytics in the ship being displayed with a warning, Acheron's eyes narrowed as she tried to find a way out.

'It isn't enough.' she thought as she continued to distance them from the event horizon. 'To escape we need to reach the speed of light, but...'

The ship cannot handle such speed.

If she were to force the ship to reach the exact speed of light, the chances of it disintegrating would increase, thus dooming it. She could survive another black hole, albeit with some sacrifices, but for Merris... Suffice to say, she can't do much.

"Ninety..."

Just then, while she was in the middle of pondering, Merris' voice reached her, albeit strained. "Increase it... To Ninety!"

"Use those thrusters... to their full use...!"

Seeing his face look so sure that it would work, she lingered for a moment before nodding her head. She could feel it— he knows that this would work.

Truth be told, even she knows this risky move won't work. Yet the man beside her had a resolution so solid as if he knew that it would surpass any doubt. She knows too well that placing such blind faith was dangerous... However...

She found that resolution of his— one that wants to defy a meaningless death— somewhat trustworthy.

In her eyes, such an unrelenting defiance was the single most powerful thing in the universe. Something she, who had been tainted by the Nihility, was slowly losing.

"...alright."

Trusting him, she pulled down the lever further and the ship accelerated further and reached ninety percent the speed of light.

The thrusters and main engines then began to work much faster, overloading themselves just so the ship could get off the pull of the black hole. Some parts of the ship even broke and flew off, but they were immediately sealed off by the ship's defense system to prevent any further damages.

And, sure enough, the ship was gradually escaping the pull.

[Error: The ship has reached dangerous levels of velocity!]

[Error: Speed and Velocity have exceeded calculations.]

Seeing the error message appear on the screen, Acheron knew that this was their shot. With the insuperable momentum and velocity gained from the black hole, the ship was now flying at the speed of light.

Holding the controls, Acheron, which had been stoic until now, tightened her grip as her eyes narrowed.

She was determined to leave behind another black hole.

As for Merris, he was on the verge of passing out. Everything was too much for him— the speed, the light, as well as the vibrations.

'This is bad... I-I can't take it anymore...!'

Before Merris could even realize what was happening, his body was beginning to revert back to his grotesque form.

Half of his face collapsed and from it sprouted various wriggling tentacles, all squirming as if they too were frightened.

But it didn't stop there.

Soon, one by one, his limbs from their tips began to revert back— intending to change him back to his most primitive form as a sort of defense mechanism. His fingers, toes, and even strands of miniscule hair began to shift and change.

'N-No... Stop!'

He panicked. If this were to continue and Acheron noticed, it would soon be over for him. 'Please... Not yet!'

It was at that moment that time seemed to have turned static.

 - Woosh...

Suddenly, amidst his panic, something... unknown... began to appear behind Merris' seat. No— as that unknown thing began to wrap around him, they gradually revealed themselves to be...

A pair of illusory arms.

Those illusory arms, which were so ethereal that it made them look as if they were made of pure intangible matter, began to caress him, as if consoling him.

And, strangely enough, after those pairs of hands caressed him, his body began to stop reverting and calmed down.

After doing so, the hands went back behind, as if finishing their job. But not before leaving behind a faint echo, a subtle whisper as if reminiscing.

"...▇▇od lu▇k."

And with that, the illusory phantom dissipated, as if it had never arrived in the first place.

...coincidentally as the ship left the black hole.

All of it happened in a split second. He wasn't even able to notice anything.

'Wh-what the... How...?'

Seeing his body begin to calm down and stop reverting back to his grotesque form, he became dumbfounded for a moment. However, seeing that he was no longer in danger, he sighed in relief.

'I don't know what happened, but... Thank the Aeons...'

It was a close call.

If he had continued reverting back, he would have been a dead man. Fortunately, he unknowingly calmed down and his transformation stopped.

'Wait...'

Then, noticing something odd, his eyes dilated. Shifting his gaze to Acheron, he saw her figure calmly maneuvering the ship, devoid of any worry.

"Ms. Acheron... Did we...?"

"Indeed."

Looking back at Merris, Acheron, who had just maneuvered the ship out of the black hole, hummed lowly.

"Your route and plan... Worked."

It was unbelievable. His plan... actually worker!

"Does that mean that I..."

She nodded, her eyes locking in on his figure, scrutinizing his disheveled appearance that was looking at her with eyes full of hope.

She can't understand why he was looking at her that way, but she knew that he truly wanted to be with her.

And seeing how determined he was...

"You pass. I guess... I'll have an assistant for the time being."

Drained of his energy, he didn't even have any energy left to celebrate and was on the verge of passing out on his chair. But before he could lose consciousness, he flashed one more faint smile with a brittle voice.

"...Thank you."

And with that, Merris achieved one of the many things he wanted the most.

---

A/N:

I had to rewatch the Interstellar movie and study black holes just for this. Needless to say, I still don't know anything.

I went and researched the theoretical speed and velocity that the Endurance from that movie gained and used to fly off Gargantua. In essence, they managed to get off the black hole when they achieved at least 90% of the speed of light.

Again, this is just how I understood it. I could very well be 99.9% wrong, so take it as a huge grain of salt.

And so, just look at this chapter— or this whole fic, even— as a crack scifi story if you want.