A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 167: Planet Void
Chapter 167: Planet Void

Arix raised an eyebrow, amused at how different Kael and Tevian seemed now. She politely accepted the flowers and the gift.

Smiling, she nodded and said, ”Thanks, Kael and Tevian. Just call me Arix. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Seeing Arix accept the gifts, Kael and Tevian relaxed. It seemed Arix wouldn’t be hard to get along with.

After some chatting, Drexel asked, ”Where’s our other roommate?”

”He should be here, probably in his room,” Kael replied, remembering a door opening earlier.

”I’ve met the new guy. He’s not very friendly, pretty cold,” Tevian said, recalling the classmate with eyes like ice. He shivered at the thought.

”Come on, you guys are too timid. We’ll be living together for the next four years. What’s there to be afraid of?” Drexel teased.

A bedroom door opening interrupted them.

”Here he comes, the new roommate,” Tevian said, winking.

Everyone, including Arix, looked over curiously.

A guy and a girl emerged.

Arix and Drexel recognized them right away. They were the siblings from Planet Void, Deanna and Marceau.

Deanna looked surprised and froze at seeing so many people. Marceau’s face turned cold, but when he saw Arix, his demeanor softened a bit. He nodded politely at her, even greeting her.

Arix was momentarily stunned before she realized he was greeting her. She nodded back.

Unlike her brother, Deanna looked at Arix with pleasant surprise. ”Hello, nice to see you again. I’m Deanna. Can we get to know each other?”

Arix found the siblings interesting and smiled. ”Sure, I’m Arix. Nice to meet you.”

Deanna’s smile grew wider. ”I’m very happy to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you. Arix, I really like you. Can we exchange contact information?” Deanna’s eyes sparkled, like she was meeting a celebrity.

”Of course, Deanna. You’re very sweet,” Arix replied, not wanting to refuse the charming girl.

When Arix noticed Deanna’s brand-new opticomputer, she was taken aback. If she remembered correctly, that model cost around 100,000 astrocredits.

Deanna noticed Arix’s surprise and smiled shyly. ”Back on Planet Void, we didn’t use opticomputers. This one was lent to us by a soldier named Thaddeus Kering. He said we couldn’t be without one out here.”

”Hmm? Thaddeus? Deanna, are you talking about this guy?” Arix asked, a bit shocked. She pulled up a photo of her father on her own opticomputer.

”Hey, isn’t that him? Do you know Mr. Kering? My brother and I nearly died on Planet Void, and he saved us,” Deanna exclaimed the moment she saw the photo.

The man in the photo was the very soldier who had rescued her and her brother.

Hearing the name Thaddeus, Drexel glanced over. Kael and Tevian, also taken aback, exchanged surprised looks. ’Could it really be such a coincidence?’

Marceau turned to Arix and thought of her last name, Kering. He had a hunch but was too shy to voice it.

Before Arix could respond, Kael jumped in eagerly.

”Deanna, these two are the kids of Mr. Kering,” Kael said, pointing at Arix and Drexel.

Deanna looked at Arix in surprise and asked, ”Really? Arix, you’re Mr. Kering’s daughter?”

Arix nodded and replied, ”Yes, he’s our dad.”

”But why did Mr. Kering say I look like his daughter? Arix, you’re so beautiful, and I look nothing like you,” Deanna recalled how Mr. Kering had been stunned when he saw her over a month ago.

Arix understood. She sighed, touching her nose as she looked at the thin Deanna, who resembled how Arix looked when she first returned.

After Arix explained, Deanna found it both funny and sad. She held Arix’s hand and said, ”I had no idea you went through that. From now on, you can come to me if you need anything from me, if any...”

Seeing the young woman who seemed even frailer than herself, Arix’s eyes softened. She squeezed Deanna’s hand gratefully and said, ”Thank you, Deanna!”

The two girls smiled at each other and began chatting away, forgetting about Marceau, who was supposed to walk his sister back to the dorm.

Noticing Marceau standing alone, Drexel thought of his own experiences of being overlooked by their dad.

Out of sympathy and a desire to make amends, Drexel pulled Marceau over and introduced himself. ”I’m Drexel, and these are my buddies, Kael and Tevian. What’s your name, man?”

Marceau looked at Drexel for a moment, then lowered his gaze and replied coolly, ”Marceau.”

”Great name, but from now on, we’ll call you Cool Guy,” Drexel said, throwing an arm around Marceau’s shoulder.

Marceau didn’t say anything, but his already cool demeanor became even cooler.

He didn’t like the name, but his shy nature kept him from saying so. So, ”Cool Guy” stuck, much to his chagrin. As his roommates kept calling him that, Marceau’s face grew colder.

Even though Drexel and the others did all the talking, Marceau stayed silent.

Despite his lack of response, Drexel and his friends chatted away without feeling awkward.

Marceau wasn’t interested in their small talk; instead, he focused on Drexel’s hand on his shoulder, his cold eyes wishing they could freeze it off.

Marceau disliked being close to people, but Drexel had been sticking to him like a piece of chewing gum.

Remembering that Drexel was Arix’s brother and the son of the man who saved them, Marceau resisted the urge to push his hand away.

Drexel noticed and teasingly raised an eyebrow, becoming even more annoying by patting Marceau’s head.

Marceau’s face darkened further as he tried to endure Drexel’s antics, his frustrated yet restrained look amusing Drexel.

Finally, when Deanna and Arix announced they were leaving, Drexel stopped his teasing.

Marceau felt a wave of relief. His deep, clear eyes silently communicated with his sister. Deanna shook her head and smiled, ”No need, Mark. I’ll go back with Arix.”

Marceau watched the two girls holding hands, then lowered his eyes to hide his emotions and said, ”Okay.”

With her brother’s approval, Deanna excitedly took Arix’s hand and said goodbye to everyone.

As they left the dormitory, Deanna and Arix walked and chatted, drawing curious looks from their classmates.

”Deanna, how did you meet my dad?” Arix asked curiously.

”Mr. Kering, huh? It started a little over a month ago when my brother and I were still on Planet Void...” Deanna began to recall.

Planet Void was a harsh place where the Alliance imprisons dangerous criminals or temporarily holds those sentenced to death. The inhabitants were vicious criminals or ruthless individuals. Due to the lack of resources on the planet, even cannibalism was common.

Once people entered Planet Void, getting out was nearly impossible.

However, there was a special group of people who can earn their way out by gaining military merits.

These special individuals are the children born to the criminals on Planet Void.

The children of criminals were sent to a shelter on Planet Void after birth, where the Alliance government raised them. Their talents were assessed, determining their future.

Those with average talents stayed in the shelter until they turned 18. At that point, they could choose to join the Alliance military.

The joining gave them a chance to earn enough military merits to leave Planet Void.

Also, those with exceptional talents, like Deanna and Marceau, got the opportunity to attend military school. This opportunity, though, brought endless danger. Since they were awarded the two spots, they faced repeated attempts on their lives. The last time, they almost didn’t make it.

Thankfully, Thaddeus was passing by on a mission to eliminate someone, and he saved them.