The docking clamps locked into place with a metallic groan, echoing faintly through the hull of the Astralis. Liam powered down the slip engines, listening as the familiar hum faded to silence. For a few seconds, he just sat in the pilot's seat, staring out at the sprawl of Erevos Station orbiting beneath them. After three months in uncharted space, the station's golden arcades and glowing docking rings looked impossibly alive.
He leaned back, his body sinking into the padded seat. His reflection in the cockpit glass stared back at him—dark blond hair grown longer, eyes ringed with tired shadows, but still sharp. He wasn't the same boy who had left on a gamble with only two hundred thousand credits in reserve.
He had found something.
Iris appeared as a blue-tinged hologram at his side, arms folded, expression as cold as the stars. [Docking complete. Astralis secured. Reminder: you are no richer now than you were when you departed. Until the coordinates are exchanged for credits, this "jackpot" exists only in your imagination.]
"Harsh," Liam muttered, running a hand down his face. "You could at least let me breathe for one second."
[Breathing is inefficient when celebration is premature.]
He smirked, despite the ache in his bones. "One day you're going to say something nice."
[Statistically unlikely.]
He laughed, shaking his head. Even with her sharp edges, Iris was the only constant voice he'd had for months.
The comms terminal blinked as docking fees were deducted automatically. His balance adjusted, showing just over two hundred thousand credits left—barely touched during the voyage. Every ration had been stretched, every drone part recycled, every repair delayed unless absolutely necessary. He had risked it all to reach that barren rock, and it had paid off.
Now came the dangerous part: turning discovery into fortune.
He pushed to his feet, pulling his jacket around his shoulders. "Let's go see someone who'll believe me."
[Correction: let us see someone who will not betray you.]
"Same thing, for now."
The walkways of Erevos Station thrummed with energy. Dockhands guided freighters into berths while merchants shouted their wares from hovering carts. Holographic signs blazed advertisements for weapon mods, medpens, and luxury suits. Liam kept his hood low, weaving through the crowds with the ease of someone who had grown up navigating them.
To most eyes, he was just another kid running errands for his crew. But to him, every step felt heavier. He carried a secret that could shift fortunes, something powerful enough to tempt corporations, guilds, and pirates alike. Iris's presence whispered in the back of his mind, reminding him to keep his head down.
The Research Institute's wing was quieter, its hallways lined with pale walls and humming conduits. Security drones hovered silently at junctions. Here, the air smelled faintly of sterilized metal and ozone. Liam keyed in a door code and stepped inside a lab cluttered with holoscreens and specimen tubes.
Dr. Kaelen stood at a bench, sleeves rolled, gray hair mussed, adjusting readings on a vial glowing faint blue. His sharp eyes flicked up, softening when they landed on Liam.
"Well," Kaelen said, voice tinged with surprise. "If it isn't young Crossvale. I thought you'd be wandering the void another few months at least."
"I was," Liam said, stepping forward. His voice carried more weight than it had before the journey. "I found something."
Kaelen studied him, then gestured toward his office. "Come."
Inside, the scientist closed the door, sealing out the hum of machines. He leaned on his desk, arms crossed, waiting.
Liam pulled the drive from his jacket and placed it on the table. "Scans. Planetary maps. Composition logs. Subsurface anomalies."
Kaelen raised a brow, slotting the drive into a reader. Holograms spun into the air: crude models of a barren gray planet, lattices of silver-blue veins running deep through its crust. Kaelen's eyes widened, his breath catching.
"Iridium…" he whispered. "By the stars, it's layered across entire ridges…"
"Enough to keep fleets building for decades," Liam said softly.
Kaelen leaned back, exhaling sharply. "If this is real—and I don't doubt you—it's extraordinary. But Liam, discoveries like this… they're dangerous. If you take this to the Federation Exploration Office directly, you'll drown in bureaucracy and become a target for every corporation with teeth."
"That's why I came to you," Liam said firmly. "I need someone I can trust. Someone who won't just see a child bragging about rocks."
The scientist chuckled faintly. "You're no ordinary child, Liam. I know that much." His expression hardened. "There is a consortium. Orion Extractions. Mid-tier. Ambitious. They want to climb higher, and for that, they need discoveries like this. They value discretion—and they owe me favors."
"Then they're perfect," Liam said.
Kaelen gave him a long look, measuring him. Then he nodded. "Very well. I'll arrange a meeting. But Liam—listen to me. Whatever happens, negotiate carefully. They will try to underbid. Don't be afraid to hold firm. This planet is worth billions. Even a fraction of that will change your life."
"I know." Liam's lips curved into a small grin. "That's why I have Iris."
[I am calculating optimal counteroffers already,] Iris said, her voice sharp in both their ears.
Kaelen flinched slightly, then shook his head. "Of course you are."
The meeting was set for the next day, in a private suite overlooking Erevos's lower hemisphere. Liam spent the night in a rented capsule room near the docks, lying awake while Iris ran endless calculations.
[Initial offer range: twenty to thirty million. Refuse.]
"Got it."
[Counter: fifty-five million minimum. One-time payout. Royalties unlikely. Push beyond sixty only if leverage present.]
Liam stared at the ceiling. "It feels strange, hearing numbers like that."
[We have spent weeks risking death in barren space. Strange is appropriate.]
He smiled faintly, sleep finally pulling him under.
The suite gleamed with polished chrome and transparent panels displaying the curve of Erevos below. Three representatives from Orion Extractions sat across a long table—two men and a woman, all in sharp suits, eyes cool and calculating. Dr. Kaelen sat beside Liam as witness, his presence adding weight to the boy's claim.
Liam slid the encrypted drive across. "Coordinates. Scans. Full-spectrum composition data."
The lead negotiator slotted it into a terminal. The air shimmered as holograms bloomed—gray terrain, glowing veins of silver-blue threading beneath the crust. The executives' composure faltered. One leaned forward. Another's hand twitched on the table.
Kaelen folded his arms, watching them. "You see why I brought him here."
The negotiator cleared his throat. "If authentic, this discovery is… extraordinary." His gaze shifted to Liam. "Do you understand what you're presenting?"
Liam met his eyes steadily. "Enough to know you want it."
The man's lips twitched in a faint smile. "Name your price."
Iris whispered in Liam's ear, her voice crisp. [Do not underbid. Aim for fifty-five million. No royalties.]
Liam leaned forward. "Fifty-five million credits. One-time payout. Full rights transfer."
The room stilled. One of the other executives frowned, opening his mouth, but the negotiator raised a hand.
"Done."
Liam blinked, masking his surprise. He hadn't expected it to be that quick.
Kaelen leaned closer, murmuring, "They're eager. You could have asked for more."
[I warned against greed,] Iris said sharply.
Liam only nodded. "Done."
The negotiator extended a hand. Liam clasped it, the weight of the deal settling into his chest.
The negotiator's hand was firm, his eyes sharp and unreadable. Liam held his gaze until the man finally leaned back, signaling the meeting was concluded. One of the executives typed rapidly on a datapad, forwarding the final contract. A holo-document bloomed in the air, lines of legal text scrolling endlessly.
Iris's voice was calm in his ear. [Analyzing. Stand by.]
Liam scanned the opening paragraphs anyway, though most of it was jargon designed to confuse. Rights transfer, exclusivity clauses, development licenses. It was the sort of thing that would bury an ordinary discoverer alive in fine print.
But Iris's hum filled the silence, cold and certain. [No hidden traps. No performance clauses. Payment immediate upon signature. Federation registry automatic. Safe.]
Liam pressed his thumb to the signature panel. The hologram flared green, sealing the contract. The negotiator nodded once, satisfied.
"It's done," the man said. "Funds will be transferred within the hour. Your name will be entered into the Federation's Exploration Ledger under Special Category. Orion Extractions thanks you for your trust."
Dr. Kaelen inclined his head, his expression unreadable. "Take good care of it. And remember who brought him to you."
The executives exchanged polite nods, though their eyes were already hungry with calculation. The meeting dissolved quickly after that, Liam following Kaelen out into the quieter halls beyond.
The Research Institute's wing felt colder now, though nothing had changed. Liam walked beside Kaelen in silence, his mind spinning. He'd just traded barren coordinates for enough money to buy fleets of ships. He was twelve years old, and the universe had just tilted on its axis.
They stopped outside Kaelen's lab. The scientist regarded him for a long moment, then clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well," Kaelen said softly. "Don't let it consume you. Wealth can open doors, but it also paints targets."
"I know," Liam said, though his voice trembled faintly.
Kaelen smiled faintly. "I doubt you need my advice anymore. But if you do—you know where to find me."
Liam nodded, pocketing his datapad. "Thanks, Doctor. For everything."
"Go on. Enjoy the moment. You've earned it."
The lift down to the docking ring was crowded with miners, traders, mercenaries in battered armor. Liam kept to one side, the drive still warm in his pocket even though the contract had already burned into the Federation's ledgers. He could feel eyes on him, though none lingered. Just paranoia.
The lift opened to the wide glass promenade circling the station's mid-levels. Holograms advertised slip drives, long-range drones, medkits. Beyond the glass, the curve of Erevos glowed golden against the void.
His datapad pinged. Balance updated.
55,200,000 credits.
Liam froze in place, staring at the glowing numbers. His throat tightened, a laugh bubbling up before he could stop it. He slapped a hand over his mouth, grinning like an idiot as people streamed past him.
Fifty-five million credits. His.
[Funds verified,] Iris said coolly. [Wealth confirmed.]
He leaned against the glass railing, trying to breathe. "We actually did it."
[Correction: I calculated probabilities. You pressed your thumb.]
"Don't ruin this," he whispered, still grinning. "We're rich, Iris. Really rich."
[Wealth brings notice. Already, your name is appearing on the Exploration Ledger. Special Category. Reputation increase: extreme. Expect inquiries.]
The grin faded slightly, though not entirely. Liam straightened, scanning the promenade. Nobody was watching him. Not yet. But Iris was right—the registry would broadcast his name across the Federation within hours.
He'd gone from anonymous courier to recognized explorer overnight.
That night, back aboard the Astralis, the weight of it finally settled. He lay in his cabin, staring at the ceiling while Iris floated as a small hologram on the desk.
[You are now in possession of more credits than ninety-eight percent of Federation citizens will ever see. Recommend diversification. Do not leave it sitting in a single account.]
"I know," Liam murmured. "We'll set up secondary vaults tomorrow."
[Also recommend asset expansion. Upgrade Astralis. Consider auxiliary ships. Crew recruitment.]
He closed his eyes. "One thing at a time."
Silence stretched for a while, broken only by the hum of the station's systems bleeding through the hull. Finally, Liam spoke again. "Do you think I'm ready for this?"
Iris's gaze was cold. [No. But you will adapt. That is what you do.]
He chuckled faintly. "That's the nicest thing you've said to me."
[Statistically inaccurate, but acceptable.]
He drifted off to sleep with the glow of 55 million credits still burning on his datapad.
The next morning, the consequences arrived.
Word spread fast through Erevos's mercenary hubs. Screens in Helios Walk lit up with Federation registry announcements. "Special Exploration: IR-1773. Discoverer: Liam Crossvale." His name blazed across ticker feeds alongside cargo tonnage reports and trade routes.
Merchants whispered. Mercenaries glanced at him with new eyes. A few even nodded in grudging respect.
In Locke & Rail's gun store, he overheard a group of veterans muttering over new rifle parts.
"Kid can't be more than thirteen."
"Twelve, I heard."
"Hell, doesn't matter. He's richer than all of us put together now."
"Still just a kid. See how long that lasts when people start sniffing around."
Liam adjusted his hood and walked past, heart hammering.
[Visibility increasing,] Iris warned. [Prepare accordingly.]
"Yeah," Liam muttered. "I get it."
By the end of the day, the glow of wealth had dulled into a new kind of weight. Liam sat in the Astralis's cockpit, watching the endless traffic of ships docking and departing. Freighters lumbered in under escort. Sleek corvettes slipped past with mercenary insignias painted across their hulls.
He wasn't one of them anymore—not just another kid chasing small contracts. He was marked, his name stamped into the Federation's official record, his fortune undeniable.
And for the first time, he understood what Iris had meant about visibility.
Wealth didn't just buy freedom. It invited eyes.
Still, as the stars stretched beyond the viewport, Liam's lips curved into a slow, determined smile.
"Let them look," he murmured. "We'll give them something to see."
Iris's eyes gleamed faintly in the dark. [Statistically, that will end poorly.]
"Then we'll beat the statistics."
The Astralis hummed, ready to fly again.