Heart of Freedom

　Within the asteroid belt of Ferobor, a starship was traveling. Adorning its hull was a silver trident emblem, signifying it as a vessel of the new United Federation government.

　　It was heading towards a black rocky asteroid, inconspicuous among the vast Ferobor planetary group. With a diameter of only eight hundred kilometers and a mass of about thirty billion tons, it was situated approximately one hundred and eighty million kilometers from the nearest star. This meant it had lower temperatures and limited gravity, making it suitable for terraforming.

　　Thus, it had been transformed to serve as one of the thirty-eight exile stars of the new United Federation government, specifically designated to accommodate criminals not sentenced to death but deemed unfit for freedom.

　　The battleship "Crimson Moon" was now ferrying such a special guest to the exile star.

　　This was an elderly lady sitting in a glass chamber, dressed in a white robe, appearing to be in her sixties but with rosy complexion and sharp spirits, focused on a Rubik's cube.

　　The cube wasn't in her hands but floating in front of her.

　　It rotated slowly in the air, as if held by an invisible hand, occasionally shifting its colored squares.

　　The old woman watched the cube intently, seemingly oblivious to Captain Kevin Nelson outside the glass chamber.

　　This irritated the captain, who turned his head and asked his young female deputy, "How long has she been like this?"

　　"Three days, Captain," replied the deputy, with long black hair.

　　The captain glanced disdainfully at the floating cube. "Energetic old hag…"

　　"You're jealous, Nelson," the old woman inside the glass chamber suddenly spoke, gazing at the cube. "Jealous that I possess powers you can't comprehend, aren't you?"

　　"Perhaps," shrugged Captain Nelson. "You're always so wise, able to see through people's hearts. But what of it? Look at you, once high and mighty, now a prisoner. Even with your extraordinary abilities, you can't even break through the glass in front of me. What can you do? Crush me with your Rubik's cube? Or exhaust yourself with your three days and nights of sleepless energy?"

　　The old woman's gaze finally shifted from the cube, and it fell with a "clack."

　　She walked towards the captain, approaching him, standing in front of the glass wall, her fingers lightly tracing the glass.

　　This action made Captain Nelson nervous, taking a small step back.

　　Then he realized nothing had happened.

　　The old woman looked at him, her eyes full of playfulness, as if the person in the cell was not herself, but the captain.

　　She said, "Your hostility towards me stems from your malicious master. I know you're his loyal dog. To you, every humiliation you inflict upon me is a step towards your success. You're just a pitiful creature, begging for scraps by wagging your tail."

　　This thoroughly enraged Captain Nelson.

　　Boom!

　　His fist struck the glass wall, creating a thunderous noise.

　　He fiercely shouted at the old woman, "Old hag, on this starship, I am the boss. You have no idea how much you've angered me. You'll regret it!"

　　The old woman calmly replied, "In fact, I know more about what's going to happen next than you do."

　　"What?" Captain Nelson was puzzled.

　　"First, you'll be very angry at my rudeness and intend to teach me a lesson. But at this moment, a sudden emergency will arise that requires your attention. You'll have to temporarily let me go and rush to the command hall to deal with it. Then, your subordinates will mutiny and kill you. Finally, I will be released, escorted by those who support me, and leave here, becoming a permanent nightmare in the heart of your master," the old woman replied calmly.

　　Captain Nelson laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "What are you talking about? You, old hag, must be insane from your superpowers. Udi, go and deal with her—"

　　He was about to let his adjutant teach the old woman a lesson when suddenly an urgent call came from the cabin:

　　"Warning, warning, unidentified fleet approaching. All personnel, please report to your stations and prepare for battle!"

　　Captain Nelson's face froze.

　　He looked at Councilor Locke, the old lady, who was looking at him just as calmly.

　　Captain Nelson shook his head. "It must be a coincidence."

　　He quickly stepped back and then turned to run to the command hall.

　　The command hall was in chaos, with everyone busy preparing for a possible sudden attack.

　　Captain Nelson rushed to the command hall and shouted, "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

　　"Just as you see, Captain," a officer pointed outside the window.

　　Captain Nelson saw a fleet of black, unpainted ships heading straight towards them.

　　"Oh, damn it!" Captain Nelson groaned. He asked, "Do we know who they are?"

　　"Not sure. The communicator is continuously sending signals to the other ships, but there's been no response," replied the officer.

　　"This is not a good sign. Raise the energy shield immediately, then fire warning shots at them, and then—" Captain Nelson was about to speak when suddenly Locke's words flashed through his mind.

　　"Then, your subordinates will mutiny."

　　This made Captain Nelson tremble all over, and he looked cautiously at the people around him. He saw everyone was anxiously busy or waiting for his orders, which reassured him for a moment.

　　That damn old hag was just talking nonsense.

　　Just then, Udi, the black-haired deputy, walked in from outside. "Captain."

　　"What is it? Make it brief, I don't have much time to listen to nonsense right now," Captain Nelson said impatiently.

　　"Understood, Captain," Udi pulled out a gun and pointed it at the captain's head.

　　"Mutiny!" she said.

　　And pulled the trigger.