Edwin Lunar Chapter 89: The True Orion

Read chapter 89 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The transport vessel moved silently through deep space. Outside the viewing windows, countless stars stretched across the darkness like rivers of silver light. Noroel had disappeared hours ago, replaced by endless emptiness. Most of Orion had gathered in the main briefing chamber. Nobody wanted to sleep. Not when they were finally heading toward the greatest mystery of the Great War. The Original Orion Headquarters. A place believed destroyed for decades. A place that supposedly contained answers Wingard had left behind. Carl sat across from Groader, staring at him with obvious curiosity. "How far away is this place?" Groader looked up from a holographic star map. "Three more hours." Carl nodded. Then immediately asked another question. "How did nobody find it?" Groader smiled. "Because nobody was supposed to." The star map expanded above the table. Several sectors appeared. Ancient routes. Builder pathways. Forgotten systems. Locations that no longer existed on modern navigation charts. Edwin studied them carefully. Most had never appeared in any academy database. Some systems weren't even marked with names. Iris noticed the same thing. "These coordinates are hidden." Groader nodded. "They were erased." "By the Observer?" "Partly." The answer surprised everyone. Groader enlarged one section of the map. "Most people assume the Observer removed everything." His expression became serious. "The truth is that Wingard removed even more." The room became silent. Edwin frowned. "My father?" Groader nodded. "He knew the Observer would eventually discover our headquarters." "So he hid it." "Exactly." The explanation made sense. Wingard had been preparing for the future. Preparing for Edwin. Preparing for the day someone would need those answers. Groader continued. "Everything we're about to find was left there intentionally." "What exactly is waiting for us?" Lucien asked. For the first time, Groader hesitated. "Memories." The answer confused everyone. "What does that mean?" Carl asked. Groader leaned back. "The headquarters wasn't just a military base." "It was our home." The atmosphere changed instantly. For years Edwin had imagined the Original Orion as heroes constantly fighting wars. Constantly saving civilizations. Constantly battling impossible threats. Yet Groader's words reminded him they had also been people. Friends. A family. They had laughed together. Argued together. Lived together. The realization made them feel more real than ever. Hours passed as the vessel continued deeper into unexplored space. Eventually Groader stood. "We're close." Everyone immediately moved toward the main viewing deck. The stars outside shifted as the vessel exited a hidden jump route. For several moments there was nothing. Only darkness. Then Edwin saw it. At first he thought it was a planet. A massive silver structure floated in space ahead of them. Its size dwarfed the transport vessel. Ancient rings surrounded its central core. Golden energy flowed across its surface. Even after decades of abandonment, it remained operational. The entire ship became silent. Nobody could look away. "That's impossible." Iris whispered. Edwin agreed. The headquarters looked untouched. As though the Great War had ended yesterday. Carl stared through the window. "This was hidden the entire time?" "Yes." Groader's voice carried obvious emotion. "I haven't seen it in forty years." The transport slowly approached. As they drew closer, details became visible. Massive towers extended from the structure. Orion emblems covered its exterior. Countless docking platforms surrounded the station. The headquarters wasn't merely a base. It was practically a city. A city built for heroes. The vessel landed inside one of the ancient hangars. The moment the doors opened, Edwin felt something strange. A familiar energy. The same energy as the ring. The same energy as the scarf. The same energy as the Red Box. Wingard's presence seemed to linger everywhere. The group stepped into t