Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain remained focused on the task at hand, his mind working fast to analyze the situation. The distant stars and celestial bodies offered no immediate clues about the identity of their attacker. The vastness of space made it a daunting challenge to pinpoint the source of the threat.

Sakaki observed the telescope readings closely, searching for anomalies that might reveal the presence of an external force. The silence in the command room was palpable, each member of the group grappling with the uncertainty of the situation.

"No good… I guess the attack came from an area that we can't explore yet… perhaps months of distance away from us considering their speed," Sakaki said.

"What wast the speed of the meteors?" Rain asked.

"The speed of a meteor can vary widely depending on several factors, including the size of the meteor, its composition, and the angle at which it enters Earth's atmosphere." Sakaki explained "On average, meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere at speeds ranging from 25,000 to 160,000 kilometers per hour.

These high speeds result from the gravitational attraction between the celestial bodies involved… however, those were moving even faster than us."

"That confirms the attack… Still, they should traveled for a long time before they could have hit us and the enemy must have watched us for a while as well," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Unless someone took large chunks of nearby celestial bodies and redirected them at us… considering that, finding them will be difficult."

"That is not entirely true," Sakaki said. "Lookking in the direction the attacks came from can still be a good clue. It would be too much of a hassle for the attacker to make us search for them in the wrong direction. Moreover, with this much firepower, they wouldn't want to hide from us."

Sakaki had a point… being hit by meteors of that size… the enemy had massive high power and they probably would want to face the group directly after failing at destroying the vessel. Rain had made some more lenses to the telescope, but it looked like he would need to work more on them.

When all the others arrived at Rain's home, they found him working on the lesses and wondered why the heck he wasn't in the control room… if something happens, he needed to respond fast.

"Don't worry, the enemy realized that we can deal with attacks like this to some extent, so they won't use it again," Rain said. "Anyway, with this, we don't have to wanter without a clear direction now."

"Did you already found the location of the enemy?" Esmeralda asked.

"I should find eventually, once I double the scope of the Telescope," Rain said. "You guys can stay in the command room while some of you calm down the population."

As Rain continued his work on expanding the telescope's capabilities, the rest of the group dispersed to fulfill their respective roles. Esmeralda and Terra took charge of addressing the concerns and fears of the vessel's inhabitants, providing reassurance and maintaining order. Meanwhile, Seadrei, Isa, and Sealyn remained in the command room, assisting Seara with monitoring and analysis.

Branden and Roan decided to inspect the interior of the vessel to assess any potential damage caused by the meteor impact. The vessel's defensive barrier had proven effective, but it was essential to ensure there were no hidden vulnerabilities, the sudden movements and the impact actually damaged some homes, so they had to work on that.

After everyone focused on those holes for a couple of days, Rain finally improved the power of the telescope enough to reach their next destination… to be honest, once again, Rain couldn't hide his shock when he saw the location. Several months away at their speed from the solar system, Rain was able to see four planets dangerously close together and connected at that.

As Rain adjusted the telescope's enhanced lenses, the distant image of the four planets came into sharper focus. From his vantage point, they appeared unnaturally close, their surfaces connected by what seemed like lines. However, Rain could discern that these weren't ordinary lines but colossal corridors that pierced through the planets, interlinking them in a complex structure.

The planets were rotating in unison, creating a mesmerizing dance of celestial bodies. Their synchronized motion orbited a smaller grey planet positioned at the center of this interconnected system. The grey planet, much smaller than the others, seemed to be serving as a pivot around which the larger ones revolved.

Amidst the intricate network of planetary connections, Rain's gaze was drawn to the central grey planet. At its core, a massive cannon emerged, aimed directly at them. The enormity of the weapon suggested that it was likely responsible for the previous meteor attack.

Rain's shock intensified as he realized the scale of the threat they were facing. The interconnected planets, the rotating system, and the colossal cannon indicated a level of technological advancement beyond anything he had encountered before.

"It's a planetary defense system," Rain muttered to himself.

"Well, things are escalating really fast," Vanessa said and she sounded pretty amused. "It looks like our first stop is to a society that became able to fire meteors like bullets."

"That should be their first line of defense…" Sakaki said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Living in a place like that were such a cannon exists would be too dangerous for their population… unless they are dragons. Try to adjust the telescope and see if you can find anything around that thing."

"... Not good, I can't see anything around," Rain said. "Still, if they have the technology to build this, they should have a decent camouflage system as well. I can see some mana on that defense system, but not anywhere else around it… if they are hidden there, they must be hiding in our blind spot behind that defensive system."

"The group finally found the first big obstacle in understanding what was happening to the universe and it looked like the scape of things would remain like that… massive.