Start with a Hammer, End with Five Beast Husbands

Caedmon Found Me

Old Robert finally gave me a lazy glance, as if weighing the poor buying power in my pockets.

He pulled up another screen, tapped a few times, and blew out a ring of smoke.

“Cargo ship to F53 Industrial Planet tomorrow. Last slot. Eight thousand.”

I frowned. “Too expensive. Anything cheaper?”

He let out a snort, swiping across the screen again.

“Too expensive? Then wait. Half a month later there’s a labor transport—” he coughed lightly, “—passes by the Y92 reclamation station. Conditions… a little better than here. ‘Lodging’ included. Five thousand. Three thousand deposit, the rest paid onboard.”

I looked down at the less-than-five-hundred credits left in my pocket.

That familiar chokehold of poverty tightened around my throat again.

After all that effort, I was still stuck scraping the bottom.

“Uh… Old Robert, could you maybe… make it cheaper? Or I pay a hundred first?” I tried one last time. As long as I got on the ship, I’d figure something out.

He gave me a look that said are you kidding me, cigarette dangling from his lips.

“No credit. Pay or go.”

I deflated instantly.

Figures—even stowing away has a price.

I left, shoulders slumped, glancing down at the brand-new neural terminal on my wrist—the one I’d spent a “fortune” on.

Then a thought hit me—

Return it.

Yeah, it’d be embarrassing, but compared to freedom, who cares?

If I returned it, I could buy a ticket—maybe even have some Pulses left as startup capital on another planet.

I immediately turned around and headed back toward the shop where I bought it.

But the moment I stepped to that road, something felt off.

Too quiet.

Normally run-down but still active, the street was now completely empty.

Every shop had its doors and windows shut tight.

Through a few barely open cracks, I could see people pressed against the glass, peeking out with a mix of fear and curiosity.

“What’s going on?”

I muttered to myself. Space raiders?

My instincts started ringing alarms.

I slowed my steps, scanning my surroundings carefully.

Rounding the final corner, the familiar shop finally came into view—

—and so did the line of Federation soldiers standing at its entrance, their presence sharp, disciplined, and lethal.

At the front stood a figure, straight as a spear.

He was turned slightly to the side. A perfectly tailored, dark navy Federation uniform fit his frame with precision, the general’s stars on his shoulders glinting coldly even in the dim light.

Broad shoulders. Narrow waist. Impeccable posture.

He just stood there, casually—and yet it was like an invisible barrier radiated from him, cutting off all the decay and chaos around him, claiming the space as his own.

Just that profile. That untamed, dominant aura.

And a thought slipped into my mind without permission—

Dangerous.

But… captivating.

“Tch. A top-tier man?”

I couldn’t help taking a second look.

As if sensing my gaze, he slowly turned his head.

Time seemed to slow.

I saw his face.

Pale, cool-toned skin. A straight, sculpted nose. Thin lips set in a detached line.

And those eyes—deep, dark like obsidian steeped in starlight. Sharp. Cold. Carrying an undisguised sense of superiority and scrutiny.

Handsome.

Seriously handsome.

But at that same instant, a chill shot down my spine.

I’d seen that face before.

Just this morning.

On that forced-match notification.

First on the list.

Caedmon Thorne.

Major General of the Federation.

How the hell did he get here so fast???

Almost the exact moment I recognized him, my wrist terminal chimed—helpfully—with a notification from the central system:

[Friendly Reminder: Dear Ms. Ashley, your first genetic match (Caedmon Thorne) has arrived on Planet Y926. Current distance:

Me: “!!!”

Pleasant your ass!

He’s practically in my face, but you’re just telling me?!

Does this damn system come with a built-in sabotage feature?!

No hesitation.

Survival instinct took over completely.

I spun on my heel and ran. Fast enough that even my shadow lagged behind.

My heart hammered wildly in my chest, faster and faster, pounding so hard it made me panic.

But worse—far worse—was the sound behind me, closing in.

The low, oppressive roar of a craft engine.

Like death itself, inching closer.

There was no way my legs could compete with a military-grade vehicle.

“Stop!”

A cold male voice, laced with absolute authority, blasted through the loudspeaker, rattling my ears.

Stop?

So you can drag me back and lock me up—or just shoot me on the spot?

I cursed wildly in my head, but my feet didn’t dare slow for even a second. If anything, I ran faster—so fast it felt like I was leaving afterimages behind me.

Running straight was a dead end.

Gritting my teeth, I made a sharp turn into a narrow alley—the kind crammed with scrap metal, wreckage, and trash.

A place too tight for a vehicle to follow.

They’d have to go around.

Caedmon Mini Scene:



I received the details of my assigned match and realized I was already in the vicinity of her planet. I only intended to stop by—have a proper conversation with her about setting boundaries so we wouldn’t interfere with each other, and agree on a substantial compensation for her once the matching period was over.

I had prepared a hundred different opening lines. This was the one possibility I never accounted for. The moment she saw me, she ran—faster than a shooting star.

At this point, I have only one thought: catch her.