The Arbor drifted into the dying star system, its sleek hull slicing through the emptiness as the red dwarf cast a faint, sickly glow over the planet below.
The bridge was silent, the weight of anticipation pressing down as the desolate world came into full view—a scarred husk, covered in jagged metal and craters, its surface lifeless and gray, stretched under the weak light.
Emma stood at the main console, her pulse steady but heavy in her chest.
Chloe's voice broke the silence, low and tight.
"We've reached the signal's origin, Doc. It's… in ruins."
Emma's jaw tensed, a pang of sorrow threading through her resolve.
"Prepare for landing." She exhaled slowly. "Deploy a recon team."
--
Landing Bay – Deployment
The doors hissed open, revealing a squad of enhanced soldiers, their WoodDust-infused armor shimmering faintly at the joints.
At their lead stood Sergeant Reyes, a grizzled veteran with a scar cutting across his jaw, eyes sharp and alert.
Their rifles hummed with quiet menace, tuned for the unknown.
Emma lingered at the ramp's edge, breath fogging in the bay's chill.
Her voice was firm, but unease slipped through the edges.
"Be careful out there. This doesn't look friendly."
Reyes nodded, his reply gravelly.
"Yes, ma'am."
A simple assurance. Measured. Steady.
And then, the team descended into the unknown.
---
Planet Surface – The Ruins
The soldiers moved across the wreckage, their boots crunching against twisted metal and fractured structures.
The air was thin and cold, carrying a metallic tang that stung their lungs.
Reyes' voice crackled through the comms, grim but controlled.
"Nothing moving, Dr. Forrest. Just… aftermath. Like something ripped through here."
Emma paced the bridge, hands clasped behind her back, the silence in the room mirroring the desolation on the surface.
Then—a sharp transmission.
"Wait—I see something," Private Chen's voice cut through static. "Over here."
The team converged on a pile of debris, their weapons raised out of instinct.
Beneath the wreckage—movement.
A gaunt figure, barely clinging to life.
Alien.
Its skin was dull, metallic gray, its body fragile, shaking with effort as it lifted a trembling hand toward them.
A rasp—weak, broken.
"They… the K'tharr… they're coming…"
Emma froze, her breath catching.
This wasn't a Zogarian remnant.
This was something worse.
She steadied herself, voice firm despite the dread creeping into her chest.
"Get it aboard."
No hesitation.
The soldiers lifted the alien, its frail form a stark contrast to their armored bulk, and the shuttle roared back to the Arbor.
---
Bridge – Aftermath
As the bay doors sealed, Emma stood at the viewport, staring down at the ruined planet, her thoughts drifting back to Earth, to Adewale's grave, to battles fought in desperation.
She whispered to herself, too low for anyone to hear—"What did this?"
But deep down, she already knew.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was, Earth had barely survived the first war.