The Nebu-9 touched down on the reinforced nding ptform of Lunar Command, the closest secure facility that Earth’s authorities could offer. Beyond the reinforced windows of the base, the void of space stretched infinitely—but the real threat was much closer.

  Hovering beyond Earth's atmosphere, The Warship waited.

  It had been there for hours, unmoving. Watching.

  The world below was on edge. The Global Defence Network(GDN) was mobilized, fleets of military satellites had trained their weapons on the alien vessel, and every government was scrambling for answers.

  Answers Elias Vance didn’t have.

  As the nding ramp descended, Admiral Lyra Devereux was already waiting, fnked by an entourage of military officials, scientists, and intelligence officers. Her face was unreadable, but the tension in her stance betrayed her unease.

  Elias stepped forward. “Admiral.”

  Devereux didn’t waste time. “We need to talk. Now.”

  WAR ROOMS AND SHADOW SECRETS

  Inside the Lunar Command briefing chamber, holograms of Earth’s leaders hovered over the table—Presidents, Prime Ministers, Defence Commanders. The atmosphere was grim.

  Devereux gestured to the massive dispy at the center of the room, showing The Warship in high detail.

  “This thing has been here for forty-one hours. It has made no demands, no contact. Nothing. It just sits there.” She exhaled sharply. “And now, anomalies are appearing across Earth. We need to know what the hell you brought back.”

  Elias gnced at his crew. Aria, Kieran, Amara, Lucas, Sienna—each of them looked just as uncertain.

  “We didn’t bring it back,” Elias said. “It was already here.”

  Murmurs spread through the room.

  “What do you mean, already here?” one of the diplomats asked.

  Amara leaned forward. “This war—the one we stumbled into—it didn’t just start with us. The Veil isn’t just some random event. It’s a Cycle. One that keeps happening.”

  Kieran nodded. “And it looks like Earth has been part of that cycle a lot longer than we realized.”

  Devereux narrowed her eyes. “Expin.”

  Elias took a breath. “THE VEIL isn’t just a rift in space. It’s a battlefield. A war has been raging beyond our understanding for centuries, maybe longer. And somehow, Earth is caught in the middle of it.”

  He turned to the dispy.

  “That Ship out there? It’s waiting. Not to attack. To see what we do next.”

  Silence fell over the room.

  Then, the hologram of President Elias Moreau of the United Earth Council spoke.

  “Then we have to assume the worst.” His voice was steady, decisive. “If this is a war, we cannot afford to hesitate.”

  A new hologram blinked to life—Fleet Marshal Anton Sokolov, Supreme Commander of Earth’s Defence Forces. His expression was ice cold.

  “If we are caught in a cycle of war, then we must break it,” Sokolov said. “We hit them first.”

  THE CHOICE

  Elias smmed his hands on the table.

  “That’s exactly what they want us to do,” he growled. “You fire first, you might be giving them the justification they need to turn this into an invasion.”

  Devereux nodded. “Commander Vance is right. This isn’t just about survival. This is a test.”

  President Moreau folded his hands. “Then tell me, Commander—how do we stop it?”

  Elias looked at his crew. Aria, who had seen the shattered worlds beyond THE VEIL. Kieran, who had felt the unnatural weight of its presence. Amara, who had heard the echoes of something beyond time itself.

  They all knew the truth.

  “We don’t stop it,” Elias said. “We understand it.”

  Moreau frowned. “Eborate.”

  Kieran pulled up a holographic model. “We’ve been thinking of THE VEIL as a barrier. A gateway. But what if it’s more than that? What if it’s a recording? An imprint of everything that has ever happened in this war?”

  Lucas chimed in. “The ship out there—it’s breaking apart. That means whatever force is driving this cycle is reaching its next phase.”

  Amara finished the thought. “Which means we’re running out of time.”

  Elias turned to Devereux. “We need to board that Warship.”

  Stunned silence.

  “You’re out of your damn mind,” Sokolov said.

  “No,” Elias countered. “I’m trying to stop You from making a mistake that could doom us all. You fire first, and we might be pying right into their hands. If we go aboard, we might finally get some answers.”

  Moreau exchanged a gnce with Devereux. The weight of the decision settled in the air.

  Devereux exhaled. “You’re sure about this?”

  Elias looked toward the dispy. The Warship. The waiting. The choice.

  “We don’t have a choice,” he said. “Not anymore.”

  BOARDING THE UNKNOWN

  Hours ter, the Nebu-9 drifted toward the alien WARSHIP.

  Earth’s military watched from a distance, weapons ready. The world held its breath.

  As the airlock of the Warship opened, an unnatural hum vibrated through the hull.

  They stepped inside.

  And the door sealed behind them.

  Darkness swallowed them whole.

  And a voice whispered through.

  “THE CYCLE MUST COMPLETE.”

  Elias gritted his teeth.

  Whatever y ahead, there was no turning back now.

  CHAPTER’s NOTE:This chapter marks the final escation before the grand conclusion. Elias and his crew return to Earth only to discover the war was already here. Earth’s leaders are divided—fight or understand? Elias chooses the only path left: to step directly into the unknown. The final chapter will decide the fate of Earth, The Veil, and The Cycle itself. One way or another, this ends.