The question reverberated through the walls of the Nebu-9, leaving a lingering resonance in the minds of the crew. "Do you remember?" It was not just a query, but an invitation, one that felt as though it was reaching deep into the very fabric of their souls, asking them to recall something they had long since forgotten.

  Elias leaned forward in his chair, his hands gripping the console as if to steady himself against the disorienting surge of energy that coursed through the ship. The soft hum of the Nebu-9’s systems was the only sound filling the room, though it felt distant now—like the beat of a heart in a dream.

  "Do we remember what?" Aria’s voice was almost a whisper. "What is this thing asking us?"

  Amara, her brow furrowed in concentration, sat at her console, her fingers racing over the keys as she tried to make sense of the energy patterns. "I... I don’t know," she admitted. "It’s not like any nguage I’ve encountered. It’s more like... a call, an ancient echo trying to reach through time. As if it’s asking us to recall something we were never meant to forget."

  Kieran Locke stood behind her, adjusting his gsses, his mind racing. "It’s almost like this sphere has been waiting for someone. Or perhaps something. Maybe it’s not just us it’s calling to—it might be reaching out to humanity as a whole. The Echo Project—the first deep-space probe, lost in time—it might have been the first signal. And we’re the second, the answer."

  "Are you suggesting that this pce is connected to The Echo Project?" Elias asked, his voice steady but ced with a growing sense of urgency. "That whatever is here is something left by the ancient explorers from Earth’s past?"

  "It’s possible," Kieran said, his voice tinged with awe. "The Echo Project was humanity’s first step beyond the stars, but they never returned. This pce—it could be their legacy. An artifact left by an intelligence far older than our own."

  The crew stood in stunned silence, processing the weight of the revetion. The truth they had uncovered was monumental, but it was still incomplete. The answer to the sphere’s question—"Do you remember?"—was still elusive. The past was calling, but they had no way of answering.

  "Commander," Nova’s voice broke through their thoughts. "I’m detecting another energy spike. It’s not like the others—it’s coming from within the sphere. It’s a burst of information—some kind of transmission."

  "Can you isote it?" Elias asked, his heart racing with a mixture of excitement and dread.

  "I’m working on it," Nova replied. "It’s difficult to lock onto. It’s... like it’s being broadcast in waves, shifting through different frequencies. But I think I’ve got it."

  Amara turned to the main screen, her eyes wide with anticipation. "What’s it saying?"

  For a long moment, there was only static. Then, a voice—crackling with interference—filled the bridge. It was faint, almost too quiet to hear, but it was unmistakable.

  FIRST CONTACT

  "We were the first."

  The words were chilling in their simplicity. A pause followed, and then the voice continued, its tone sombre and resigned.

  "We reached out. We found the gateway. But the cost... was too great."

  Elias’s stomach churned. It was clear now—whatever this message was, it came from those who had journeyed before them, the forgotten explorers whose mission had failed.

  "You are not the first."

  A flicker of static, and then the voice returned, but it was different now—more distant, as if the speaker was fading into memory.

  "Beware the temptation of the gateway. It is not a door to knowledge—it is a trap. Once you cross, you will not return."

  The transmission cut out abruptly, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. The crew exchanged uneasy gnces, the weight of the warning pressing down on them.

  Elias took a deep breath, his mind racing. "So... we’re not the first to find this pce," he said slowly, almost to himself. "And whatever happened to The Echo Project... it wasn’t a failure of technology. It was something far worse. Something that came through the gateway. We’ve been following in their footsteps all along."

  "That’s a hell of a thing to find out," Lucas muttered, looking up from his console. "That we’re walking into a trap set centuries ago. We don’t even know what’s on the other side of this gateway. What if it’s... waiting for us?"

  "Right now, we don’t have any other choice," Elias replied, his voice hardening with resolve. "We came here to understand what happened to The Echo Project, and we’re going to find out. But we’re doing this carefully. We won’t rush in blind."

  "Commander, I’ve isoted the gateway," Nova said. "The energy readings are... stable for now. But I don’t know how long that will st."

  "Understood," Elias said, his tone resolute. "We move forward cautiously. Sienna, take us closer to the gateway, but keep your distance until we can make sure it’s safe."

  Sienna nodded, her face set with determination. "Aye, Commander."

  DEEPER INTO THE VOID

  The Nebu-9 inched forward, its engines humming steadily as it moved toward the massive rift in space. The sphere’s walls seemed to close in around them, the eerie pulse of energy growing stronger as they approached. The gateway itself was a swirling vortex of light and shadow, its edges shifting in impossible patterns. It was a doorway, or perhaps a veil, between two worlds—one they understood, and one that they did not.

  Elias watched the gateway grow rger on the screen, his thoughts racing. What had The Echo Project found here? What had they discovered? And most importantly, what had happened to them after they crossed through?

  "Do you still think we can turn back?" Aria asked, her voice soft but den with uncertainty.

  Elias looked at her, his eyes hardening with determination. "There’s no turning back now. We’re too close. Whatever lies beyond that gate, we have to know. We have to understand what’s waiting for us."

  The ship continued its slow approach, the tension palpable in the air. The crew had come so far, but now, in the face of the unknown, they were standing on the precipice of something far more dangerous than any of them had imagined.

  As they neared the gateway, a sudden surge of energy rippled through the sphere, throwing the Nebu-9 off course. The ship lurched violently, arms bring throughout the bridge.

  "Shields up!" Elias barked. "Brace for impact!"

  The ship rocked again, this time with far more force, as a bst of energy smmed into the hull. The crew was thrown from their seats as the lights flickered and the systems began to fail.

  "Status report!" Elias demanded, gripping the console to steady himself.

  "We’re taking heavy damage!" Lucas shouted, his voice strained. "The shields aren’t holding! Whatever that thing is, it’s reacting to us!"

  "Dammit," Elias muttered, trying to assess the situation. "Get us out of here, Sienna. Now!"

  Sienna’s fingers danced over the controls, but the ship’s systems were still failing, the force of the energy bst too powerful to overcome. They were stuck, right on the edge of the gateway, with no way to move forward or retreat.

  And then, as if The Universe itself had decided to answer them, the gateway fred with an impossible brightness. The Rift expanded, sucking them into its depths. The st thing Elias saw before the world around him colpsed into pure, blinding light was the face of his crew—tense, uncertain, but unwavering in their resolve.

  Then, everything went dark.

  CHAPTER’s NOTE:In Chapter 10, the crew of Nebu-9 uncovers more about the Echo Project and the ominous gateway within the crystalline sphere. A cryptic transmission reveals that the Echo Project explorers faced a tragic fate, warning the crew of the dangers lurking within the gateway. As the Nebu-9 approaches The Rift, the tension intensifies, and the ship is struck by a powerful energy bst, putting the crew at the mercy of whatever forces lie on the other side. This chapter heightens the mystery and danger, setting the stage for the inevitable confrontation with the unknown.