Aetherveil stood motionless on the observation deck of a weaponized Luminarian cargo ship. All she could feel was the emptiness of what came next. The usual low hum of the ship’s systems, the faint hiss of energy coursing through the hull—none of it reached her senses.

  She exhaled slowly, pressing her fingertips against her temple. Her thoughts were caught between the aftermath of Paleon and the dark uncertainty that lay ahead.

  Paleon was gone. The galaxy was different now. She knew she hadn't saved it, but she wasn't sure if she had just contributed to its inevitable collapse.

  Locke stood behind her, his arms crossed.

  “Make it make sense,” he said.

  Aetherveil didn’t respond right away. She forced herself to turn and face him. The shadows under his eyes mirrored her own. She had no comfort to offer. Only answers.

  “Those creatures—Katabrothans—are more intelligent than they seem,” she said. Her fingers curled into a loose fist—the creatures haunted her. “Arcturus opened the gates for them…and they locked them open.“

  “So, the conduit closed it?“ Locke asked. “Why Paleon?“

  “Paleon had an unusual magnetosphere that the Architects were able to use to disrupt the gateways,” she replied. “There were more than the ones on Luminaria.“

  Locke let out a breath, rubbing his head. Big D, who had been leaning against the bulkhead, finally spoke.

  “So what? It charged the magnetosphere like a coil?“ Big D asked, gesturing vaguely as if trying to picture it.

  “Something like that,” Aetherveil said, running a hand over her face. “With the links disrupted, the gates are forced shut.“

  “Can they be opened again?“ he asked.

  She hesitated. There was a sense of finality in her next words.

  “It was only meant to be used once. It's only by chance that the planet survived the first time,” Aetherveil said. “The second activation overloaded it.”

  She looked back at the viewport. “I don’t think the conduit…or the gates…will ever work again.”

  “They lied to us. We were never supposed to survive that day.“

  A long silence followed. Aetherveil's hands squeezed into fists at her sides.

  If she had stopped Arcturus sooner, would Paleon still exist? Would Luminaria?

  It didn’t matter now.

  Paleon was gone. The gates were shut. What lay beyond them would have to find another way in.

  The beacon’s final transmission was on her mind. It had signaled them toward Origin. It was a place that had long since faded from the maps of known space. Aetherveil could feel the uncertainty influencing her.

  If they followed this signal, if they ventured deeper into uncharted space, would they be walking into a trap?

  The risk seemed unavoidable. She had to know.

  “What about the Nexus?“ Locke asked.

  “Arros is going to lead that fight,” Aetherveil said. “The disruption will have slowed them down. Anything Nexus would have been destroyed around dozens of systems.“

  Her thoughts drifted—as they often did—back to Lilyon. Losing her, and Luminaria, had scarred her deeper than she could admit.

  For days Aetherveil had thrown herself into fight after fight, refusing to stop long enough to confront the emptiness left in her heart. As the distant stars blinked in the cold expanse of space, she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

  They were gone.

  Aetherveil was thrown to the ground by Lilyon. She slipped right past Aetherveil's guard, taking advantage of her shorter figure.

  “You're fast. Not bad,” Aetherveil said smiling. “How many surprises could you possibly pack into that tiny body?“

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  Lilyon returned the smile. She stood up, a sense of pride emitting from her posture.

  “I've got plenty more,” she replied.

  Aetherveil wrapped her arms around Lilyon's shoulder, leading her out of the training yard.

  “Lets find something more exciting to do,” she said. “Our ship is almost done with the upgrades. We can see how they've defiled her.“

  Aetherveil lowered her head, a single tear slamming into the deck.

  "How can I lead them when I’ve lost so much of myself?"

  She had spent millenia as a warrior forged by beings who had seen her as merely an expendable tool. A means to an end. It was her arrogance that compelled her to believe she could be a protector.

  What was left of her people looked to her for guidance. She feared that she might not have what it took to lead them through the darkness ahead.

  Aetherveil closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. Her reflection stared back at her from the viewport, eyes glowing faintly.

  She had been so certain of her path. She couldn't have been more wrong.

  The comms buzzed, interrupting her thoughts. "The fleet is prepared to jump to the Elysian system.“

  Aetherveil felt a chill run through her. She had known of the Elysian system—a place of strange phenomena. It was a system spoken of in hushed tones.

  "What could it lead us to in a place like that?"

  “It could be a trap, Aetherveil,” Big D said. “The Nexus could be manipulating the signal.“

  Aetheveil nodded slightly. “I know,“ she said. "I appreciate your concern. You don't have to come.“

  Big D hesitated. Then nodded.

  “I can face it alone,” she finished.

  Locke's eyes searched Aetherveil’s for a long moment.

  “You know who was on the other end, don't you?“ he asked.

  Aetherveil placed a finger on her body, silently tracing the incisions.

  “It's been so long. I was sure they were gone.“

  She didn't answer.

  “You think it might be your creators,” Locke said. "We’ll be ready when you are."

  With that, they turned and left the observation deck.

  Aetherveil remained. Alone.

  She had always been a solitary figure, even among her closest allies. After losing Lilyon, the loneliness had deepened. She had lost more than just a friend.

  Aetherveil was adrift—navigating the unknown while trying to protect what was left of her people.

  An announcement sounded over the ship's intercomm.

  “All hands, prepare to jump.“

  Moments later.

  “Jump in three…two…one…”

  The fleet emerged from hyperspace on the edge of the Elysian system.

  The massive nebula swirled in the distance like a cosmic leviathan. The system was dark. It's faint stars cast long shadows across the scattered planets.

  Aetherveil stood on the bridge, her eyes fixed on the view ahead.

  "Alert the fleet," Aetherveil said. "We don’t know what’s inside that nebula, but we need to be ready for anything."

  The bridge crew jumped into action, relaying her orders to the rest of the fleet. Every officer was on edge as they approached the nebula's outer boundary. The swirling clouds of gas were like a wall, obscuring whatever lay beyond.

  The fleet travelled deeper into the nebula, the swirling mists growing thicker around them. The interference on their sensors became more intense, and the bridge crew worked tirelessly to keep their systems functioning. The deeper they ventured, the more it felt like the nebula was blinding them, obscuring their awareness of everything outside of the hull.

  Suddenly, alarms blared across the bridge.

  "Incoming!" one of the officers shouted, his hands flying over the controls. "Multiple contacts—Nexus ships!"

  “Of course the Nexus followed us. How can I be so stupid.“

  They had been chasing the same signal, drawn to the same power that Aetherveil and her forces sought.

  "Battle stations! Prepare to engage," she ordered. “How many?"

  "Three warships on intercept course," the officer replied. "They’ve been hiding in the outer edges of the nebula, waiting for us to enter."

  The ships moved into defensive positions as the Nexus warships closed in. The nebula heavily interfered with their sensors, making it difficult to get a clear read on the enemy’s movements.

  Plasma bolts erupted from the Nexus ships, slicing through the dark clouds as they opened fire.

  The first wave of shots struck Aetherveil's vessel, causing the ship to shudder under the impact.

  Aetherveil gripped the edge of the command console, her gaze locked on the tactical display as her fleet returned fire.

  "Status report!" Aetherveil shouted.

  "The hull is holding for now, but we’re taking heavy fire. The nebula’s interference is throwing off our targeting systems—we can’t get a clear lock on their ships," an officer replied.

  Aetherveil cursed under her breath. The Nexus had the upper hand, using the nebula’s interference to their advantage.

  “Prepare for a jump to the center of the nebula," she ordered. "We need to break free of this engagement."

  "Understood," the helmsman replied. "We’ll be vulnerable during the jump."

  Aetherveil nodded. "I know. It's our only chance. If we stay here, we’ll be torn apart."

  The fleet prepared for the jump, the reactors powering up as the ships maneuvered to break free of the Nexus assault.

  The Nexus warships pressed their attack in a desperate attempt to prevent them from escaping.

  "Jump," Aetherveil ordered.

  The stars outside stretched and warped as the ship engaged the jump reactor, disappearing into the swirling clouds of the nebula. There was nothing but the disorienting sensation of the jump. Just as suddenly, they emerged on the other side.

  The view before them took Aetherveil’s breath away.

  They had arrived where the nebula’s swirling mists gave way to a vast, dark expanse. At the center of it all, surrounded by a faint light, was a massive station.

  The beacon.

  It was far larger than Aetherveil had expected. It was a colossal structure floating in the void, its surface covered in intricate runes and inscriptions. The sight of it filled Aetherveil with awe and dread.

  This was what they had been searching for.

  The key to understanding the conduit’s signal and to Origin.

  There was something else, too—a presence. Something dark, something that had been waiting for them all along.

  "The Nexus will be here soon," Aetherveil said, her voice low.

  The race to Origin had begun.