The Wraithling drifted in the upper stratosphere, invisible to ground-based scanners, cloaked in a low-energy stasis field. Outside, the world moved on, unaware that a ghost of the void had reawakened above it.
Inside the ship's dimly lit core chamber, Ethan stood before the crystalline vault. Threads of energy pulsed outward like veins in amber, each line connected to a sealed conduit. Seven total. One dimmed—the memory fragment he'd already accessed. Six more waited.
[Recovered Memory Node: 1/7 – Active][Star Chart Fragment Available – Displaying]
A holographic map unfolded before him—a lattice of stars and vector lines, constellations shifting and distorting like a living thing. Except… most of them weren't labeled. Worse, some stars pulsed a dull red, flickering like dying embers.
"Why's it all broken?" Ethan asked aloud.
The ship responded in its cool, echoing voice.
"The map is not broken. The stars have fallen.Several systems collapsed or vanished during the Silence Wars.Others… were consumed."
Aelira stepped up beside him, her eyes scanning the map. "Consumed by what?"
"The Unnamed. The Scourge.Names change. Meaning does not.Some say the System itself tried to seal them. Others say it created them."
Ethan swallowed. "And these places—these blinking red zones?"
"Beast Graves. Void-cracked ruins. Derelict strongholds once held by my fleet.One remains potentially accessible: Oron Karth – The Dead Throne.Distance: Two warp jumps. Threat Level: Unknown."
Aelira raised an eyebrow. "That sounds inviting."
"Still better than waiting here for another patrol," Ethan muttered. "What's at Oron Karth?"
"Unknown. But it is where the Ghostwake died."
The words landed heavy.
"If you seek memory, power, or truth—go there.If you seek peace… do not."
Ethan stared at the pulsing coordinates. Something inside him—the part that remembered Earth, Kaelen, all of it—twisted into resolve.
"Plot a course. We'll prep the jump."
"Acknowledged. Coordinates locked.Warp systems recharging. Estimated time: 17 hours."
He turned to Aelira. "That gives us time to rest, resupply… and maybe dig into another one of those memories."
She smirked. "Curiosity might kill you, Cross."
"Yeah," Ethan said with a dry smile. "But it hasn't yet."