Kael nodded. "We're taking off. Zara, hold the artifact. Rex, eliminate the enemy. Lira, monitor the space. Taro, prepare evasive maneuvers."
Zara rolled in the air, firing at the approaching drones. "Let them try to stop me!"
The Black Star lifted off the ground, the artifact pulsing, destabilizing all enemy systems in the vicinity. The city below turned into a battlefield, and every move was a test of the group's reflexes and strategy.
The Black Star rose higher above the city, the artifact pulsing intensely. Drones attempted to make contact, but sudden electrical pulses halted their flight, and some units exploded in midair.
Rex watched the radar. "They have heavy combat drones. They're approaching from the north. We can't let them surround us."
The Black Star drifted on the edge of the system, far from the main routes. The stars twinkled peacefully, unaware that someone was about to try to set the galaxy on fire again.
Kael stood by the main holoterminal. The space map was littered with markers: red syndicate influence zones mixed with areas marked as unknown. The artifact rested in the center of the room, suspended in a stabilizing field.
"Veyra mentioned an observation post," Kael said. "Abandoned, but still active. If the new faction is indeed stationed there, we'll find some answers."
Zara sat on the railing, twirling one of her pistols on her finger. "Or we'll get shot. Sounds fair enough."
Rex glanced at her briefly. "If someone's there, it's not by accident. Places like this don't glow with signals for no reason."
Lira ran her fingers across the panel, analyzing the transmissions. "The signal is modulated. Not the Syndicate, not the military. It's someone very old or very careful."
Taro looked up from his tools. "The artifact is responding. Weakly, but consistently. As if something is calling it."
The room fell silent.
Kael looked at the artifact. "So it's not a trap. It's an invitation."
Zara smiled wryly. "I hate invitations."
The ship moved. The engine shook, and the stars stretched into bright streaks. The jump was short, but the tension inside grew with every second.
When they emerged from hyperspace, the station appeared before them. It was old and darkened, entwined with fragments of old structures. Lights burned in only a few sectors.
"It looks dead," Rex muttered.
"Dead things don't send signals," Lira replied.
The docking proceeded without resistance. The airlock opened with a long hiss, and cold air poured in. The station's corridors were narrow, the metal bearing traces of a past struggle: burned panels, energy blade scratches, dried blood.
Zara ran her finger along the wall. "Someone died here, slowly and reluctantly."
Kael raised his hand. "Quiet."
Something moved in the darkness.
Lira's sensors beeped. "Movement. One object. Not mechanical."
A figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, slim, wrapped in layers of fabric and metal. Its eyes glowed with a pale light.
"You carry the echo of ancient fires," the figure said. "Your artifact betrays you."
Rex raised his weapon. "One more step and we'll end this conversation."
The figure did not move. "If we wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have made it here alive."
Zara tilted her head. "I like it. They speak without fear."
Kael took a step forward. "We're looking for answers. And we're not giving up what we have."
The lights in the corridor suddenly came on. Behind the figure stood more of them. Silent, motionless, watching.
"We didn't come for the artifact," said the creature. "We came to see if you are worthy of survival."
Taro felt the artifact pulsing harder. "Kael... something is waking up."
Kael clenched his jaw. "Looks like the test is about to begin."
Zara smiled broadly and raised her weapon. "Come on, then. We'll show you what surviving looks like."
The station corridor was filled with a quiet, low sound. Not an alarm or a siren. It was more like the breath of something enormous, hidden deep within the structure.
The figures standing before them slowly moved apart, in sync. Their movements were too even, too controlled, as if every gesture had been planned in advance.
"I don't like this," said Lira. Her fingers were already dancing across the panel on her wrist.
Zara took a step forward. "I like it too much."
The first shot came without warning. Not from the crew. An energy bolt cut through the air and struck the wall next to Kael, melting the metal into a liquid mass.
Rex responded immediately, his weapon roaring as flashes of plasma lit up the corridor. One of the figures was hit in the chest. Energy spread through her body, but she didn't fall. She only took a step back.
"They're not normal," Rex growled.
Zara was already running. She fired as she moved, leaping over fragments of debris, her laughter echoing off the walls. Every shot hit its mark, but the opponents still pressed forward.
Kael felt the artifact begin to resonate. Warmth spread across his chest, and his helmet visor flickered.
"Taro," he said. "Tell me you have this under control."
"I don't," Taro replied. "But neither do they."
One of the creatures raised its hand. The air thickened. Zara suddenly slowed, as if moving through water.
"Hey, hey, that's cheating," she said, trying to break free from the invisible pressure.
Lira shouted something and activated the EMP pulse. A wave of energy spread through the corridor. The lights went out. Silence lasted for a fraction of a second. Then everything exploded.
The creatures moved simultaneously. They did not shoot. They charged.
Rex took a step back and opened fire continuously. One fell, another lost an arm, but the third got within arm's reach.
Zara lunged at it from the side, jamming the barrel of her pistol into a gap in its armor and pulling the trigger. The figure collapsed to the ground, twitching.
"That's better," she said.
Kael moved forward. The artifact pulsed faster and faster. The world around him seemed to shift slightly, the lines of the corridor rippling.
The creature that had spoken earlier looked at him intently. "The resonance is growing. You are the key."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kael replied.
"You do. You just don't remember it yet."
The floor shook. Somewhere deep within the station, something opened. Heavy, ancient mechanisms began to work.
Lira looked at the readings. "Kael, the entire structure is rebuilding itself. This is no ordinary station."
Taro swallowed hard. "It's a node. Old as hell. And it just woke up."
Zara reloaded her weapon. Her eyes were shining. "So this is just the beginning."
Kael looked down the corridor leading into the station, where the light pulsed in time with the artifact. "We're going in," he said. "We're not turning back now."
The corridor gradually widened until it opened into a huge cylindrical chamber. The walls were covered with ancient symbols, burned so deeply into the metal it looked as if someone had tried to tear them out of the station itself.
The artifact pulsed more strongly. Kael felt it not only in his hands, but in his head. Images appeared suddenly: stars fading like sparks, ships torn apart from within, creatures standing around gigantic structures.
"This place is reacting to the artifact," Lira said. "Or to you."
Zara stopped in the middle of the chamber. "If this is a trap, it's a damn expensive trap."
Rex checked the sectors one by one. "Too quiet."
As if to confirm his words, the metal platform in the center of the chamber began to rise. A light, cold, and unnaturally white emanated from inside the structure.
A figure stood on the platform. It was slender, almost human, with glowing pale eyes, carrying no weapon.
"Finally," she said. Her voice echoed throughout the chamber. "The bearers are all gathered."
Zara raised her weapon. "Bad news. We have a limit on prophets today."
The figure looked at her without emotion. "You are chaos. Useful, but unstable."
Zara smiled broadly. "I love how they describe me."
Kael took a step forward. The artifact was almost burning hot. "Who are you?"
"The Guardian," the figure replied. "Or what's left of it."
Taro paled. "Kael. She's not fully material. She's a projection linked to the station's core."
"The core is active," the figure added. "And that means the war we ended is coming back."
Lira clenched her teeth. "What war?"
The Guardian raised her hand. Holographic images appeared around them. The galaxy was divided into zones. Red lines cut through space like scars.
"Artifacts aren't weapons," she said. "They're keys. And you've already opened the first door."
Rex spat on the floor. "It's always the same. Old secrets, old wars."
Zara tilted her head. "What if we just take what we want and get out of here?"
The Guardian looked at her closely. "Then others will come for you. Syndicates. Factions. Those who remember."
The platform began to descend.
"You have a choice," said the Guardian. "Run and be hunted. Or learn to use what you carry."
The artifact calmed down. Its pulse settled into an even, steady rhythm.
Kael looked at the crew. At their tired faces. At Zara, who looked like she had just been given the best offer of her life. "We're not running," he said. "Not this time."
The Guardian nodded. "Then the echo before the storm has just fallen silent."
Far beyond the station, the first fleets were already changing course. The platform disappeared into the floor, and with it the Guardian's projection.
However, the chamber did not return to rest. The walls still pulsed with light, and the symbols moved slowly, as if the entire place was analyzing the presence of the crew.
Zara was the first to break the silence. "All right. Ancient spirit, galactic war, fleets on the way. Normal day."
Rex did not lower his weapon. "I don't like that this place is still alive. As if it were listening to us."
Lira knelt by one of the panels. Her fingers glided across the surface, pulling data from systems that should no longer function. "This isn't just a station. It's a communications and observation hub. It sees more than it should."
Taro looked at the artifact. "It's synchronized with the core. It's not just reacting. It belongs here."
Kael clenched his fist. "The Guardian wasn't bluffing. If other factions sense the node's activation, they'll be coming here."
"They're already coming," Lira said. "I have jump signatures. Far away, but there are a lot of them."
Zara snorted. "So we have a new job. Not just treasure hunters. Now we're telling the galaxy we're not giving up the keys."
Rex looked at Kael. "Decision. We stay and kick history's ass, or we get out before it gets worse."
Kael looked at the chamber, at the symbols, at the artifact, quieter than ever. "If we run," he said, "they'll find us anyway. Then we won't know what we're fighting."
Taro sighed. "If we stay, this place will become a target. For everyone."
Zara raised her weapon. "Sounds like a good opportunity to piss someone off."
Lira stood up. "One more thing. The node can show us other artifacts. Locations. Routes. Something no one has seen in hundreds of years."
There was a brief silence.
Kael nodded. "We secure the data. Then we return to the ship. We won't stay here long, but we'll be back."
The chamber responded with a deep, metallic sound. The light dimmed. The symbols stopped, as if the decision had been accepted.
Zara smiled. "That's great. We've just signed up for the list of things to destroy."
Rex muttered. "I've always wanted to be high on the list."
As they left the chamber, Kael had the strange feeling that the station was watching their backs. Not with hostility. With patience.