The Black Star left the wreck's energy vortex, drifting in the silence of space. The crew was tired, but each of them felt that the experience inside the wreck had changed them forever. The artifact in Kael's hand pulsed weakly, as if catching its breath after the violent encounter.
Zara rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe we got out of that alive. That was... sick."
Rex moved closer to the console. "Sick? This is just the beginning. I feel like the heart of the wreck showed us something. Not everything, but enough to know that we have to keep going."
Lira looked up from the terminal. "The images Kael saw... they weren't random. The wreck was trying to tell us something. And I have no idea if we understood it correctly."
Kael looked into the space before them. "It was both a warning and a test. The artifact showed us fragments of the past, at least what it managed to preserve. We can't ignore that. Every move, every decision now will have consequences."
Taro disconnected the terminal from the wreck's system and held his breath. "I don't know about you, but I feel like those images weren't just memories of the wreck. It was... an instruction. Some kind of map or clue."
Zara wiped her weapon and looked at Kael. "So what now? Do we fly into space, look for the next wreck, and another life lesson?"
Kael nodded. "Not only that. The artifact is leading us. We don't know where, but we have to follow its signal. The wreck wanted us to understand that the galaxy hides much more than we thought."
Rex was processing data from the last contact. "If my calculations are correct, the artifact's signal points to a system in the Xylar sector. An ancient fleet, ruins of cities... This could be our next destination."
Lira sighed. "And I thought space couldn't surprise us anymore. I guess I was wrong."
Zara smiled wryly. "Damn, if the artifact is synchronizing, we'll have to rely on reflexes and luck. After all, we don't know what awaits us."
Kael turned to the entire crew. "All right, set course for the Xylar sector. We don't have time for unnecessary stops. Every hour can change the situation in the galaxy. Keep your eyes peeled, because it's not just the wrecks that are watching us."
The Black Star rose into space, firing its engines toward an unknown system. The crew felt that a new stage of their journey was beginning. Each of them knew that from now on, the galaxy would no longer be a place for ordinary missions—it would be a game of survival, knowledge, and power.
Zara glanced at Kael. "I hope the next wreck isn't any less crazy."
Kael smiled briefly. "Not in this system. Nothing is ordinary here. Every artifact, every wreck, every fleet has a story. Our job is to discover it before someone else does."
Rex looked down at the console. "What if someone has already discovered more than we should know?"
Kael pressed the acceleration button. "Then we have to be faster. And smarter."
The Black Star drifted into darkness, and the artifact in Kael's hand pulsed in rhythm with their new destination. The space around them was filled with silence, but each of them sensed a storm coming—not in the weather sense, but in the galactic sense.
Zara sighed. "Time to venture into the unknown. And I hope it doesn't end up like last time."
Kael turned, looking at the stars through the bridge window. "It won't. At least, not exactly like that."
In the silence that fell between them, each understood that this was the beginning of something bigger. Something that could change not only their fate, but the entire galaxy.
The hyperspace jump ended with a violent jolt. The Black Star emerged into the space of the Xylar sector, and before them stretched a field of destroyed orbital structures and dead ships. The light from a nearby star reflected off the jagged hulls, creating the impression of a graveyard stretching to the horizon.
Zara whistled softly. "Okay, that's impressive. And it definitely smells like trouble."
Rex enlarged the camera image. "These aren't recent wrecks. Some of them are hundreds of years old. But something is still active here. The sensors are picking up weak energy signals."
Lira leaned over the console. "And they're not random. They're patterns. As if someone deliberately left them active."
Kael squeezed the artifact. His pulse quickened again, reacting to the space around him. "It's here. The artifact is calm but focused. As if it knows we're close to something important."
The Black Star moved more slowly, maneuvering between the wrecks. At one point, a huge structure appeared in front of them, resembling a broken orbital ring suspended around a dead planet.
Zara leaned back in her seat. "My bet is that the answer is there. Or a very quick death."
Rex nodded. "Maybe both."
Lira began analyzing the data. "The structure isn't just a ruin. The interior still has power. Someone or something has been taking care of this place."
Taro looked up from the terminal. "And we're not alone. Drive signatures have appeared at the edge of the system. Several ships. They don't look like patrols."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Syndicates?"
Taro hesitated. "Or something worse. The signals are masked, but the technology is advanced."
Zara smiled broadly. "So, it's a classic scenario. Us, the artifact, and a bunch of people who want to take it from us."
Kael gave the order. "We're approaching the ring, but without entering it. I want to know who else is here and what they're looking for."
The Black Star slowed down, and its sensors began scanning the structure. At that moment, the artifact glowed more brightly, sending out a pulse that spread across the bridge like a wave of heat.
Lira raised her head. "The artifact is reacting to something inside. It's not just a ruin. There's a core in there. Active."
Rex cursed under his breath. "So, another living relic."
Zara tightened her grip on her weapon. "I guess that's our specialty."
Suddenly, one of the alien signals accelerated. A slender ship appeared on the screen, changing course directly toward them.
Taro paled. "Visual contact. This isn't the syndicate I know. And they're trying to connect with us."
Kael kept his eyes on the screen. "Open the channel. Let's see who speaks first."
The image flickered, and a figure in dark armor appeared, its face hidden behind a mask.
"Return the artifact and leave," said a voice, cold and emotionless. "This place is not for the likes of you."
Zara snorted with laughter. "Always the same. Seriously, the galaxy is so predictable."
Kael replied calmly. "We don't know who you are. But the artifact doesn't change hands just because someone wants it to."
The silence on the other end was brief. "In that case, you will be remembered as the next ones who didn't understand the warning."
The channel went dead.
Rex looked at Kael. "We have a problem. A big one."
Kael felt the artifact pulsing faster, as if reacting to the impending threat. "Not the first and not the last. Get ready. If they want to stop us, they'll have to try by force."
Zara smiled broadly, almost with relief. "Well, finally something's happening."
The space around them began to change. Alien ships were forming a formation, and the orbital ring in the background glowed with a faint light, as if awakening from a long sleep.
Kael knew one thing. The Xylar sector wasn't just another stop. It was the beginning of a conflict that could draw them all deeper than they ever planned.
The alien ships began to disperse, slowly closing in on the Black Star in a loose semicircle. Their hulls were sleek and dark, almost absorbing the light of the nearby star.
Rex tracked their movements on the tactical display. "They're keeping their distance. Testing us. Waiting for a reaction."
Zara leaned over the weapons panel. "Well, they won't get it. How long can we pretend to be afraid?"
Lira looked at Kael. "The orbital ring is starting to activate. The energy lines are changing. This place is reacting not only to the artifact, but also to their presence."
Kael felt the artifact in his hand tremble, as if warning him. "We don't shoot first. Not yet. I want to know if they are also part of what was left here."
New signals appeared on the screens. One of the alien ships separated from the formation and began to slowly approach the ring.
Taro swallowed hard. "They're trying to access the structure. If they succeed, they could awaken to something we can't control."
Zara slammed her hand on the console. "Classic. Someone wants to stick their nose where it doesn't belong."
Kael made his decision. "Rex, prepare your weapon, but don't fire without my signal. Zara, be ready. Lira, I want a full image of that ring."
The Black Star moved, maneuvering between the drifting wrecks. The alien ships responded immediately, changing positions and trying to cut off their path.
Rex narrowed his eyes. "They're starting to close in on us. Give it a moment, and there won't be any room to maneuver."
The artifact suddenly flashed with a bright light. A wave of energy spread across the bridge, and the orbital ring responded with a deep, low sound that echoed through the vacuum.
Lira froze over the terminal. "Kael... the ring is activating. This is no ordinary structure. It's a gateway. Or something very close to it."
Zara smiled broadly. "Well, well. So we all came here for the same thing."
One of the alien ships suddenly opened fire. Energy sliced through the space next to the Black Star, illuminating the wrecks around it.
Rex didn't wait. "Engage!"
Kael nodded. "Return fire. Controlled fire."
Plasma shot from the Black Star's cannons, striking the shields of the nearest alien ship. Energy spread across its hull, but the vessel maintained its course.
Zara laughed quietly as she switched weapon modes. "Finally."
Lira shouted over the din of alarms. "The ring is responding to the shots. Each hit speeds up its activation."
Kael felt the situation spiraling out of control. "We have to draw them away. If the ring opens, we could all die here."
The alien ships began to attack simultaneously. The space is filled with light, energy, and debris from wrecks torn apart by random hits.
Rex maneuvered as if in a trance. "They're fast. Too fast."
Zara fired without hesitation. "But not indestructible."
In an instant, the artifact in Kael's hand pulsed violently, and a new image appeared on the central screen. The interior of the ring. Active. Opening.
Lira looked at him in horror. "Kael... the artifact wants us to fly there. Now."
Kael didn't answer right away. He looked at the approaching ships, the awakening structure, and the artifact that was leading them deeper and deeper into the unknown.
Finally, he said calmly, "We're entering the ring. It's the only way."
Zara laughed loudly. "Well, hold on tight."
The Black Star moved straight toward the glowing structure, and the alien ships followed.
The Xylar sector was no longer an observation field. It was becoming a battlefield.
And what awaited on the other side of the ring could change everything.