Chapter 1 – The Signal
Aren Vale sat alone in the observation deck, staring out at the endless black of space. The colony lights twinkled beneath him, a fragile mimicry of the stars above. He had grown up here, in the floating city of Nova Arcadia, drifting thousands of kilometers from the ruins of Earth. To him, Earth was a myth whispered in history lessons, a dead planet where humanity had failed itself.
Then, without warning, the hum of the colony's systems faltered. The screens flickered, and a sudden beeping pierced the quiet. Aren's communicator blinked with a signal code he had never seen.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
"All stations, ignore any interference," a calm voice came over the colony intercom. "Standard operating protocol."
But Aren couldn't ignore it. His hands shook as he adjusted the frequency. The signal was faint, pulsing in patterns that seemed… deliberate.
"…We are still alive. Don't come back."
The message repeated once, then vanished.
A chill ran down Aren's spine. Humanity had left Earth over a century ago. It was forbidden. Dead. Uninhabitable. Yet, here it was: proof that someone or something survived.
He didn't know it yet, but this signal would change everything. And someone in the colony had noticed him tracing it.
Aren's pulse quickened. If they found out, it wouldn't be just a warning it could be dangerous.