The Shadow PlayThe Vault of Creation drifted silently and unseen, a patient predator within the nebula's churning depths. Outside, the cosmic ballet of gas and dust continued, its wild energy a perfect shield. Our success on Xylos-9 filled the bridge with a quiet sense of triumph, but it was a victory of cunning, not force. The System was stumbling, and we needed to keep them off balance."They're still focused on internal problems," Rylan reported, his fingers flying across the console. The holographic display showed Xylos-9, now marked by a growing web of red lines indicating logistical snarls and rerouted traffic. "Their 'fast-response' team of technicians just arrived. They're scanning everything, looking for a software bug or a hardware failure.""Good," I responded, watching the System's frantic efforts. "Every minute they spend looking inward is a minute they're not looking for us. They believe in their own infallibility too much to consider an external threat like this."The

The Echo's SourceThe Vault of Creation shook and screamed as it was hit again and again. Loud alarms blared, a noisy mix of red warning lights. The System Destroyer's energy blasts hit our shields hard, each blow shaking the ship."Shields at sixty percent and falling fast!" Rylan yelled, fighting his controls. "Their weapons are for bigger ships! We can't take this much longer!"My mind raced, trying to grasp the impossible. "How did they find us, Rylan? How did they break our cloaking?" The guardian was silent in my mind, which was more unnerving than any answer. It was also searching, figuring things out."I… I don't know!" Rylan’s voice broke under the stress. "There's no signal, no sign of a scan that could have found us. It's like they just knew."Another hard hit, and the Vault's lights flickered badly. Sparks flew from a broken computer nearby. We were like a ghost, a whisper in space, yet this raw power was tearing us apart."Move away! Full power to engines!" I ordered, but