The training deck of the Nomad was a cavern of steel, its walls lined with scorched plating and half-shattered drones. The space smelled faintly of ozone, like storms trapped in metal. Tim stood in the center, pulse hammering, as Elara keyed commands into the control console.“You’re sure about this?” Jax muttered from the sidelines, arms crossed. “Last time he lit up, we nearly got atomized.”“That’s the point,” Rhys said, stepping onto the deck. He carried himself with the calm of someone who had seen a dozen battles and buried half his crew along the way. “Better to burn here than out there.”Tim swallowed, the weight of the artifact pressing in his chest. It had been pulsing for hours, restless, as if it too anticipated this moment.Elara’s voice softened when she looked at him. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Just… learn to listen. Don’t force it.”Tim gave a short nod, though his hands trembled at his sides. “Alright. Let’s do this.”The drones powered on—sleek sphe

The void lit up with fire.Syndicate drones poured from the shadows in coordinated waves, their sleek frames spitting beams of plasma that slashed across the Nomad’s shields. The freighter shuddered under the assault, its hull groaning like a wounded beast.“Shields at forty percent!” Elara shouted, hands flying across the controls. Sparks rained from her console as another blast rocked the ship.Jax’s voice roared over the chaos. “Returning fire!” The cannons bellowed, unleashing streams of white-hot energy that tore through two drones, scattering them into glowing debris. But for every machine destroyed, three more closed in, relentless and silent.Tim stood frozen for a heartbeat, the artifact in his chest thrumming louder with every impact, every scream of the ship. His vision blurred, veins glowing brighter, threads of fire crawling up his arms like living brands.Rhys barked over his shoulder. “Tim, I need you focused! If you’ve got anything—anything at all—now’s the time to use

The Obsidian moved like a predator through the void, its vast hull blotting out the stars. On its bridge, silence reigned—a silence more oppressive than cannon fire.Rows of officers bent over glowing consoles, their eyes flicking nervously between readings that spiked beyond known measures. At the center of it all, High Commander Kael stood before the panoramic viewport, hands clasped behind his back, gaze fixed on the scattered remains of his drones drifting in space.To the crew, it was wreckage. To Kael, it was proof.The officer who had spoken during the battle cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “The freighter escaped into the outer belt. Casualty reports confirm the loss of three drone wings. By all measures, Commander, the engagement was a Syndicate defeat.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Defeat?”The word fell from his lips like a blade. Officers stiffened in their chairs.“Do you truly believe,” Kael continued, voice calm, dangerous, “that what we witnessed was defeat?”He tur

The storm outside The Horizon’s Edge had not yet calmed. Mars’ crimson dust clung to the ship’s outer plating like a second skin, and the engines hummed in a strained rhythm as if sharing the crew’s exhaustion. Inside the dim-lit war room, silence carried the weight of recent chaos — the Syndicate’s ambush, Kael’s grim decisions, and the power that had flared uncontrollably from Tim’s hands.Tim sat apart from the others, staring at his reflection in the reinforced glass. The faint blue shimmer of the artifact pulsed beneath his skin like a living heartbeat. It was quieter now, as though watching him, waiting. He rubbed his thumb against his palm, half expecting another surge of light, but only the cold surface of skin met his touch.Elara’s voice broke the silence. “We can’t stay here long. The Syndicate will be regrouping. They never strike once and walk away.” Her tone was calm, but her eyes flicked anxiously between Tim and Kael.Kael stood at the navigation console, his jaw tight

The hum of the engines had steadied, but the air aboard The Horizon’s Edge was thick — charged with fear, exhaustion, and something heavier that no one dared name. Tim lay on the med cot, his breathing shallow, skin pale except for the faint lattice of blue light pulsing beneath it.Kael stood nearby, arms folded, jaw locked tight. He had seen soldiers die in hundreds of ways — but this, this merging of man and something beyond human, chilled him more than any battlefield ever had.Elara was monitoring the readings, her eyes darting between the glowing veins under Tim’s skin and the flickering holograph projected above him. “His vitals are unstable,” she murmured. “But there’s something else… his neural activity is off the charts. It’s like his mind’s still connected to the Rift.”Kael leaned closer. “Can you sever it?”She hesitated. “If I try and fail, it could kill him.”Tim stirred slightly, mumbling incoherently. His voice was faint, distant — as if speaking from a dream. “Not… h