The Starborn cut through the vast expanse of space, a sea of glittering stars stretching endlessly in all directions. Pockets of faint nebulae swirled in the distance, their colors shimmering like ghostly flames, while the ship's engines burned hotter than Talen liked. Each flicker of a warning light on his console was another reminder that their escape had been costly. Kera sat in the co-pilot's seat, silent but clutching the shard tightly. It had gone dim again, though its faint warmth seemed to seep into her skin.
"All right," Talen said finally, breaking the silence. "What the hell just happened back there? And don't tell me you don't know, because that shard of yours clearly does."
Kera turned to him, her expression guarded. Her eyes darted briefly to the shard in her hand, as if weighing its secrets against the growing suspicion in Talen's voice. She masked the turmoil beneath a calm façade, but the tight grip on the shard and the slight furrow of her brow betrayed a flicker of doubt. "You saw what I saw. That… creature wasn't just Dominion tech gone rogue. It was something else. Something worse."
"Something worse?" Talen's voice rose. "We barely made it out alive! And let's not forget our surprise guest. The guy in the armor? Who just disappeared, by the way? Are we going to pretend that's normal too?"
"I don't know who he was," Kera admitted, though her mind raced. The figure had called her the Catalyst, spoken of the shard as though it was more than a simple relic. A key, she thought again, but to what?
Talen's gaze bore into her. "This isn't just about you finding some Dominion artifact on a salvage run. You've been holding out on me, haven't you?"
Kera hesitated, then sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. The shard… it's part of something bigger. I didn't know what, exactly, but I knew it was important. The Dominion was after it for a reason."
"And now we're in their crosshairs," Talen said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Fantastic. Next time, how about a little heads-up before you drag me into galactic-scale trouble?"
Before Kera could respond, the shard flared briefly, casting a soft glow across the cockpit. The ship's AI chimed in. "Incoming signal. Unknown origin. Signal strength increasing."
Talen frowned. "Great. More surprises." He tapped a few keys, bringing the signal to the main screen. A distorted image flickered to life—a humanoid silhouette surrounded by static.
"Kera Voss," the voice crackled, unmistakably synthesized but with an edge of urgency. "You carry the Eclipse Shard. It must be protected."
Kera leaned forward. "Who are you? How do you know about the shard?"
The voice hesitated, as if parsing her question. "We are the Enclave. The shard is a beacon. The Rift Sovereign has marked this realm, and its heralds will not stop. You must reach the Vault before it is too late."
"The Vault?" Talen asked, skepticism dripping from his tone. "Care to explain where that is? Or why we should trust you?"
The image flickered again, the voice growing fainter. "Coordinates are embedded within the shard. Trust is irrelevant. Survival depends on action."
The signal cut out abruptly, leaving only silence. Kera glanced at Talen, whose expression had shifted from anger to wary calculation.
"Coordinates in the shard? Can you even access that?" he asked.
Kera nodded slowly. "I think so. If the shard reacts to proximity, it might reveal the coordinates when we get closer."
Talen sighed, rubbing his temples. "This day just keeps getting better. Fine. Let's assume this Enclave is telling the truth. What's our next move?"
"We follow the shard," Kera said firmly. "It led us out of danger once. It'll do it again."
Talen didn't look convinced, but he powered up the navigation system. "If this gets us killed, I'm haunting you in the afterlife."
The shard's glow intensified as they left the debris field, casting pale light across the cockpit. It was faint at first, but soon its rhythms began to align with the ship's trajectory. Kera's grip on it tightened as a strange sensation washed over her—not fear, but a pull, as though the shard was reaching out.
"We've got something," Talen said, his voice tense. "Looks like a planetary system up ahead. Sparse readings, though. No signs of civilization."
"That doesn't mean it's uninhabited," Kera said.
"Let's hope whoever's down there isn't Dominion," Talen replied.
The planet they approached was desolate, its surface marked by vast canyons and jagged peaks. The atmosphere shimmered faintly, hinting at protective fields or environmental hazards. As they descended, the shard's glow became almost blinding, guiding them toward a specific location nestled deep within the canyon walls.
They landed on an outcrop, the ship's landing struts groaning against the uneven surface. Kera and Talen stepped into the open air, the shard's warmth radiating even through Kera's gloves.
"This place feels wrong," Talen said, scanning the area with his blaster drawn. The air was thick, almost liquid, and every sound seemed muffled.
Kera followed the shard's pull, descending a narrow path into the canyon. Strange glyphs carved into the rock walls glowed faintly as they passed, their shapes eerily similar to the patterns on the shard.
"What do you think these mean?" Talen asked, running a hand over one of the glyphs.
"A warning, maybe," Kera said. "Or a guide. Either way, we don't have a choice."
The path ended at a massive stone door, towering at least three times Kera's height. Its surface was smooth but impossibly intricate, with glowing symbols etched so finely that they appeared to flow like liquid light. The craftsmanship was otherworldly, each symbol pulsing faintly as though alive, exuding an aura of ancient power and menace. The shard pulsed in Kera's hand, resonating with the door in a way that made her bones ache.
"Let me guess," Talen said. "that's the key."
Kera stepped forward, holding the shard against the door. Light exploded from the contact, illuminating the canyon in a dazzling display. The door groaned, then began to split apart, revealing a dark tunnel beyond.
Before they could move, a familiar hum filled the air. The shard dimmed, and the oppressive feeling of the heralds' presence returned.
"We've got company," Talen said, raising his blaster.
Kera turned, her heart pounding. Emerging from the canyon's shadows was another creature, smaller than the one aboard the Dominion ship but no less terrifying. Its form shimmered with oily darkness, and its glowing red eyes locked onto the shard.
"Go!" Talen shouted, firing at the creature. The shots slowed it but didn't stop its advance. Kera ran into the tunnel, the shard lighting her path as Talen followed, the creature's snarls echoing behind them.
The darkness closed in, but Kera's resolve burned brighter. Whatever lay ahead, she would face it—with or without answers.