The freighter glided silently through hyperspace, its engines humming with a deceptive calm that belied the growing tension inside. The glow of the Nexus Key cast flickering light across the holotable, where Liora sat, her fingers tracing its edges. Though their recent victory still lingered in her thoughts, she couldn't shake the weight pressing on her—the sensation that each step forward brought them closer to a storm they couldn't outrun.
Tharn entered the room abruptly, his boots hitting the floor with purpose. "We've got a problem," he said, his tone as sharp as the rifle slung across his back.
Liora's gaze snapped up, her unease deepening. "What is it?"
"Imperial probes," Tharn replied, activating the holotable. The map flared to life, displaying three red markers trailing their ship. "They've locked onto our trajectory. They're not here to engage—they're tracking us, feeding our location back to the fleet."
"Perfect," Kade muttered as he leaned against the doorway, rubbing his temple. "I thought we shook them after that last jump."
"They're adapting," Tharn said. "And if we don't lose them now, we'll be leading the Emperor straight to the Nexus."
The crew gathered in the cockpit, the tension palpable as they watched the radar. The red blips moved like hunters, relentless and closing the gap.
"We've got minutes before they're right on us," Tharn said, his voice low but urgent.
"Any bright ideas?" Kade asked, gripping the controls tightly.
Liora's gaze dropped to the Sigil on her hand. It glowed faintly, pulsing in sync with the Nexus Key. Her breath caught as a thought surfaced—half intuition, half certainty. "The temples have been guiding us," she said, her voice hesitant but growing steadier. "Maybe they can guide us now."
"And how exactly is that supposed to work?" Kade shot back, glancing at her with a mix of skepticism and frustration. "Unless that Sigil can turn us invisible, I don't see how it helps."
Before Liora could respond, the Sigil flared. The golden light surged through the cabin, filling the room with warmth and clarity. Liora gasped as her vision shifted, replaced by a dazzling image of stars bending and folding into a narrow, hidden hyperspace corridor.
"There's a way," she whispered, the certainty in her voice cutting through the rising tension. "A shortcut. I can see it."
Tharn frowned. "What kind of shortcut?"
"It's a hidden path," Liora explained, her eyes still locked on the Sigil's glow. "It leads to the next temple. The Sigil is showing us the way."
Kade let out a breath and adjusted the freighter's course. "Let's hope your Sigil knows what it's doing. Everyone, hang on!"
The freighter plunged into the hidden hyperspace corridor, its shields flaring against the volatile bursts of energy surrounding it. The narrow passage twisted and writhed, streaks of gold and silver light flashing unpredictably.
"This path is insane!" Kade shouted over the alarms as the ship shuddered violently. He wrestled with the controls, narrowly avoiding a burst of raw energy that exploded near the hull.
"It's holding," Liora called out, her hand gripping the console for balance. "We're almost through!"
The ship jolted again, the engines straining as Kade pushed them to their limits. Just as the turbulence reached its peak, the freighter burst into open space.
Before them loomed the next Starborn temple, its massive structure suspended in the void. Golden spires reached toward the stars, and the entire edifice pulsed faintly with energy, as though it had been waiting for them.
"Whoa," Kade breathed, his hands still gripping the controls. "That's… something."
"It's beautiful," Liora said softly, the Sigil on her hand glowing brighter.
The freighter approached cautiously, its sensors scanning the area. No signs of Imperial pursuit appeared, but the crew remained on edge.
"This temple feels… different," Tharn said, his voice quieter than usual. "Stronger. Like it's been untouched for centuries."
"And more dangerous," Kade added, eyeing the temple warily.
Liora stepped toward the viewport, her resolve hardening as she stared at the glowing structure. "This is it," she said firmly. "The next step. Let's finish what we started."