Chapter 3: Into the Darkness
The hum of the engines was the only sound in the cockpit as The Aether's Edge sliced through the emptiness of space. The stars, once a comforting blanket of light, now seemed distant and cold as they approached the edge of the Void Zone. The atmosphere within the ship had shifted from determined focus to quiet anticipation. Each member of Squad Eclipse could feel it—an unspoken tension that grew thicker with every passing second.
Nova stood at the helm, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the control console. Her eyes narrowed as the swirling distortion of the Void Zone came into view. It was like staring into the heart of a black hole, a swirling mass of energy and darkness that seemed to devour everything in its path.
"Approaching the Void Zone," Vera Kade's voice came through the comms, breaking the silence. "I'm seeing unusual fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. It's definitely as unstable as we were warned."
"I've got visual," Iris Valen added, her voice sharp as she adjusted the ship's course. "This place feels wrong. Like it's not supposed to exist."
"Stay sharp," Nova said, her voice steady but carrying the weight of the situation. "We're not here for sightseeing."
Dr. Selene Voss spoke up, her tone pragmatic as always. "I've run a diagnostic on the ship's shield systems. They're operating at 90%, but that might not be enough for what's ahead. If we hit a gravitational anomaly, we're going to need to rely on maneuvering and a little bit of luck."
"We don't need luck," Iris said, cracking a grin. "I'm the best pilot in the sector, remember?"
"Then let's put that to the test," Nova replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.
The ship rumbled as they crossed the boundary of the Void Zone. A strange ripple ran through the fabric of space, and the stars outside seemed to warp, bending into unnatural shapes. Nova's stomach tightened as the familiar sense of control began to slip away. The sensors on her console began to blink erratically, unable to keep up with the shifting gravitational anomalies.
"Hold steady," Nova commanded, gripping the arms of her seat as the ship was jolted by an invisible force. "We're in."
Suddenly, the lights flickered, and the ship groaned under the strain. The faintest whisper of static hummed over the comms, like voices from another time, but no one spoke. The presence of the Void Zone was overwhelming, as if the very fabric of reality was being stretched to its breaking point.
"General Thorne wasn't kidding," Vera muttered. "I'm seeing entire sectors of space disappear from the navigational charts. It's like... the Void Zone is eating itself."
"We need to move fast," Nova said, her voice hardening with resolve. "The longer we stay, the greater the risk of getting trapped in a time loop or some other kind of anomaly. Set a course to the coordinates we were given."
Iris didn't hesitate. She punched in the coordinates, and the ship lurched forward, cutting through the distortion. The viewscreen ahead displayed a swirling mass of colors and shapes, unlike anything any of them had ever seen. The Void Zone was alive—alive with something that defied all logic.
"How are the shields holding up?" Nova asked, her eyes scanning the readouts.
"Shield integrity at 65%. It's fluctuating," Selene responded, her voice tense. "I can reroute power to reinforce them, but it won't last long."
"We'll have to make it count," Nova said, her eyes hard. "We're close. I can feel it."
As they pressed deeper into the Void Zone, the space around them began to warp in strange ways. The stars seemed to stretch out, as if they were trailing behind them like long, glowing ribbons. Nova's head spun, a sharp dizziness clouding her thoughts. It was as though the laws of physics no longer applied. Time felt like it was stretching and bending, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if they were moving forward or backward in time.
"Captain," Vera's voice came through again, this time with urgency. "I'm picking up something ahead—an object, faint signal. It's not showing up on standard scans. I think we found it."
Nova's heart skipped a beat. "The Ark?"
Vera didn't respond immediately. There was a brief moment of silence, and then she spoke, her voice low and tinged with disbelief. "I... I don't know. It's... it's too bright. It shouldn't be able to emit this much energy. I've never seen anything like it."
"Prepare for evasive maneuvers," Nova ordered, gripping the console as the ship began to shudder violently. "We don't know what we're walking into."
The ship jerked to one side as Iris pulled the controls hard, avoiding a sudden gravitational anomaly that had appeared out of nowhere. The distortion made everything feel disjointed, like the ship itself was being pulled apart, but Iris was quick and steady. The ship stabilized for a brief moment.
"Getting closer," Vera said, her voice quieter now, almost reverent. "I'm getting more data, but it's... it's overwhelming."
As they closed the distance, the object in the distance began to take shape—a massive sphere of light, glowing with an intensity that seemed to warp the very air around it. It was surrounded by an eerie stillness, as if the Void Zone itself had stepped aside to make way for it.
Nova's breath caught in her throat.
"This is it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Ark of Eternis."
But just as the ship was about to reach it, a violent tremor ran through the hull. The lights flickered and went out, and the entire ship was thrown into darkness.
The last thing Nova heard before the comms went dead was a whisper, faint and distorted, but unmistakable.
"You're too late."
And then, everything went black.