Chapter 1
The dim glow of red emergency lights bathed the cockpit of the Stellar Resolve. Sparks showered from an exposed console as Captain Kaia Lorne frantically typed commands into the ship’s main terminal.
The sharp, monotone voice of her ship’s AI, EVE, repeated the same dire warning.
“WARNING: Engine failure. Navigation offline. Collision imminent.”
“I know, EVE! I’m working on it!” Kaia snapped, yanking open a panel beneath the dashboard to access the tangled mess of wires. Her fingers worked fast, bypassing a fried circuit.
“Suggestion,” EVE continued calmly, “reduce power to secondary systems to prioritize life support and engine repairs.”
“Already done, sweetheart,” Kaia muttered. Sweat slid down her temple as the ship shuddered violently—a harsh reminder of the asteroid field outside.
Through the cracked cockpit glass, jagged rocks tumbled and spun against a backdrop of cold stars. The Resolve’s shields had barely held during the first impact; they wouldn’t survive another.
“WARNING: Proximity alert. Large object detected.”
Kaia’s head snapped up. “Define ‘large,’ EVE.”
“Object size: approximately five hundred meters in diameter. Closing distance: three hundred kilometers.”
“Oh, come on,” she hissed. Fingers flying, she brought up the external view on her cracked display. A massive asteroid filled the screen, blocking out the stars ahead.
“Alright, alright—we’re not dying today.”
Grabbing her tools, Kaia scrambled toward the back of the cockpit where the engine access hatch waited.
“Reminder,” EVE said, “collision in twelve minutes.”
“Yeah, thanks for the countdown.” Kaia ripped open the panel to reveal the charred remains of the main engine core. “You had one job, engine,” she muttered.
She grabbed her plasma cutter and set to work, slicing away burnt connectors. Sparks hissed and flared as she leaned closer.
“EVE, reroute auxiliary power to the backup core.”
“Acknowledged. Auxiliary power rerouted. Warning: core temperature rising.”
“Keep it under critical! I just need five minutes!”
The ship lurched, throwing her sideways. She hit the deck hard, her plasma cutter skidding away.
“WARNING: Shield integrity at twenty-three percent. Impact imminent in ten minutes.”
“EVE, shut up for a second!” Kaia barked, scrambling back up. She snatched the cutter and dove into the engine again, reconnecting wires, forcing the system to life.
The hum of power began to rise—uneven, but steadying.
“EVE, report!”
“Main engine operational at forty-eight percent capacity. Navigation offline. Shield integrity at nineteen percent.”
Kaia exhaled shakily. “Good enough. Recalibrate thrusters—bring us around.”
The Resolve jerked under her control, sluggish but responding. Kaia gripped the throttle, steering hard. The asteroid drifted aside just as the ship cleared its shadow.
“Trajectory adjustment successful,” EVE reported. “Clear path identified.”
Kaia slumped back in her seat, heartbeat still racing. “Finally.”
“Recommendation: address hull breach in Sector Four. Life support compromised in three hours if left unchecked.”
“Of course it is.” She ran a hand over her face, exhaustion settling in.
Outside, the asteroid field stretched behind her—dark, silent, and endless. The Resolve floated free, battered but alive.
“Alright, EVE,” she said quietly, eyes on the stars. “Find the nearest planet with an atmosphere. Looks like we’re not making it back to base anytime soon.”
“Scanning for habitable worlds,” EVE replied.
Kaia closed her eyes for a moment, letting the silence settle. She was alive—for now.
Then her console flickered. A faint, rhythmic pulse appeared on her radar—too steady to be debris.
Her eyes snapped open.
“EVE,” she said slowly, “run a scan on that signal.”
“Acknowledged.”
A pause. Then softly: “Captain… this transmission isn’t ours.”
Kaia frowned, leaning closer to the flickering console. The faint pulse on the radar repeated again
“What do you mean, this transmission isn’t ours, EVE?” she asked.
“Acknowledged,” the AI replied after a pause. “Unknown transmission detected.”
Kaia’s stomach tightened. “Source?”
“Unable to determine,” EVE said. “Signal strength fluctuating. It appears to be… from an unknown location.”
Kaia’s fingers hovered above the controls. “Define unknown.”
“Coordinates do not match any registered celestial object or known vessel. Transmission pattern is irregular.
Kaia’s breath caught. “What the hell…” she muttered under her breath.
A brief pause. Then EVE’s voice returned
“Captain, acknowledge: if we do not find a landing location soon, the Stellar Resolve will lose all remaining power in two hours.”
Kaia froze,Two hours.
Shit.
She gripped the console. “EVE, follow that signal. Hopefully it’s help and not a dead end.”
“Acknowledged,” EVE replied. “Adjusting course to intercept the transmission.”
The ship groaned as thrusters sputtered back to life, nudging them through the drifting debris of the asteroid field. Sparks flickered along the ceiling panels.
Kaia exhaled through her teeth, muttering, “Come on, come on…”
“Warning,” EVE interrupted. “Signal strength increasing—rapidly.”
Kaia frowned. “That’s good, right?”
“Not necessarily,” EVE said. “It appears to be responding to us.”
Her pulse spiked. “Responding how?”
“By transmitting… our own signal back.”
