The ship drifted silently through the black sea of stars, engines humming with a low, steady pulse. MC stood over the projection table, the star‑map hovering in front of him — shifting, shimmering, locking onto the next coordinate.
Kael entered the cockpit, fastening his harness.
"Commander, are we ready for the jump?"
MC nodded.
"Next marker is a classified planet. No official name. Records call it Sector‑47B, Node‑Six. Last known activity: an outpost built during the Outer Expansion Wars."
Kael leaned forward.
"Are we expecting hostiles?"
"Not confirmed," MC answered. "But the planet hosts manipulative species — trance‑inducing ocular abilities. Don't look into anything's eyes unless you want your brain rewritten."
Kael swallowed hard.
"Right. Learned that in trainings… but hearing you say it hits different."
MC tapped the console.
"Prepare for jump."
The engines flared. Stars stretched like white ribbons. Space bent around them.
— JUMP COMPLETE —
A massive sphere filled the viewport. The planet glowed with shifting colors — greens, purples, and bioluminescent blues swirling like clouds caught in a storm.
Kael blinked. "It looks… alive."
MC toggled the scanners.
"That's because it is. Its atmosphere interacts with native flora — heavy bio‑luminescent activity. But look at this…"
He pinched the holo‑display, zooming into a region near the equator.
Faint signals pulsed from a cluster of formations.
Kael leaned closer.
"Are those… sensors?"
MC's eyes sharpened.
"Yes. Old military sensors. They're still active, but weak. Something is blocking their full signal. Could be growth over the years. Could be tampering."
He rotated the map again.
"But look here — the base's primary beacon is faint, almost suffocated. Based on this pattern, it's under something biological."
Kael frowned.
"Like… under a giant plant?"
"Or a grown-over structure. Something engineered. We'll find out."
MC keyed in descent coordinates.
"Strap in."
[DESCENT TO THE PLANET]
The ship penetrated the atmosphere, gliding through thick clouds that shimmered with strange colors. The hull vibrated slightly as organic particles brushed against the surface.
Kael watched the readouts nervously.
"Commander… I'm picking up life signatures."
MC didn't react.
"Expected."
"But there's something else," Kael continued. "Some of the signatures pulse… like rhythm patterns."
MC nodded slowly.
"That's their eye-beacon activity. They use their gaze for communication and manipulation. A trance-field. Stay focused on your sensors — not on anything outside."
The ship lowered into a clearing — the ground covered in massive, vine-like roots that glowed faint red beneath the surface.
They touched down.
[ON THE SURFACE — FIRST CONTACT SIGNS]
The hatch hissed open. Warm, heavy air rolled inside.
MC stepped out first, scanning the horizon.
Kael followed, holding a portable sensor unit.
The device beeped immediately.
Kael checked the reading.
"Commander… we have confirmation. The base is close — maybe 3 km east. But…"
MC waited.
"But what?"
"The signals are shifting. Something is interfering. Almost like… like the planet itself is trying to distort them."
MC crouched, touching the soil.
"It is. These organisms have partial neural networks through their roots. They sense motion, heat, and electromagnetic signals. They're reacting to our presence."
Kael felt chills.
"So they know we're here."
MC stood.
"Yes. And they're watching already. Stay behind me."
A faint shimmer moved between the trees — a figure with glowing eyes watching them from afar.
Kael instinctively tried to look.
MC grabbed him by the collar.
"Kael. Eyes down. They will hypnotize you in seconds."
Kael steadied himself.
The sensor beeped again — faster, sharper.
MC checked the display.
"The base is near… and something biological is covering it. A huge mass. We find that, we find the entrance."
He drew his weapon, scanning ahead.
"Move. This planet is alive — and it doesn't want us here."JOURNEY THROUGH LUMORA — APPROACHING THE BASE
MC led the way, boots pressing into the spongy, violet‑tinged soil. Every step sent small ripples across the glowing roots that threaded like veins across the forest floor. The air was thick with bio-luminescent spores, drifting like fireflies.
Kael's sensor unit beeped continuously, detecting faint pulses from the base's old security grid.
"Commander… the signals are getting stronger," he whispered. "But the interference is also… stronger."
MC glanced down at the readings, brow furrowed.
"That's not interference. The planet's life is actively reacting to us. It wants to be seen — or to control us. Eyes forward, Kael. Don't fixate on anything glowing."
A shimmer flickered between the tree trunks. A tall, slender creature with iridescent, multifaceted eyes was observing them. Its pupils stretched unnaturally, reflecting both Kael and MC as if the forest itself were alive in its gaze.
Kael froze, instinctively meeting its eyes.
MC's hand shot out, grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Down! Don't look at it!"
The creature hissed, and the ground beneath it pulsed slightly, faintly hypnotic. Kael staggered but regained focus, breathing sharply.
"Tricklings," MC muttered, scanning with his handheld device. "Part of the manipulative network near the base. They'll try to herd us — intentionally or not."
Kael's sensors started flashing rapidly.
"More… eyes. Everywhere. Are we surrounded?"
MC's jaw tightened.
"No. Just watched. Keep moving. Step lightly, stay behind me. Their trance range is strong up close. At this distance, we can move carefully.
[THE BIOLOGICAL MOUNTAIN REVEALED]
After climbing over tangled roots and floating, sponge-like moss platforms, a colossal form loomed ahead.
It wasn't a mountain. It was alive.
A massive, ribbed mass of dark organic tissue, the size of a small hill, pulsed faintly, each pulse sending soft tremors through the ground. Thick, vein-like roots snaked across its surface, anchoring it like a living fortress. The old military base had been grown into it — hidden inside.
MC crouched behind a cluster of root-spires.
"Base entrance is somewhere in this mass. Security sensors are old, but still functional. From here, it looks like a natural ridge… but it's grown, bio-engineered. Native life has merged into it."
Kael swallowed.
"How do we even find the entrance?"
MC held up a small handheld scanner.
"Electromagnetic anomalies. The base's internal circuitry still pulses faintly. Follow my lead. Step only where I step."
[FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH MANIPULATIVE LIFE]
A low rustling came from the shadows near the roots.
A Glythian emerged — its tall, thin body glimmering, eyes like liquid prisms. Each gaze reflected the stars above them, faintly hypnotic.
Kael froze. His breath caught.
MC grabbed his arm again, whispering sharply:
"Eyes down! Walk sideways if you must, but never look directly."
The Glythian tilted its head, observing them. Its voice, soft and melodic, echoed across the clearing.
"Why do you walk where you do not belong?"
MC stepped forward, body tense, scanning the creature carefully.
"Kael, follow my lead. Don't answer. Move slowly."
Kael's sensors flashed. A second creature — a Whisperwing — glided silently above them, wings reflecting starlight, creating mirrored illusions that disoriented the readings.
MC took out a small reflective device, angling a light toward the Whisperwing. Its flight shifted slightly, following the redirected glow.
"Keep going," MC murmured. "We'll get past them if we stay out of trance range."
They approached the base's hiding place. From the scanner, MC confirmed a faint signal — a slit-like entrance somewhere halfway up the ribbed mass.
Kael crouched, examining a glowing root that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Commander… that root. Could it—"
MC shook his head.
"Yes. It senses pressure, vibration, maybe even sound. Step lightly. The pathway is narrow."
They began climbing the ribbed surface, avoiding pulsating veins. Each step sent subtle vibrations, triggering faint flashes in the roots. The Glythians and Tricklings watched, unmoving, until a ripple of light moved across the mass — a warning pulse.
MC adjusted Kael's path with a hand on his shoulder.
"Slow. Patience. Knowledge of local flora is key. We're not here to fight yet — only observe and infiltrate."
Kael followed, careful. The scanner beeped louder: internal sensors inside the base were near. The old detection grid was faintly active — lasers and motion detectors half-buried in the bio-structure, flickering like ghost lights.
MC examined a rib-vein close by.
"See this? Semi-conductive biocircuitry. The base has merged with the planet. Touch wrong, and it triggers an internal security sweep. But I know the sequence."
He tapped the veins in a pattern, causing a faint pulse to ripple through the tissue. A section of ribbed wall contracted and shifted slightly — revealing a narrow, half-hidden entrance.
Kael's eyes widened.
"That's… the base?"
MC nodded.
"Yes. Sensors indicate the corridors are still active. Old, but deadly. Step inside quietly. Stay close. No distractions."
The two approached the slit. Inside, faint red lasers crisscrossed the corridor — internal security beams connected to motion sensors and old pressure plates.
MC crouched, removing a small tool from his belt.
"Old but effective. We'll bypass using reflection and calculated timing. Keep your head down."
Kael's hands shook slightly.
"Understood. I'm… right behind you, Commander."
The Glythians lingered outside, their hypnotic eyes fixed on the slit. The Whisperwings above flitted silently, their mirrored wings creating faint, disorienting illusions.
MC exhaled slowly.
"Ready? We go in. One step at a time. Observe everything. The life outside this base may try to manipulate us, but inside… it's all technology, old and predictable — if you know what you're doing."
Kael nodded, staring at MC's back, trusting his leadership completely.
MC pressed a foot against the first laser grid. It flared red, waiting for the calculated reflection. The corridor ahead waited silently.