The drone hovered near the pulsing stone, its sensors glowing softly as it completed its scan cycle. Inside the ship, the crew watched the data stream across the console, lines of incomplete graphs and symbols flickering on the screen.
Max frowned, tapping the console lightly. "Not much. The outer composition is mostly silicate and iron like a normal asteroid, but there's a structured mass inside."
Ren leaned over, squinting. "Structured how?"
Max zoomed in on the scan's internal layout, revealing a faint outline beneath the layers of rock and crystal fractures. "It's definitely not natural. Look at those angles—too clean."
Shizuka crossed her arms, thoughtful. "A machine embedded inside a rock drifting in space? Who would leave something like that here?"
Kenta stared at the pulsing image on the screen, eyes wide. "Maybe it's a message… or a gift."
Elan stayed quiet, his gaze locked on the blue pulses that continued every six seconds, casting a cold glow on the drone's camera feed. "Or it's a trap. Either way, we need to find out."
Max nodded. "That's all we could get without cracking it open. It's emitting a faint signal, but no power source detected outside the pulses."
Ren checked the sensors again, confirming the space around them was still clear. "We can't stay here forever."
Elan exhaled, glancing around at the crew. "Prep to bring it aboard. We'll figure out what it is once we get it inside."
Outside, the drone hovered near the stone, waiting for orders, the blue light pulsing softly as the crew prepared to uncover whatever mystery lay hidden inside the drifting rock.
The airlock hissed softly as the drone guided the pulsing rock into the cargo bay, magnetic clamps sliding it into place with a heavy thud. The blue light continued to pulse every six seconds, casting shifting shadows across the walls of the cramped space.
Elan stood with his arms crossed, watching as a thin mist of dust drifted from the rock's fractured surface. "Alright. It's here."
Max moved forward cautiously, his scanner in hand, checking the radiation and energy readings. "No hazardous radiation. Signal's still steady, low frequency. Whatever's inside isn't trying to get out… yet."
Ren kept her distance, arms folded, her eyes wary. "We're just going to crack it open here?"
Shizuka shook her head, kneeling down to examine the fractures in the stone. "We need to figure out the safest way to get it out without damaging whatever is inside. We don't even know what it's made of."
Kenta peeked from behind Elan, eyes wide with curiosity and fear. "Do you think it's dangerous?"
Elan glanced at him, then back to the pulsing light. "Everything out here is dangerous, Kenta. But if we're careful, we'll be fine."
Max sighed, stepping back. "We'll need to clear the area and set up a controlled cut if we want to open it. We don't have proper mining tools, but we can try with the plasma cutter on low output."
Shizuka stood, brushing dust from her hands. "We'll do it slowly. Piece by piece if we have to."
Elan nodded, looking around at the team. "Get some rest if you need it, but we start this today. The sooner we find out what's inside, the sooner we can decide our next move."
The crew prepared the small cargo bay, the hum of the ship surrounding them as the pulsing stone sat in the center, a silent promise of mystery waiting to be uncovered.
The low hum of the plasma cutter filled the cargo bay, its thin beam slicing carefully into the fractured surface of the pulsing rock. Shards of dust and stone drifted slowly in the low gravity, each spark illuminating the dark corners of the cramped space.
Max held the cutter steady, sweat beading on his forehead. "Easy… just a little deeper."
Shizuka stood nearby, monitoring the scanner, watching for any sudden spikes in energy or pressure. "Steady, Max. The pulses are intensifying slightly, but no dangerous readings."
Ren was perched near the doorway, a wrench in hand just in case, eyes locked on the glowing blue cracks as they slowly widened under the heat of the cutter.
Elan crouched near Max, brushing fragments away with gloved hands, exposing cleaner edges as they worked their way deeper into the stone. "Any sign of what's inside?"
Max shook his head, adjusting the cutter's angle. "Not yet. Almost through this layer."
A faint vibration moved through the floor as the rock let out a quiet, hollow pop, the light inside pulsing brighter for a moment before settling back to its regular rhythm.
Kenta watched from behind a crate, holding onto the edge, eyes wide as he whispered, "It's like it's alive…"
Finally, the cutter broke through a final layer, revealing a glimpse of smooth, dark metal beneath the cracked rock, faint blue lines glowing along its surface in sync with the pulses.
Max pulled back, shutting off the cutter. "There it is."
Elan reached out, brushing the remaining dust aside, revealing more of the embedded machine's surface. It was sleek, covered in faint geometric patterns that pulsed with blue light, humming softly like a distant heartbeat.
The crew stood in silence for a moment, the light reflecting in their eyes as they realized they were looking at something far beyond their understanding, waiting to be freed from its stone prison in the drifting dark of space.
The cargo bay was quiet except for the soft hum of the strange machine, its blue glow pulsing steadily in the dim light as Elan and Max carefully pried away the last pieces of rock encasing it.
Shizuka adjusted the lights, illuminating the object fully for the first time. It was shaped like a chest piece, sleek and seamless, the surface covered in softly glowing lines that pulsed like veins of light. The material looked metallic but had a strange sheen, shifting slightly with each pulse of blue.
Ren stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "That's… armor?"
Max nodded slowly, brushing off the final dust. "Looks like it. A harness, maybe, but it's too advanced for anything we've ever seen."
Kenta stared at it, mouth slightly open. "It's beautiful…"
Elan ran his gloved fingers along the surface, feeling the faint warmth beneath the cold metal exterior. The geometric lines shifted under his touch, as if responding to his presence.
"It was embedded in that rock for who knows how long," Shizuka said, her voice soft. "Who left something like this drifting in space?"
Ren looked at the scanners, confirming again there was no change in the surrounding space. "No signals, no traps. It's just… here."
Max checked the structure with a handheld scanner, the device struggling to identify the material. "It's almost like it's alive, reacting to us."
Elan stood, holding the armor carefully in both hands, lifting it to eye level as the glow pulsed softly, lighting up his face in blue light.
"It's ours now," Elan said quietly. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."
The crew stood in silence, watching the strange artifact as it pulsed in Elan's hands, the drifting ship around them feeling smaller in the presence of the unknown technology they had uncovered in the dark void of space.
The strange armor lay still on the worktable, its blue glow pulsing in rhythm with the ship's soft mechanical hum. Everyone had gathered around it, the atmosphere tense with curiosity and caution.
"It's... almost organic," Max muttered, leaning in. "I've never seen anything like it. The material is shifting subtly—like it's breathing."
Shizuka folded her arms. "I don't like how quiet it is. Tech like this doesn't just exist. Someone built it—and for a reason."
Kenta tilted his head. "What if it's military? Experimental gear from a lost faction?"
Elan stared at the armor. "Or alien."
Ren groaned. "Please don't say that. We're barely surviving as is."
They continued examining it—discussing theories, debating what it could be for. But no answers came. Just more questions.
Then, without warning, the armor lifted slightly into the air.
"What—!" Ren stepped back.
"Elan, don't touch it!" Shizuka shouted.
"I'm not!" he said, backing away. But the armor was already moving.
It hovered toward him, the blue glow intensifying. Elan raised his hands instinctively, but it shot forward with a flash—slamming into his chest with enough force to knock him back a step.
"Elan!" Max shouted.
The armor latched onto his torso, fusing with his suit and then his skin—melting into him like liquid metal. Elan screamed, but it wasn't pain—it was pressure. Like something ancient and heavy was pushing its way into him.
Light surged across his body. The glowing veins spread outward, weaving over his limbs. Then from the collar, nanotech-like particles burst out—assembling themselves, wrapping around his neck and jaw, crawling upward until a sleek helmet locked into place over his head.
His breathing echoed from inside the sealed casing.
As Elan stood, the pulsing blue glow surged through the armor. Then, from deep within the helmet, a low, synthetic hum resonated—and foreign characters scrolled silently across the visor.
Suddenly, distorted audio crackled through the air:
[∆≈#∞₱⧫◊⟁::…▲≡Ʌ▲▣…]
[ϞΨ∷…Calibrating Biological Host…]
[⇌Φ¥∿—Language Node Assimilated—v.001::Eng'lish]
[Synchrony Complete.]
To be continued.....