The year was 3025, December 24th. Humanity had entered what historians proudly named The Golden Age of Technology. With starships capable of enduring the void's cruel silence and engines designed to slice through space at light speed, Earth had risen to heights once thought impossible. Curiosity, boundless and relentless, propelled humankind into the depths of the cosmos.
Yet, despite centuries of exploration, not a single answer nor a single alien life responded to the call.
The universe remained silent—an endless frontier mocking them with possibilities. Years had passed countless wars happened against new human empires that called The Stellaris War.
Inside the patrol vessel Aurelius, the crew prepared for yet another mission.
(Stellar Executive Officer) Carlo: "It's already Christmas. Time really flies… Ugh, I just want to go home and take a vacation."
(Stellar Executive Officer) Noah:laughing "Sorry, Carl don't be too comfy More work awaits us."
Carlo:grumbling "Figures. A thousand years of searching and still no proof of aliens. Do they even exist? all that happening now is this war."
Noah: We don't know maybe they are just around the corner of those dark places; they could be everywhere.
Carlo: Probably, but I don't believe any of those. Until I see one. And one more thing does enemy ships goes this far?
(Stellar Deputy Commander) Sara:walking in "What are you two rambling about?"
"By order and honor, we salute your presence, ma'am.".
Sara: Acknowledge. Soo what are you two talking about?
Noah: "Oh, nothing. Just… appreciating Christmas, I guess."
Sara: "Mm-hmm. Well, save your spirit for later. We just got an urgent report from headquarters. Orders are to venture beyond the Milky Way."
(Stellar Commander) Harold:the commander straightening his uniform "Very well. Prepare for departure."
Carlo: "But what's out there? Commander George's expeditions already mapped that sector."
Sara: "I don't know. But according to the report, faint signals have been detected. They're not normal wavelengths."
Noah: "Signals? Finally. Let's find out what's waiting for us. Hary, full speed ahead."
(Stellar pilot) Hary: "As commanded, sir!"
The Aurelius leapt forward, engines bending the stars into streaks of light. But as the vessel neared the coordinates, the smooth hum of the ship shifted into alarms.
Hary: "Sir! Something's wrong. Error reports flooding in."
Harold: "Report!"
Hary: "Good news and bad news. Good news—we've reached the target location. Bad news—something's pulling us in."
Sara:eyes widening "A gravitational anomaly?!"
Harold: "Break free! Full thrust, now!"
Hary: "It's not enough. The pull is too strong."
Carlo:panicking "NOOOO! We're doomed! I don't even have a girlfriend yet!"
Noah:clenching fists "Brace yourselves, everyone!"
On the other side of the void, a Zyphorath patrol ship scanned the anomaly.
The Zyphorath— hyper-intelligent, ageless beings from the Vel'Dran Expanse—were entities of paradox: both living consciousness and cosmic anomaly. They were feared as The Archivists of Extinction, observers of history who guided empires toward collapse the moment they grew too powerful.
Skywarden: "Commander, anomaly detected. It's emerging from the Abyss stream."
Commander: "Impossible. That sector is barren—just tales of the Thousand Wars fought there aeons ago."
Skywarden:shocked "Sir… it's a spacecraft."
Commander:grimly "A trespasser, then. Ready weapons."
The Zyphorath vessel hailed the intruder.
Zyphorath Transmission:
"UNKNOWN CRAFT, IDENTIFY YOURSELVES. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION."
Back on the Aurelius, alarms blared again.
Noah: "What the… That's a ship! A real alien ship!"
Sara: "They're speaking, but… I can't understand a single word."
Carlo:trembling lips "They're trying to communicate?!".
Hary: "I'll send a message: We are from Earth. We mean no harm."
Carlo: "They won't understand us! This is hopeless!"
But before panic consumed the crew, something shifted. The Zyphorath weapons powered down.
Zyphorath Commander: "Strange… look for any species that spoke that language.
Sky Warden: Yes Commander.
Sky warden: Commander there is no results related to the spoken term.
Zyphorath Commander: Eliminate them!
Archivist Kark:raising a hand "Wait. That tongue… familiar."
The Zyphorath Archivist, keeper of forbidden history, scoured ancient records. His eyes widened.
Kark: "This… This can't be. That language—those faces. Commander, halt the attack! let me speak to them request holographic call."
Hary: Sir! they requested holographic call.
Harold: Accept it.
A faint hum fills the room, low and electric, as a soft pulse of blue light begins to gather in the air. Bzzzzt—whoooom. The sound grows sharper, almost like a mix of static and a faint wind swirling inside metal walls. Tiny fragments of light scatter upward like sparks before they weave together, shaping into a glowing three-dimensional figure.
The projection flickers for a second—crackle, crackle—before stabilizing. A voice emerges, slightly delayed and filtered, echoing with a digital undertone: The crew of the Aurelius stiffened as the Zyphorath's next words came through—this time, in clear English.
Zyphorath Archivist: "Greetings… we are the Zyphorathians."
Noah: (they could talk in English how? and what weird looking lifeform are they built in armor I can't even see their faces).
Harold: "We are Earthlings. We seek no conflict."
Archivist Kark:voice shaking "Earth…? No… It cannot be… An ancient civilization long thought lost."( I thought I just misheard it but looking at their appearances this is..)
He turned sharply to his commander.
Kark: "Prepare to retreat! At once!"
Commander: "What? Why?"
Kark: "Do as I say! NOW!"
The Zyphorath ship pulled away, vanishing into the abyssstream with a rush of light.
Silence fell inside the Aurelius.
Harold:puzzled "Was it something I said? Or maybe… I'm just too handsome for them."
Carlo burst out laughing.
Carlo: "Pffft—WAAHAHAHA! Commander, your face just saved us!"
The tension broke, the crew laughing nervously as the stars returned to stillness. Yet deep within the Zyphorath vessel, the Archivist's words lingered like a curse.
Earth… an ancient civilization… returned.
The Zyphorath's Appearance:
The Zyphorath are not bound by a single form—existing as both living organisms and cosmic anomalies. To human eyes, their appearance feels like staring into a paradox given flesh.
Body Structure: Their forms are tall and elongated, averaging 3 meters in height, with a frame that seems both skeletal and fluid. Their limbs taper into razor-thin, jointless appendages, moving with a grace that defies gravity, as if the air itself bends to carry them. Skin/Surface: Instead of skin, they are sheathed in a shifting layer of obsidian-black membrane, faintly translucent, within which galaxies seem to flicker—tiny motes of starlight drifting across their bodies like constellations. Face/Head: Their faces are faceless masks of light and shadow—no mouth, no nose, only a vertical line where energy pulses like a slow heartbeat. In moments of emotion, the "face" fractures into glowing cracks, revealing the radiant void beneath. Eyes: Two or sometimes three orbs of pale silver light hover where their eyes should be, shifting like moons orbiting a planet. These "eyes" are said to see across time currents, perceiving past, present, and potential futures all at once. Aura/Presence: Being near a Zyphorath feels like standing at the edge of a collapsing star. Their presence bends sound, warps shadows, and fills the air with a low hum—neither threatening nor welcoming, but inevitable. Soldiers often describe the sensation as "being observed not by a creature, but by history itself."Armor/Clothing (when formal): High-ranking Zyphorath, like Archivists or Commanders, adorn themselves with living armor, strands of luminous energy woven around their form like robes of liquid crystal, pulsing with unreadable glyphs that drift across the surface