Astra-9 drifted in the quiet aftershock of the dragon's warning.No alarms.No vibrations.Only a low hum from the ship's engines as they worked to maintain stability in the field of warped spacetime.
Commander Rhea broke the silence.
"Lyra. Open an official diplomatic channel. Let's talk to whoever—or whatever—is leading that fleet."
Lyra nodded, fingers brushing the glowing control pads.A deep harmonic tone vibrated faintly through the deck as the communication link stabilized.
The holoscreen flickered.Once.Twice.
Then, Seraxis—the crystalline Archivist—reappeared.But this time, its form looked weaker. The radiant glow that once shimmered across its geometric body had dulled, flickering unevenly, like a lantern running out of oil.
"Seraxis," Rhea greeted, voice steady but respectful."This is Commander Amina Rhea of the human vessel Astra-9. We welcome you… and we need to understand what, exactly, you have brought with you."
The Archivist bowed its multi-layered head.
"We are humbled by your mercy," it said."Our worlds were erased. Our families lost. We fled through a collapsing dimensional boundary."
Its voice trembled—not with emotion, but with fracture, like a worn recording struggling to keep its shape.
Lyra spoke softly."You're injured."
Seraxis shook its crystalline head."Not injured. Unstable. Our forms were created for the laws of our reality. This universe… rejects us. Every moment we remain, our structures degrade."
Orion leaned forward."But you came here anyway. Why?"
The Archivist's body flared briefly with colors of deep violet—sorrow.
"We had nowhere else left to run."
That hit the room hard.
Lyra swallowed."What do you need to survive?"
"Stabilization fields," Seraxis replied, "to mimic our native atomic constants. Then we can build temporary havens."
Rhea nodded."We can generate containment fields for you."
Orion cut in gently."Commander, wait."
Rhea raised a brow."What is it?"
Orion pointed at the sensor data running beside him.
"The energy signature required to stabilize even one of their ships is massive. We'd have to reroute power from half our critical systems. Shields, thrust, long-range scans… everything."
Lyra's eyes widened."Meaning if the Unmaking shows up, we'll be defenseless."
Seraxis dimmed further.
"We do not wish to burden you. If needed, we shall drift… until we fade."
The quiet resolve in its voice hit Orion harder than fear.These weren't invaders.These weren't conquerors.
They were survivors.
He looked at Rhea.
"Commander… we can't just leave them to die."
Rhea stared at the data, jaw tight.One decision could risk their own universe.
But letting the refugees perish?
She couldn't do that either.
Finally, she exhaled."Set up a stabilization lattice. Just enough to keep their largest vessels intact. We rotate power in cycles—slow, controlled, minimal risk."
Lyra smiled faintly."Yes, Commander."
Seraxis bowed again, this time with visible relief.
"You have our eternal gratitude."
But before anyone could respond, a new alarm blared across Astra-9—one that made Orion freeze.
UNAUTHORIZED DATA TRANSMISSION DETECTEDSOURCE: REFUGEE FLAGSHIPDESTINATION: UNKNOWN
Rhea snapped her head toward the engineering deck."Orion. What is that?"
Orion's fingers flew over controls.
"It's accessing our network—scanning our systems—pulling star charts—reading our energy signatures—"
Lyra's eyes widened."Seraxis, what are you doing?"
But the Archivist looked just as shocked.
"That is… not us."
The deck lights flickered.The dragon construct outside pulsed once—violently—casting a burst of energy across space.
Orion stiffened.
"The dragon just attempted to block the transmission."
Rhea's voice hardened."Orion. Tell me what that signal is doing."
Orion swallowed.
"It's not invading… it's mapping."
Lyra frowned."Mapping what?"
Orion stared at the screen—at the growing pattern forming across the display.
A fractal.A perfect recursive loop.
And at its center—
A single symbol:
∞
His blood turned cold.
Lyra whispered, "That's the same symbol from the Infinity Signal…"
Orion nodded slowly.
"Commander… that transmission didn't come from the refugees."
Rhea narrowed her eyes."Then who sent it?"
Orion stared into the evolving pattern.
"It came from something already inside our systems."
The dragon outside roared—not in aggression—but in warning.
A second, unidentified signal flared through Astra-9.
This time stronger.Deeper.And unmistakably intelligent.
Lyra clutched her headset."It's whispering in every language at once!"
Seraxis flickered, trembling.
"The Unmaking… it has marked you."
Orion felt a chill run through him.
"No," he said softly. "This isn't the Unmaking."
Lyra stared at him.
"What is it then?"
He turned to the screen, heart pounding.
"It's the beginning of something else."
Another pulse hit the ship.
A message formed across every holo-panel on Astra-9:
THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN.