The Arbor's engines rumbled as it adjusted course, pushing through the void with a sense of urgency that hadn't been there before. Emma stood in the navigation room, her hands resting lightly on the console, eyes fixed on the glowing star charts before her. Earth was nothing more than a distant speck on the screen, but it carried more weight than any of the other worlds mapped across the display.
Her father's journal lay open beside her, its worn pages revealing sketches, calculations, and symbols she had yet to fully understand. A drawing of glowing eyes stood out, a silent warning from the depths of space. She traced her fingers along the edge of the page, lingering over the words that had haunted her since the transmission. The Seed of Worlds. A mystery she was running out of time to solve.
Chloe worked beside her, fingers tapping against the console as she adjusted their flight path. The map flickered, numbers shifting in real time.
"Long haul ahead, Doc. K'tharr could beat us there."
Emma nodded, her mind racing through possibilities.
"Then we make every second count."
Liam entered, his usual energy subdued. He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching her with quiet skepticism.
"Still think this is worth it?"
Emma's gaze softened.
"It has to be, Liam. For Earth."
He nodded, still unconvinced but unwilling to argue.
Below deck, the tension ran thick. Soldiers cleaned their gear, checking weapons, going over drills. Reyes stood in the center of the training bay, his voice sharp, demanding precision. This wasn't preparation anymore—it was the weight of what was coming, pressing down on everyone in ways they weren't willing to admit.
Mark found Emma later, his presence steady in the middle of the storm.
"You're pushing us hard."
"I am," she admitted, meeting his eyes. "Because we have to be more than survivors now."
Beyond the ship, unseen, something stirred.
A colossal K'tharr vessel moved through space, its gold-and-silver hull reflecting distant starlight. It was headed toward Earth, slow but certain.
The void carried whispers Emma couldn't quite decipher, but she felt them all the same.
She inhaled deeply, the hum of WoodDust filling her bones, steadying her for what was ahead.
The war wasn't waiting.
Neither was she.
---
Part Two: Across the Cosmic Divide
Weeks passed since the Arbor adjusted course, every hour carrying them closer to Earth. The bridge remained a steady hum of movement, monitors glowing under artificial light, voices clipped with restrained urgency. The walls carried traces of Zogarian technology, embedded seamlessly into the ship's structure, glowing faintly as data streams ran through them.
Emma paced near the main console, studying the latest scans. Her hands rested on the edge of the table, steady despite the pull of exhaustion. Three years of fighting, rebuilding, surviving. Each decision had carved itself into her posture, leaving sharp edges where softness once was.
Chloe scanned the readings, brows furrowed as she pulled up another simulation.
"Doc, their ships… they're fast. Too fast."
Emma leaned over, watching the flickering projection on the screen. A K'tharr vessel shifted through space, its movement bending physics in ways they barely understood.
"They're using WoodDust to manipulate space-time," she murmured. "Cheating distance. Possibly even time itself."
Chloe adjusted the parameters, refining the data. She had spent years outmaneuvering Zogarians, hacking systems no one thought could be breached, but this felt different.
"We need a way to counter that speed before they reach Earth."
She nodded, hands moving quickly, but the tension remained.
At the far end of the bridge, Liam stood over the star chart, fingers tracing coordinates. His voice was low, meant only for himself, but Maya heard it anyway.
"What if we can't keep up?"
She glanced at him, saying nothing, before turning back to her work.
Emma felt it—the cracks forming beneath the surface. Their resolve was still there, but doubt lingered at the edges, threading through conversations, showing in small, silent moments.
She turned back to the viewport, watching the stretch of space ahead.
They were coming.
Earth was waiting.
Ready or not, the war was about to begin.