Chapter 5: A Test of Fire

The Erebus glided smoothly through Earth’s orbit, its sleek, black hull blending into the darkness of space. Inside, the newly assembled crew was still adjusting to their roles—and each other.

Gear paced the engineering bay, muttering under his breath as he examined the ship’s inner workings. “This tech doesn’t make sense,” he said, waving a hand toward an exposed panel of glowing circuits. “It’s like it’s alive, but not. Half this stuff looks like it was grown, not built.”

“That’s because it was,” Elena replied from across the room, where she was examining a set of holographic schematics. “The Erebus uses bio-organic technology. It’s self-repairing and adaptive.”

Gear snorted. “Great. So, if it breaks, I can’t even fix it.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Thomas said as he entered the room, his voice steady but laced with tension. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting around for a tech manual. Just make it work.”

“Easier said than done, boss,” Gear muttered, but he turned back to his work.

In the cockpit, Zara was hunched over a console, her fingers dancing across the holographic interface. “This ship’s systems are insane,” she said, her voice tinged with awe. “The encryption alone would take Earth’s best hackers years to crack. And that’s just the navigation system.”

“Can you handle it?” Thomas asked, leaning over her shoulder.

Zara smirked. “Please. Give me a day, and I’ll have this thing singing to me.”

Thomas nodded, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were flying blind. Solace had assured him that the Erebus was more than capable of defending itself, but he still felt like a passenger in a machine he barely understood.

“Approaching the designated jump point,” Solace announced, its voice filling the room. “Prepare for hyperspace travel.”

The crew gathered on the bridge, the tension palpable. This was their first real test as a team, and the uncertainty hung heavy in the air.

“Hyperspace?” Gear asked, his eyebrows raised. “You sure this thing won’t rip us apart?”

“The Erebus has made this journey countless times,” Solace replied calmly. “You are in no danger.”

“Comforting,” Zara muttered, strapping herself into a seat.

Thomas took a deep breath and gripped the controls. “Let’s do it.”

The ship shuddered as its engines powered up, and a tunnel of light opened before them. In an instant, the Erebus was hurled into hyperspace, the stars stretching into streaks of light.

The journey lasted only minutes, but the transition back to normal space was jarring. The crew barely had time to adjust before alarms blared across the ship.

“Unidentified vessel approaching,” Solace warned. “Hostile configuration detected. Kael’dar scout ship on intercept course.”

Thomas’s heart sank. “Already?”

The main screen flickered to show the alien vessel—a jagged, organic-looking craft that pulsed with an eerie red light. It was smaller than the Erebus, but its movements were quick and aggressive.

“They must have picked up the signal when we activated the ship,” Elena said, her voice tight.