Chapter 11: Descent into the Unknown

The moment I stepped onto my ship’s bridge, G’Lan’s voice greeted me.

“You agreed to her request.”

I sighed. “Yeah, G’Lan, I did.”

The AI remained silent for a moment, then finally responded. “Interesting.”

I shook my head and settled into the captain’s chair. “Run a full systems check. We need to be ready for anything.”

“Acknowledged. All systems nominal. FTL drive primed for departure.”

I exhaled, watching the tactical display as Ny’Vara’s flagship drifted in formation with my dreadnought. It still felt strange—only a few hours ago, she had been pointing weapons at me. Now, she was leading me on a journey to uncover something ancient and powerful.

And part of me was excited as hell.

### A Leap into the Dark

A short while later, I stood in the hangar bay as Ny’Vara’s sleek black-and-silver shuttle landed inside my ship. The ramp lowered, and she stepped out, now clad in a dark, form-fitting flight suit, a stark contrast to the regal tunic she had worn earlier.

She moved with the fluid grace of a warrior, her emerald eyes scanning the hangar before settling on me.

“Your ship is ready?” she asked.

I smirked. “Wouldn’t be much of a captain if it wasn’t.”

Ny’Vara’s lips curled in amusement. “Then let us begin.”

I nodded to G’Lan. “Plot a course to Xal’Tharun.”

“Course locked. Jumping in three ... two ... one.”

The ship rumbled as the FTL drive kicked in, stars stretching into thin lines before snapping into the swirling, iridescent void of hyperspace.

No turning back now.

### The Graveyard World

The moment we dropped out of FTL, the ship’s proximity alarms blared.

“Report!” I barked.

“Massive debris field detected. Scanning ... identifying over three hundred derelict ships in orbit of the planet.”

I frowned. “G’Lan, put it on screen.”

The viewscreen flickered to life, revealing the haunting sight of a starship graveyard.

Ancient vessels—some sleek and predatory, others blocky and brutal—drifted lifelessly through the void, their shattered hulls frozen in time.

Ny’Vara stood beside me, her expression unreadable. “The legends were true...”

I glanced at her. “You’ve heard stories about this place?”

She nodded. “A battlefield of an age long past. Ships that vanished without a trace. My people have always believed this system was cursed.”

I exhaled. “Great. So we’re flying straight into a cosmic ghost story. Wonderful.”

Ny’Vara smirked. “Afraid?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not of ghosts. But I don’t like surprises.”

She tilted her head. “Then you may not enjoy what comes next.”

Before I could respond, G’Lan’s voice cut in. “I have located the vault.”

The display zoomed in, revealing a dark, foreboding structure buried beneath layers of rock and ice.

A thrill ran through me. We had found it.

I turned to Ny’Vara. “Looks like it’s time for a little excavation.”

Her emerald eyes gleamed. “Indeed.”

We weren’t just uncovering history.

We were stepping into the unknown.

And something about that felt like destiny.