Chapters 14: Echoes of a Forgotten War

I sat in my quarters, a stiff drink in hand, staring at the swirling amber liquid. My mind was racing.

That thing in the vault—it spoke like it knew me. Like I was part of something ancient, something lost.

And my ship—my dreadnought—it wasn’t supposed to be in mortal hands?

I took a slow sip, letting the warmth settle in my chest. None of this made sense.

A soft chime broke the silence.

“Enter,” I muttered.

The door slid open, revealing Ny’Vara.

She stepped inside, her movements controlled but tense. “You look like a man haunted by ghosts.”

I smirked weakly. “I think I might be.”

She sat across from me, her emerald eyes searching mine. “You heard it, didn’t you? That ... thing.”

I nodded. “It spoke like it knew me. Like I was part of whatever war wiped out whoever built that vault.”

Her ears twitched. “And your ship. It called it something more.”

I let out a slow breath. “Yeah. And that bothers me more than anything.”

Ny’Vara leaned forward. “Harper ... your ship is unlike any I have seen. More advanced than anything my people, or even the Centauri, possess. You said you found it buried on Earth—but are you certain it was made there?”

I frowned. “You think it was built by ... whatever made that vault?”

She hesitated. “I think your ship may be a relic of that lost war. And if that’s true ... then you may have just woken something far greater than we understand.”

I ran a hand through my hair. This was getting worse by the second.

Before I could respond, G’Lan’s voice cut in.

“Captain, long-range sensors have detected a subspace anomaly forming near our position. It matches no known phenomena.”

I met Ny’Vara’s gaze. “That’s not good.”

She stood. “No. It is not.”

### The Rift Opens

By the time we reached the bridge, the anomaly had grown.

The viewscreen displayed a gaping tear in space, swirling with violet and blue lightning. It pulsed, expanding slowly but steadily.

And something was coming through.

“Report,” I snapped.

G’Lan’s tone was tense. “The rift is highly unstable. Readings suggest an artificial creation—someone, or something, is forcing it open.”

Ny’Vara narrowed her eyes. “To get to us?”

Before G’Lan could answer, the rift surged outward—and a ship emerged.

No—a fleet.

Sleek, obsidian vessels, their hulls covered in the same shifting patterns I had seen in the vault. Silent. Predatory. Watching.

My stomach tightened. “Tell me they’re not charging weapons.”

G’Lan hesitated. “They are not ... yet.”

Ny’Vara’s claws flexed. “They are waiting.”

I exhaled slowly. So was I.

Then, a transmission came through.

A single voice—calm, commanding, and inhuman.

“Captain Harper. You carry what was lost.”

Ny’Vara shot me a look. “They know you.”

I nodded grimly. “Yeah. And I don’t think they’re here to chat.”

On the viewscreen, the lead ship’s hull shifted, forming strange glyphs that pulsed with eerie light.

The voice came again.

“Return the vessel. Or be erased.”

I clenched my jaw. Like hell.

I turned to G’Lan. “Raise shields. Bring weapons online.”

Ny’Vara’s tail flicked. “We are fighting, then?”

I smirked. “They want my ship? They can come and try to take it.”

The enemy fleet began to move.

And then—

The battle began.