Swipe Right
Copyright© 2026 by Sci-FiTy1972
Chapter 37: Things That Don't Need to Be Seen
Dinner was almost normal.
That was the strange part.
The table in Darius and Amina’s quarters was set simply—real plates, actual food, the kind of meal that required hands instead of interfaces. Renee had insisted on helping, despite Amina’s polite objections. Darius’s mother had immediately joined her, treating the galley like it was just another kitchen that needed organizing.
Marcus had declined the invitation. So had command staff.
This wasn’t that kind of night.
Brandon sat quietly, listening more than talking. The younger one—Braden—had already finished eating and was halfway through dismantling a bread roll into what looked suspiciously like a spaceship.
Darius leaned back slightly, watching his parents talk with Amina about nothing important at all.
That was when the Royal AI chose to speak.
Not aloud.
It projected.
The air above the table shimmered, resolving into a soft holographic display. No alarms. No harsh light. Just a slow rotation of symbols and motion.
Darius stiffened. “Not now—”
“It’s alright,” Amina said softly. She could feel it too. “Let it show.”
The hologram shifted.
Not to ships.
Not to weapons.
But to absence.
Stars blinked out of view—not violently, not catastrophically—but as if the map itself had decided certain places were no longer relevant.
Renee frowned. “What am I looking at?”
“Trade routes,” Amina said. “Old ones.”
The display adjusted. Names appeared briefly—species designations, long and unfamiliar. Most were struck through. Others faded halfway, marked with a simple glyph Darius didn’t recognize.
His father leaned forward slightly. “Those ... disappearances?”
“Yes,” Amina said. “But not suddenly.”
The image zoomed in.
A council chamber appeared—not dramatic, not ornate. Vast, dim, built for time rather than comfort. Massive figures stood in stillness around a central space. Winged. Upright. Heavy.
Dragons—if you didn’t look too closely.
No flames. No crowns. No motion meant to impress.
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