The galaxy had been at war for forty years.
Humans, Virellians, Korthan Swarm—everyone fighting over the same thing: the star relays. TARITOTO Ancient gates left behind by a civilization older than memory, they could fling ships across light-years in seconds. Whoever controlled them, controlled the galaxy.
I was a captain once. The Aurora Blade was my ship, my crew my family. Then came the battle at Ryn’s Belt, and I lost half of them in a single ambush. After that, I swore I’d never take another command.
Until the Council called me in.
“The last working star relay,” the envoy said, sliding a holo across the table. “Sector 7X-Delta. We believe it’s under attack. If it falls, the war ends—and not in our favor.”
I told them I was done. They told me if I refused, they’d charge me with dereliction for Ryn’s Belt.
So, I took the job.
The Aurora Blade was patched up, crewed by a mix of veterans and strangers.
There was Torren, my first officer—a Virellian with pale blue skin and a habit of quoting old war poems.
Mara Vale, our pilot, claimed she could thread a ship through a black hole if she had to. She smiled like someone who’d tried.
And Rix, our engineer—a six-armed Korthan who talked to machines more than people.
We jumped to 7X-Delta and found the relay drifting above a dying red star. Its surface shimmered with the faint blue arcs of energy.
But we weren’t alone.
Three warcruisers hung in formation—Swarm ships, their hulls pulsing with bioluminescent patterns.
Mara swore under her breath. “They’re here to take it.”
We couldn’t take them head-on. Instead, I ordered a stealth approach, skimming the relay’s outer ring. Torren and I suited up, launching in a two-man shuttle toward the control station.
The relay’s surface was smooth, cold, and humming with power. Inside, we found the control chamber—and something else.
A figure stood at the console, turning slowly as we entered.
It was human. Or at least, it used to be.
Half of its body was metal, the rest pale and gaunt. Wires snaked from its skull into the relay itself. Its eyes glowed with a faint gold light.
“I am the Keeper,” it said, voice echoing. “And you will not take the relay.”
We tried diplomacy. The Keeper wasn’t interested.
“This relay is not yours,” it said. “It is not theirs. It belongs to the Builders, and the Builders are not done with it.”
Before we could argue, the Swarm ships opened fire. The relay shuddered, alarms blaring in alien tones.
The Keeper’s voice changed—urgent, almost afraid. “If they breach the power core, the relay will collapse. And so will this star.”
That meant we had minutes before the whole system went nova.
Torren and I scrambled for the controls, trying to bring the relay’s defenses online. The interface wasn’t built for human hands, and my fingers ached as I forced commands through.
Rix’s voice came over comms. “Cap, they’re targeting the stabilizers. We’ve got thirty seconds before the ring destabilizes.”
I swore and hit the final command. The relay’s arcs flared, lancing out like spears of blue fire. Two Swarm ships exploded instantly.
The third turned tail and fled.
The Keeper slumped, sparks flickering along its metal side. “It will hold… for now. But they will return. And when they do, you will need more than ships to stop them.”
It reached into the console and pulled something free—a crystalline shard, glowing faintly.
“This is the key to the Builder network,” it said. “With it, you can awaken the other relays.”
I took it, feeling its weight in my hand. It was heavier than it looked.
When we returned to the Aurora Blade, the crew was silent. They knew what the shard meant—another mission. Another fight.
The Council would want it. The Swarm would kill for it. And somewhere out there, the other relays waited.
That night, I stood alone on the observation deck, watching the dying star.
I’d promised myself I was done leading. But the galaxy didn’t care about promises.
And maybe… I didn’t either.