Chapter 1 Arrival at the EdgeThe wind screamed through the jagged cliffs of Nova Prime, carrying the scent of iron-rich soil and
Chapter 1 Arrival at the Edge
The wind screamed through the jagged cliffs of Nova Prime, carrying the scent of iron-rich soil and an approaching storm. The sky above stretched in an endless violet haze, streaked with ribbons of deep indigo as the sun dipped behind the mountains. This world was beautiful in its own eerie wayuntil one looked too closely.
Commander Elias Voss gripped the steel railing of the colonys outer wall, scanning the landscape beyond. Nova Prime was humanitys last hope, a settlement built in defiance of extinction. They had come here to start again, to escape the dying Earth. But something else was already here. Something that had been waiting.
The terrain beyond the barricades was deceptively quiet. Towering obsidian trees with smooth, barkless trunks loomed in the distance, their canopies a tangle of bioluminescent veins that pulsed with a slow, rhythmic glow. The alien grass, a deep crimson, swayed without any wind. The silence was unnatural.
The silence meant they were watching.
A boot scraped against the metal floor behind him. Elias didn't turn. He recognized the heavy footsteps.
No movement? Captain Ryker Hale asked, his voice edged with tension.
Elias finally looked over his shoulder. Rykers dark tactical suit bore new scratches across the plating, likely from another scouting run beyond the walls. His short-cropped hair was damp with sweat. The man never trusted the quiet, and neither did Elias.
None, Elias said. But that doesn't mean was alone.
Theyve been gone too long, Ryker muttered. Last attack was three weeks ago. They don't wait this long.
Thats what concerns me.
The colony had suffered repeated attacks from the creaturesbeings that had emerged from the wilderness with no warning, their forms shifting like liquid shadow, moving faster than the human eye could track. They didn't communicate, didn't show any patterns of hunting or feeding. Furthermore, they simply wiped out anything in their path.
And yet, for nearly a month, they had vanished. No sightings. No attacks. Nothing.
Ryker frowned. They're planning something.
Before Elias could answer, a sharp burst of static cut through the air. The colonys main comm tower crackled to life.
peat. Maydaycolony outpostrequesting immediate assista
The voice was weak, distorted. Then it cut to silence.
Elias and Ryker froze.
Rykers fingers flew across his wrist device, pulling up the transmissions coordinates. His expression darkened.
That signal came from Outpost Theta.
Elias frowned. That cant be right.
Apparently, it is.
That outpost was abandoned after the first wave of attacks, a voice interrupted. Dr. Lillian Carter strode toward them, adjusting the interface of her data pad. The scientists sharp green eyes flicked between them, her brow furrowed in confusion. No one should be there.
Elias turned back to Ryker. Could be a false signal. Or a malfunction.
Or a trap, Ryker said.
The three of them exchanged uneasy glances. No one had set foot near Outpost Theta since the m******e. The structures still stood, but the corpses had been left where they fellwhat remained of them, anyway.
We need to confirm, Elias said.
Ryker scoffed. You're not serious.
If there's a chance someone's out there, we can't ignore it.
I can.
Elias shot him a look, and Ryker sighed heavily, rubbing a hand down his face. He wasn't wrong to hesitate. They all remembered what happened the last time someone went looking for answers.
But the colony was already running on borrowed time. If someone was out there, if they had information, it could change everything.
Dr. Carter adjusted the strap of her utility belt. Ill prep a drone for reconnaissance
No. Elias shook his head. I want a direct scouting team.
Commander, Ryker growled. This is a mistake.
We don't know that yet.
What we do know is that the last team to investigate a distress call never came back.
Elias held his ground. He understood the risk. He just wasn't willing to let fear dictate their survival.
After a long pause, Ryker exhaled sharply. Fine. I'll get a team together.
---
An Hour Later
The storm had begun to roll in, distant flashes of green lightning crackling over the jagged cliffs. The sky darkened as the scouting team prepped their gear.
Sergeant Mira Kessler tightened the strap on her rifle, running final checks on the six-person squad assembled beside her. Mira had been one of the first to land on Nova Prime, a hardened soldier who had seen exactly what the creatures could do. And unlike Elias, she didn't believe in mercy.
She glanced at Ryker. So, who's the poor bastard leading this mission?
You are, Ryker replied dryly.
Mira gave a humorless chuckle. Fantastic.
Elias approached, his expression unreadable. You have the coordinates?
Mira tapped her helmets interface. Locked in.
Stay in constant contact, Elias ordered. If anything looks off, you turn back.
Mira smirked. Oh, don't worry, Commander. If I see one shadow move the wrong way, were out.
Elias nodded, but he didn't miss the tension in her stance. None of them liked this.
Ryker adjusted the setting on his rifle. I'll be on the wall, watching. If you need backup, you call.
Mira saluted with mock enthusiasm. Yes, sir.
The team moved toward the outer gates, their figures swallowed by the dimming light. The security locks hissed as the metal barriers slid open, revealing the open plains beyond. The red grass stirred.
Mira gave Elias one last look.
Then, without another word, she and her team stepped beyond the colonys safety.
The gates shut behind them.
Elias watched them go, unease twisting in his gut.
Behind him, Dr. Carter exhaled. This feels wrong.
Elias didn't answer. He simply watched as the six figures disappeared into the storm.
Beyond the walls, Nova Prime waited.
And so did the
