CHAPTER 7 — The Ophion
433 Words
The Lysa burst out of warp in a storm of light and static.
Space unfolded before them — cold, hollow, and gray. A dying star flickered in the distance, its surface cracked and bleeding faint streams of molten light into the void.
Aiden blinked against the brightness. “That’s… beautiful. And terrifying.”
Sera’s expression was unreadable. “This system is supposed to be uninhabited.”
“Well,” he said, scanning the radar, “someone forgot to tell that to the guy sending distress calls.”
The ship drifted forward. Wreckage filled the void — shattered satellites, fragments of stations, the skeletal remains of ships torn apart by something massive.
And then they saw it.
The Ophion.
A ghost of steel and silence, drifting in orbit around the dying star.
Its hull was cracked, engines dormant, but a faint glow pulsed deep within — like a heartbeat that refused to stop.
Aiden leaned closer to the viewport. “That thing’s the size of a city.”
Sera’s voice was hushed. “It was the flagship of the Concord’s Third Fleet. I never thought I’d see it.”
The comm crackled suddenly — static, then a faint voice:
> “Concord vessel Lysa… this is Ophion. Docking bay twelve is operational. Approach vector two-one-nine. Please respond.”
Aiden’s hands froze over the controls. “They know our ship’s name.”
“They shouldn’t,” Sera whispered. “It was never registered with the old fleet.”
He looked at her. “Then who’s talking to us?”
She hesitated. “Only one way to find out.”
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The Lysa aligned with the Ophion’s docking bay. The massive hangar doors creaked open, metal scraping like the breath of something ancient.
Inside, faint emergency lights glowed red, pulsing in rhythm — heartbeat-like, almost alive.
The docking clamps locked in with a dull clang.
Aiden stood, checking his weapon. “You ready?”
Sera fastened her armor, her silver eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “Not even a little.”
The airlock cycled open. Cold mist rolled through the corridor, carrying the scent of rust and age.
They stepped into the belly of the dead ship.
Every sound echoed like a memory — their footsteps, the soft hum of the old engines, the faint creak of the hull shifting under invisible pressure.
Sera activated her wristband; faint blue light spilled over the walls, revealing Concord markings long faded.
Aiden exhaled. “Feels like walking through a ghost.”
Sera nodded. “We are.”
At the end of the corridor, a faint shadow moved.
- Writer
