Planet Lord: The Rise of Civilization

The vastness of space was always quiet, but this quiet was unnatural. Not the absence of sound, but the absence of presence. A stillness where something unseen watched with absolute patience.

The derelict ship floated in its slow, eerie spin, its form outlined by the distant glow of the sun. The rhythmic pulse of the three red nodes within its core had grown stronger. Its signal wasn't just a call.

It was an answer.

---

The Grand Hall of the Council of Visionaries was more crowded than usual. High-ranking officials, military strategists, and civilian representatives lined the room's edges. The air buzzed with unease. Whispers flickered between them like wild embers.

Kael stood at the center, his hands clasped behind his back, his sharp gaze moving from one Council member to the next. He didn't have to say it, but the message was clear. There is no time for doubt.

Lyssa tapped on the holographic interface, bringing up a massive 3D projection of the derelict ship. Her fingers flew across the control pad, fast but precise, like a pianist playing a final movement.

"The second signal wasn't just a response," Lyssa declared, her tone sharper than usual. "It's tracking. Whoever it belongs to, they know where we are now."

The room's air shifted. Eyes widened. Breaths were held.

Rael leaned forward, his face a mask of frustration. "And you still want to send another ship out there? They know where we are because we boarded that wreck! And you want to send more of our people to hand them our home's coordinates?"

"You think hiding will save us?" Kael shot back, eyes locked on Rael. "If they know, then hiding isn't an option. Our only chance is to gather every advantage we can, and if that means sending a team to learn, then we send them."

Rael's lips pressed into a firm line. "You're too willing to gamble with lives, Kael."

"Better than waiting to be hunted," Kael replied coldly. "If you want to sit behind a wall, be my guest. But walls break."

Before Rael could fire back, a deep chime echoed throughout the hall. It was the system alert. Urgent. Everyone knew what that sound meant.

"Emergency alert from Research Station Sigma," Lyssa reported as she read the feed appearing in her display. Her eyes moved rapidly, scanning the report, her fingers swiping data aside.

Her eyes widened. "There's another signal... closer. This one isn't a relay. It's a ship. It just entered our system."

The hall descended into controlled chaos. Every council member began shouting at once.

"An enemy ship?!"

"Confirm its origin!"

"Can we make contact? Is it broadcasting a message?"

"Silence!" Kael's voice boomed like a thunderclap. The room fell still. His gaze didn't waver as he turned to Lyssa. "Where is it now?"

"High orbit," she replied, fingers moving with urgency. "It's maintaining position. No signs of approach, no weapons detected."

Rael's face darkened. "They're watching."

---

Astrael sat within the ethereal realm, eyes closed but seeing more than any mortal could. His vision wasn't limited to his world. He saw it all. The cold derelict. The ship that had just arrived. The fear in the Council chamber.

But there was something more.

He felt it before he saw it—a presence beyond his immediate reach. It didn't have a body. It didn't have a face. But it was there. Faint. Watching. Hunting.

"Ah," Astrael muttered softly, leaning forward. "So you've come."

This wasn't like before. The derelict ship was a relic, a remnant. But the new arrival was purposeful. This one was alive. Active.

He focused on it. His mind brushed against its exterior, sensing the cold metal of its hull. Sleek. Advanced. Built for something far more deliberate than drifting through space.

He tried to push deeper. To see more. To know.

—Access Denied—

His eyes snapped open, and for the first time in a long while, he felt something cold. Not fear. Not panic. But recognition.

"You're hiding from me," Astrael muttered, his voice low. "Interesting."

For something to block him, it had to have a will of its own.

---

Aboard Research Station Sigma, engineers and scientists moved with calculated urgency. Their main viewing screen displayed the image of the incoming vessel.

"Still no response to our hails," one technician reported. His eyes flickered with anxiety as he glanced at the live feed. "It's not responding to universal distress frequencies either."

"Keep trying," Director Mira ordered, her gaze hard as steel. "If it moves, I want to know before it does."

The station's automated defense system quietly hummed to life. Turrets locked onto the vessel. Shields were brought online.

"It's just sitting there," one engineer muttered, his eyes on the screen. "Why just sit there?"

No one had an answer.

---

"I'm going," Rael said, his voice like stone scraping on stone.

Lyssa turned from her display. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not asking for permission," Rael replied, already strapping his combat gear on. His hands moved with the efficiency of a soldier long accustomed to battle. "If that ship's hostile, I'm going to be on it before it makes the first move."

"Rael, don't be an idiot," Kael said, eyes narrowing. "If it's bait, you're walking right into their trap."

"Better to spring the trap on my terms," Rael countered. His eyes met Kael's, firm and unwavering. "You know me. I'm not good at waiting."

He turned away, checking his rifle's power gauge. "If you're too scared to act, that's fine. But I don't wait for invaders to knock."

Kael stared after him, jaw tight. His fingers curled into fists. "Fool."

But he didn't stop him.

---

Rael's boarding pod hummed softly as it docked with the unknown ship. His boots echoed on the cold metal as he stepped inside. The air was stale, cold, and still. His breathing was the only sound.

He swept his weapon left. Then right.

The ship's interior wasn't abandoned like the derelict. It was clean. Smooth black walls lined with glowing blue veins pulsed like arteries.

"Rael, report," Lyssa's voice buzzed through his comm.

"Nothing yet," he replied, his voice low but steady. He moved forward slowly, each step precise. "This ship's active. I can hear it. No crew in sight. No bodies either."

He turned a corner and froze.

Clack.

The sound echoed from deeper within the ship.

"Contact," he whispered. He crouched low, weapon raised. "I heard something."

The comm was silent for a moment.

"Retreat, Rael," Lyssa ordered. "Do not engage."

"Too late," Rael muttered. His eyes locked on the end of the corridor ahead. He could hear it. Breathing.

Something stepped into view.

It wasn't alone.

---

Above it all, Astrael watched. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the unseen surface of his domain, mirroring the pulse of the ship's nodes. Boom. Boom. Boom.

He didn't look at Rael. Not this time. His eyes were on something else. Beyond. Deeper.

In the farthest corner of his perception, he saw them.

Shadows. Crawling. Moving with purpose. Not ships. Not machines. Something else.

They moved like fog through water, slow but certain, unseen but there.

Astrael's fingers stopped tapping.

"You finally noticed me," he muttered, his eyes sharp as daggers. "Good."

He leaned back, watching as Rael faced what lay beyond the corner.

"Now, let's see what you're really made of."