Kyren Axalor felt the familiar hum of his starship, The Scorpion, vibrate beneath his boots as he leaned back in the captain’s chair, staring at the ever-expanding void of the galaxy ahead. The dark expanse of space stretched endlessly before him, broken only by the occasional flicker of distant stars and the faint outline of planets on his ship's sensors. His mission had led him to the remote reaches of the galaxy, far from the political turmoil of Aegis Prime, yet the weight of his choices still pressed heavily on his shoulders.

The Syndicate’s manipulations ran deep, and Kyren knew the information he had just uncovered would change everything. He'd been hired to find the hidden base that the Syndicate was rumored to be using to monitor both the Technokratium and the Talvoth. Yet as he traveled further beyond the Outer Rim, the lines between his allegiance to profit and his growing sense of duty to the galaxy blurred.

"Kyren," Vexara's voice crackled over the comm system, bringing him out of his reverie. "Are you sure this is the right place? There’s nothing here but dead space."

Kyren’s eyes narrowed as he studied the data streams flashing across his console. His instincts told him that the Syndicate’s hidden base was close, but the technology in these parts was ancient and warped by the distortions of space-time. “Trust me, Vexara. The base is here. It has to be.”

Vexara, always the skeptic, didn't reply immediately, but Kyren could hear the tension in her breath. She had always been a brilliant scientist, her mind sharp as a blade, yet something about this mission had unsettled her. She feared the consequences of what they were about to uncover, and he could hardly blame her. They were searching for the Syndicate, an organization that operated in the shadows, hidden from prying eyes, and built upon a foundation of secrecy and manipulation.

As The Scorpion drifted closer to the coordinates, the darkness of the void around them seemed to deepen. Kyren checked the long-range scans again. There were no signs of life, no other ships. The base was concealed perfectly, its energy signature dampened by some sort of cloaking technology that would have been impossible to detect unless you were on top of it.

Then, as if the universe was toying with them, a blip appeared on his screen—an anomaly in the fabric of space-time. A swirling distortion, faint but unmistakable. Kyren leaned forward, his fingers flying over the console to adjust the ship’s course.

"Vexara, we're getting close. Hold on to something," he said, his voice low and steady. The ship lurched slightly as the gravitational pull of the anomaly tugged at the hull. The distortion was growing stronger, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Something was waiting for them on the other side.

As the ship neared the epicenter of the anomaly, a massive, hulking structure finally came into view. It was partially hidden within a nebula, its surface gleaming with the faintest hint of a metallic sheen. The base was vast, much larger than Kyren had anticipated. Massive towers and sensor arrays stretched out from its core, like the fingers of some ancient machine, half-forgotten and long dormant.

“That’s… that’s the Syndicate’s base?” Vexara’s voice held a note of disbelief.

Kyren couldn’t respond immediately, his breath caught in his chest. The base was like a silent sentinel in the void, imposing and foreboding. The closer they got, the more Kyren could feel the weight of its significance. This wasn’t just a Syndicate hideout—it was something far more important.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"We need to be cautious," Kyren muttered under his breath, guiding the ship to dock in a shadowed bay. "There could be more at stake here than we realize."

As The Scorpion silently locked into place, the docking bay door slid open with a hiss. Kyren and Vexara exchanged a tense glance, both knowing that once they stepped foot on the base, there would be no turning back.

The ship’s hatch opened with a soft thud, and Kyren led the way into the darkness of the base. The walls were lined with ancient technology, parts of the Syndicate's design merged with remnants of forgotten civilizations. The air was heavy with the scent of rust and decay, a stark contrast to the pristine machinery of the Technokratium. This base had been here long before the Syndicate ever came into power.

"Stay sharp," Kyren warned, activating his weapon's safety as they proceeded deeper into the facility. The corridors were empty, devoid of life, and the only sound was the soft hum of machines that still functioned despite the apparent neglect.

As they advanced further, a sudden shudder ran through the walls. Vexara shot Kyren a look, her brow furrowing. "What was that?"

Before Kyren could respond, a voice echoed through the base’s intercom system, deep and mechanical. It was a voice neither of them recognized, cold and commanding.

"Intruders detected. You have three minutes to leave before the security protocols engage."

Kyren cursed under his breath. He had hoped to sneak in and out without drawing attention, but it was clear that the Syndicate had anticipated this.

"Vexara, get to the terminal. I’ll hold them off," Kyren said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Vexara hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking to the terminal at the far end of the hallway. "Kyren, we can’t just—"

"I don’t have time to explain. Just do it," Kyren snapped, his pulse quickening. He could feel the adrenaline surge through him as the countdown began on the terminal. Three minutes.

Vexara darted toward the terminal, her fingers flying over the keys in a blur as she accessed the base’s mainframe. Kyren turned, surveying their surroundings. There was no sign of movement, but he knew better than to trust the silence.

Suddenly, a series of doors slammed shut with a deafening clang. The walls seemed to close in around them, and from the shadows emerged a squad of heavily armed Syndicate operatives. They were dressed in black combat gear, their faces obscured by helmets, and they moved with the precision of trained killers.

Kyren swore under his breath and drew his blaster. The odds were against him—again—but he wasn’t about to back down.

"Vexara!" he shouted. "Hurry up!"

Vexara's voice came through his earpiece, frantic. "I’ve almost got it—just hold them off a little longer!"

Kyren fired, the blasts lighting up the dim corridors as he took down the first of the Syndicate agents. The others moved fast, ducking behind cover and returning fire. A burst of energy slammed into Kyren’s shoulder, sending him stumbling back against the wall.

The seconds ticked by as Vexara’s frantic typing echoed in his ear. He could feel the heat of the conflict intensifying. The end was near, and he knew it.

Then, just as the final countdown ticked down to one, Vexara’s voice rang out.

"I’ve got it! The data’s been extracted!"

The walls trembled again, but this time, it was from something far larger than the Syndicate’s security forces.

The ground beneath them cracked open, revealing an immense chamber below, its floors lined with alien technology, its walls inscribed with cryptic symbols.

Kyren barely had time to process it when the security doors opened once more. This time, it wasn’t more soldiers that stepped through.

It was something far worse.

A massive figure, glowing with an otherworldly light, towered over them. Its face was hidden in the shadows, but its presence was unmistakable. It was not human. It was not even of this galaxy.

And it was coming for them.

The door slammed shut behind them with a deafening clang, trapping them in the darkness.

What was that thing, and could they escape with their lives—and the data—intact?