Amira adjusted her magnifying visor and examined the fine wires of the superconducting coils for a hermesium fuel cell resting on her cluttered workbench. Her fingers, calloused from years of delicate repair work, moved slow and cautious, using a wire welder to reconnect some cut wires. Every flicker of the welder’s blue glow illuminated her face, highlighting the lines that drew across her skin.

  Nearby, Carson hummed a low tune that was occasionally broken by the squeal of metal on metal as he cleaned and reorganized the shop shelves. Dust motes danced lazily through the stale station air as they were disturbed by his movements. He was young, maybe twenty-three, hired more for his energy than his expertise, but he learned fast, and Amira appreciated the company more than she liked to admit.

  The shop itself was cramped, with its walls lined with salvaged panels and shelves overflowing with spare parts, half-built engines, and broken equipment waiting for repair. The lights flickered occasionally, caused by power surges that no one bothered to fix on a station perpetually teetering on the edge of functionality. She’d probably have fixed it herself a long time ago, but she wasn’t going to help the station for free.

  "Think this'll hold?" Carson asked as he held up a newly cleaned shelf bracket.

  "It survived worse," Amira replied without looking up.

  She adjusted the position of the coil wires slightly, and the welder hummed briefly before signaling a steady connection was made. She exhaled softly, wiped her forehead, and then put her hands to her hips.

  "How long did they wait before bringing it in this time?"

  "Too long," she sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Always too long. The coils could’ve used some love months ago. The fuel cell housing wasn’t touched, ever, it looks like. The usual."

  A sudden, sharp beep from the shop’s front door pulled their attention away. Both Amira and Carson glanced up instinctively.

  A tall, thin man entered, looking around with an expression of impatient curiosity. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes scanned the shop anxiously before settling on Amira.

  "Any luck?" he asked, gesturing vaguely toward the workbench. "I really need that fuel cell back."

  Amira leaned back slightly, lifting her visor to look directly at him. "You'll need to wait another week," she said flatly. "You wrecked it all to shit. Next time, maybe bring it in before it's completely fried."

  The customer's shoulders slumped slightly. "A week? Really? It's just a coil, right?"

  Amira sighed, setting her tools down and fully facing him. "It's never 'just a coil.' The entire superconducting filament network was almost completely fused. If you'd brought it in earlier, maybe I could've saved you some money and a few days. Now I've got to rebuild half of it from scratch."

  She tapped the housing.

  “Look, can I give you a life tip for these cells and coils?”

  “I guess,” he said.

  “If this coil fails while the cell has any amount of hermesium, you could be turned into a pretty mist. Bring them in sooner. Or don’t, you’re choice.”

  He shifted uneasily. "Look, I didn’t mean to let it get that bad. Jobs have been tight lately, and I had to keep running shipments."

  "I understand that," Amira said with genuine sympathy. "But equipment like this won't last long without proper maintenance. Give me a week. I promise it'll work as good as new—maybe better, if you're lucky."

  He sighed, resigned, and nodded. "Fine. One more week. But this thing better hold up."

  "It'll hold," Amira assured him as she reached again for her tools. "Just stop abusing it, or next time I might not be able to help at all."

  The customer muttered something under his breath as he turned to leave, stepping back through the shop’s doorway. The door slid shut behind him with another sharp beep.

  Just as the door shut behind the frustrated customer, it slid open again, revealing Nayeli. She strolled in casually.

  "Busy day?" Nayeli asked with a playful smirk.

  "You could say that," Amira said, leaning back on her stool and stretching her shoulders. "What brings you in today?"

  "Oh, just finished a run," Nayeli shrugged, perching comfortably on the edge of a cluttered workbench. "Dropped off hydrogen to some poor fools mining out in another asteroid field. I swear, they're always on the verge of disaster."

  "Sounds familiar," Amira chuckled. She set her tools aside to give her friend full attention. "At least they're keeping you busy."

  "Too busy," Nayeli groaned dramatically. "But that's not why I'm here. Heard something interesting from one of those miners—a rumor about an abandoned military outpost. Might have some decent salvage."

  Amira arched an eyebrow. "Abandoned military outpost? That sounds risky."

  "Risky, but potentially profitable," Nayeli agreed. "Problem is, my partner's down with radiation sickness. Need an extra set of hands—yours, specifically. Interested in splitting whatever we find?"

  Amira hesitated and considered the offer. She glanced around the shop. The whole place was barely hanging by a thread. It was tempting, but the risks were clear, too. "Can I think about it?"

  "Of course," Nayeli smiled warmly, pushing off from the bench. "Take your time. But don’t wait too long, I won’t hold out forever."

  "I'll let you know soon."

  “Awesome!” Nayeli said. “You eat yet?”

  “Yeah, had lunch a bit ago. Maybe we can catch a bite later?”

  “Hell yeah! I’ll catch ya later, then.”

  Nayeli waved goodbye as she stepped back through the shop door, leaving Amira alone once again in thoughtful silence.

  The door beeped once more, breaking Amira’s transition back to work. Her stomach tightened when she saw Rent Officer Bo standing in the doorway.

  "Amira," he said curtly, walking up to the counter and slapping down a datapad. "Rent notice. Due in two months."

  Amira picked up the datapad and scanned the numbers displayed. Her heart sank—another increase. The figures on the screen seemed to mock her dwindling profits. She pulled the data disk out and handed the pad back to Bo.

  She glanced up at Bo. "Again? This is ridiculous, Bo. You know I’m barely covering costs."

  Bo shrugged unsympathetically with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Not my problem. Better figure something out. Station management isn't patient with overdue accounts."

  He spun sharply and left without another word. The door closed behind him with a final, decisive beep, leaving Amira staring at the datapad in her hand.

  The next several days passed agonizingly slow for Amira. Each morning, she unlocked the shop, hopeful that some work would appear to fill the silence and the shelves, but each evening she locked up again, the silence still hung heavy around her. Aside from finishing the repairs on the superconducting coil, now neatly packed and awaiting its owner, there had been no new customers, no new inquiries, and nothing to suggest that business would turn around anytime soon.

  On the third day, Amira found herself wandering the crowded lower levels of Nephelos Station. Vendors shouted their wares and haggled fiercely with passersby, and children chased each other, weaving between the crowded bodies that lined the walkways of the level. The rich aroma of fried foods and roasting spices mixed with the harsh odor of machinery grease. She drifted among the hordes, observing but never truly engaging. Her thoughts were far too clouded with anxiety about the future to be in the moment during her walk.

  Eventually, she reached the observation deck. The deck was a wide-open space featuring large transparent panels that offered a breathtaking view of the Kuiper Belt and the distant pinprick that was the Sun. Amira rested her hands on the rail and stared into the endless darkness punctuated only by distant pinpricks of stars and the occasional streak of ships that passed by. Her thoughts circled back, inevitably, to Nayeli’s offer. The potential reward was great, but so were the risks. Still, the looming threat of her rent bill was growing harder to ignore.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” came Nayeli’s familiar voice from behind her.

  Amira turned and smiled faintly. Nayeli joined her at the railing, leaning against it casually.

  “Still considering?”

  “Something like that,” Amira admitted quietly. She sighed, rubbing at her temples. “Truthfully, the more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t really have a choice. Not if I want to keep the shop open.”

  “Could always join my crew.”

  “Oh, great, and be a fancy postal carrier?” She nudged Nayeli’s shoulder with her own with a smirk.

  “Your loss. Anyways, the journey is not without risk. The biggest is possible solar events and radiation around the star, but you know I'd never offer if I didn’t think we could pull it off. And if the rumors are true, even half the salvage we could bring back would set you up for months, maybe longer.”

  Amira nodded slowly while taking a deep breath. The decision had been made long ago, she realized. Her hesitation had merely been the fear speaking.

  “Alright. Let’s do it. I’m in.”

  Nayeli broke into a wide grin and threw her hands to her hips. “Fantastic. I promise you won't regret it. We’ll leave in two days. That’ll give us enough time to prep the ship and grab the supplies we need.”

  “Sounds good.”

  After giving Amira a hug, she turned and walked away, rattling off lists of things they would need to prepare, and Amira glanced back through the observation window. Out there in the black, something waited for her. Maybe a chance to regain control, or, lose everything. But either way, for the first time in days, she felt certain about the path ahead.

  The following afternoon, back at Amira’s shop, Nayeli returned, stepping into the shop with a wave and an exasperated look. "Port mechanics are gouging prices again. Mind if I raid your shelves for a few replacement parts for the trip tomorrow?"

  "Take what you need," Amira said easily as she gestured broadly to the cluttered shelves.

  Nayeli immediately began sifting through components, grumbling occasionally about extortionate pricing down at the port.

  Amira turned toward Carson with a serious expression. "I’m going to be gone for a few days, you're in charge here. Think you can handle it?"

  Carson stood straighter, and a smile drew across his face. "Yes, absolutely. You can count on me."

  Amira smiled, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Good. Because if I come back and you've wrecked this place, I'll kick your ass."

  Carson chuckled, clearly uncertain if she was joking. "Noted. I'll be careful." He nervously scratched his head.

  Satisfied, Amira turned back to Nayeli, who was holding up a handful of wiring and control modules.

  "This'll do," Nayeli said. "Meet me at the docks tomorrow?"

  "I'll be there."

  It was finally time to see what awaited her beyond Nephelos.

  The next day, Amira stood at the bustling docks of Nephelos Station with her bags packed and tools carefully stored. Through the windows, Amira could see Nayeli's ship, a sturdy, medium-sized cargo hauler named the "Valkyrie," that was patiently docked. The fuel lines and cargo hoses were disconnected one by one by automated drones. The hum of machinery and the constant chatter of workers echoed around her as she walked toward Nayeli.

  This was the first time she'd ever left the station. Her heart raced with a mixture of excitement and apprehension as she watched Nayeli finalize preparations, exchanging last-minute instructions and acknowledgments with the dockmaster.

  "Ready for your first trip into the big black?" Nayeli teased gently as she stepped alongside Amira and gave her shoulder a reassuring nudge.

  Amira smiled nervously. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

  "Good enough for me," Nayeli said warmly as she led Amira toward the dock hatch.

  The ship’s interior was massive and orderly. They entered the ship through the hatch in the cargo bay, where empty metal and wooden boxes crawled toward the front of the cargo bay. Sitting in the center of the bay was a cargo drone with its propellers folded as it waited to be needed again. They walked by the latrine, then through the living quarters that held several beds, a small kitchen, and a trash processor. The walkway between the living area and the cockpit was filled with panels and control screens.

  Taking a deep breath, Amira followed Nayeli into the cockpit and settled into the co-pilot’s seat. Nayeli flipped switches, and the instruments came alive with soft beeps and flashes.

  “Tower, this is the Valkyrie, requesting permission to undock and make way.”

  “Valkyrie, this is the tower. You are clear to undock and make way from the station. Safe travels, Valkyrie. Tower out.”.

  With a slight shudder, the clamps released, and the Valkyrie drifted gracefully away from the dock. Through the viewport, Amira watched Nephelos Station recede slowly away from them, and its lights gradually blended into the infinite expanse.

  Amira felt the sensation of butterflies, not in her stomach, but throughout her body. First time flyers can get nauseated and disoriented, and Amira was not immune.

  “Do you have any meds? This is all awesome, but I’m feeling sort of sick,” she said.

  “I don’t, no. Don’t worry, though, here shortly the acceleration will simulate gravity, and you’ll feel right as rain.”

  “Oh, great.” She tightened the straps to the chair harness. It made her feel a little less sick.

  "Initiating hermesium jump sequence," Nayeli announced.

  "How long to Proxima Centauri?" Amira asked as she heard her heart pounding in her ears.

  "Four days," Nayeli replied. "Try to relax. You're about to see what you've been missing."

  There was a small thump in the ship, and then everything outside was gone. Outside the viewport, a surreal, endless darkness stretched infinitely. Instead of stars, the universe around them was transformed into a mirror, reflecting ghostly, shimmering images of the Valkyrie that stretched endlessly into the black.

  Inside the ship, however, everything felt oddly normal. The instruments glowed steadily, and the hum of the engines was reassuringly consistent.

  "Strange, isn't it? This is jumpspace," Nayeli said as she noted Amira's wide-eyed stare.

  Nayeli sat relaxed at the controls, familiar with the peculiarities of jumpspace travel.

  "It's...incredible," Amira said, unable to look away from the infinite reflections outside. "Like nothing I could've imagined."

  "Gravity will be normal during this leg of the journey," Nayeli replied with a small grin. "So, enjoy the view. We'll be here a while. Stretch the legs, grab a bite to eat, whatever you need."

  Looking at a reflection of their ship, Amira noticed herself staring back. “Hey, I see me!” She waved. The other Amira did not return the wave.

  “I wouldn’t.”

  “What?” She glanced at Nayeli.

  “It’s difficult to explain.” Nayeli pulled a water bottle out from behind one of the displays.

  The other Amira flipped them off.

  “Hey!”

  “Yeah, they can be assholes.”

  “I wanna talk to me.”

  “Oh, I definitely wouldn’t. If you want to be taken, reduced to photons, and then ‘redshifted’,” she made air quotes, “across the four light-year span between the Sun and Proxima, that’s between you and God. Personally, not my preferred way to go out. I could tell you all about the first explorers that ventured out and what happened to one of em, if you’d like.” She took a sip of her water. “Will supply you with enough nightmares for the trip.”

  “Oh, no. No thanks. What’s… I’ll keep myself here…”

  Four days later, Amira and Nayeli sat in the cockpit as this part of the trip was nearing its end.

  “You ready to see another world?”

  “Another world? This would be the first world,” Amira said.

  “Well then.” Nayeli flipped a switch on the instrument panel above her head.

  The ship let out another thud, and the universe outside returned to normal. Amira stared out the viewport in awe as Proxima Centauri filled her vision. Proxima was a small but brilliant red dwarf star burning fiercely against the darkness. Orbiting silently beneath them was Centaurus, a planet covered in a thin, pale atmosphere, and had a rocky surface that peeked through breaks in the cloud cover.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  "Incredible," Amira whispered softly. "I never imagined it would look this beautiful."

  Nayeli smiled knowingly, piloting the Valkyrie around the planet and reading the instruments and screens for signs of the rumored abandoned outpost. "It never gets old, no matter how many times you see it. Every system is just a little bit different. Sometimes the star is a different color, sometimes the planets are beautiful."

  "Got something," Nayeli said as she pointed at the readout. "Looks like our abandoned outpost. Brace yourself, we’re heading in."

  Amira gripped her seat firmly as the ship descended through Centaurus' atmosphere. Winds buffeted the Valkyrie briefly, and rattled panels and jolted the two passengers before smoothing out as Nayeli guided them through the turbulence.

  Below them, the faded structures of the long-abandoned outpost slowly became visible, starkly outlined against the barren landscape. Crumbling walls and rusted landing pads spoke of decades of neglect.

  “How long has this place been abandoned?”

  “Decades, centuries, I’m not sure.”

  “Why?”

  “Why did they leave? I imagine it was because of frequent solar events paired with how close this planet is to the star. Here we are, let’s set her down.”

  With careful precision, Nayeli guided the Valkyrie to an old, cracked landing pad, gently bringing the ship down until it settled with a gentle shudder. She powered down the engines, a heavy silence settling over the cockpit.

  "Welcome to Centaurus," Nayeli announced with a faint grin. "Let's see what treasures this place is hiding."

  “Why did they ever set up an outpost here to begin with?”

  “No idea. I know about as much as you do right now.”

  Amira studied the atmospheric readout carefully. The sensors confirmed the air was stable, with Earth-like pressure, dominated by carbon dioxide and nitrogen, punctuated by small levels of oxygen.

  “Looks survivable,” she noted aloud, glancing toward Nayeli. “Rebreathers will be enough. At least we won’t have to wear full suits.”

  “Thank the stars for small mercies,” Nayeli replied dryly while tapping commands into the cargo drone's control pad. “But don’t get too comfortable, it’s colder than hell out there. The surface temperature’s reading somewhere between minus ten- and twenty-degrees Fahrenheit.”

  Amira grimaced at the thought. “Charming place.”

  Nayeli chuckled softly. “It’s been abandoned for years. I suppose nobody stuck around to keep the heaters running.”

  She finalized the cargo drone settings, and it activated with a soft mechanical hum. The drone floated gently upward, hovering patiently as it awaited their movements.

  With preparations complete, Nayeli opened the Valkyrie’s cargo ramp. A rush of icy air surged into the ship and immediately bit at any exposed skin. The cold cut deep, making Amira inhale sharply as she secured the rebreather mask snugly over her face.

  Stepping cautiously onto the landing pad, they were greeted by the sight of weather-worn buildings and rusted structures half-consumed by creeping dirt and grime.

  "Stay close," Nayeli said, gesturing toward the outpost entrance, with a voice muffled slightly by the rebreather mask.

  Amira nodded. Her heart pounded as they approached the crumbling structure. The flying cargo drone trailed faithfully behind them. The drone emitted a steady hum that offered a faint reassurance against the silence of the outpost.

  As they moved deeper into the abandoned outpost, Amira looked up and down the deteriorating walls and structures, noticing areas untouched by direct sunlight from the distant star. Something strange caught her attention. A viscous, slime-like substance clung persistently to the shadowed recesses of buildings that had faint tendrils of steam rising into the bitter cold air.

  "Nayeli," Amira whispered urgently as she pointed toward the strange substance. "Look at this."

  “What the hell is that?”

  Amira shook her head slowly. "No idea. But whatever it is, it's not frozen, and that can't be good."

  The two exchanged a wary glance before continuing their exploration with senses heightened.

  Reaching a larger building marked with faded military insignia of the United Combat Corps, Nayeli instructed the cargo drone to land nearby. They quickly began loading equipment scattered around the immediate area—heavy crates, tools, and leftover communications gear. Amira felt a small surge of excitement; even these preliminary findings were valuable.

  Moving into the building, they discovered it had functioned as a warehouse, filled with abandoned arms, ammunition crates, and various spare ship parts. Amira and Nayeli carefully loaded the drone with anything that seemed intact or valuable, stacking and securing the cargo.

  “Think we'll need these?” Nayeli asked as she pulled two rifles from a weapons rack.

  “Better safe than sorry,” Amira replied quietly, accepting one of the weapons.

  “You know how to use it?”

  “Point it at the bad thing and pull the trigger?”

  “Close enough.”

  As they finished loading and prepared to leave, Nayeli stopped suddenly as her eyes were drawn toward the rear of the building. "What's that?"

  Amira followed Nayeli's gaze, then both approached cautiously. A large hole yawned open in the ground with edges ragged as if torn through violently, and its depths wrapped in darkness. Around the outside of the hole was the slime they saw earlier. It throbbed and creeped so very slowly.

  “Eww.”

  "This just keeps getting better," Nayeli muttered.

  They glanced nervously at each other before they silently agreed to leave the hole behind, quickly heading toward another building.

  The next building they entered was lined with dormant workstations. Dust covered everything. Nayeli flicked a few switches experimentally, but nothing stirred.

  "No power," Nayeli confirmed.

  “You don’t say?”

  “Listen, I don’t want to hear it. Just externalizing my thoughts.”

  She stepped back outside and looked over the structure, trying to find the power source. A moment later, she pointed upward and yelled back inside the building. "Solar panels on the roof. If we clear them, we might get some power."

  Using the drone’s downdraft, Nayeli guided it above the roof, and the drone's propellers whipped up gusts strong enough to blast away the dust and dirt from the solar panels. Amira watched the drone work, appreciating Nayeli’s ingenuity.

  "That should do it," Nayeli announced as she walked back into to the building and located the main breaker.

  She flipped it with an audible click, and after a tense pause, a few overhead lights flickered uncertainly before settling into a steady, reassuring white glow.

  "Well," Nayeli said, satisfied. "At least now we can see what we're dealing with."

  “Much better than the red, too.”

  “Right? It was starting to give me a headache.”

  “You didn’t bring any pain meds out with us, did you? I could probably use some here shortly, myself.”

  “No,” Nayeli said as she leaned against a doorway for a moment. “I can have the drone grab it for us when I send it back, though, if you want.”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Moving deeper into the building, they located a room filled with tall server racks. Nayeli activated the equipment, and the racks roared to life with the loud hum of cooling systems kicking on, filling the room with noise and vibration. But beneath their feet, another vibration quickly caught their attention. It was distinct and unsettling, clearly unrelated to the servers.

  "You feel that?"

  Nayeli nodded. "Yeah. Quake, maybe?”

  Nayeli quickly scanned the active servers and noticed encrypted and classified data. "This could be valuable," she said.

  “I might be able to open it up.”

  Amira immediately set to work. She navigated the security systems and attempted to decrypt the files. Nearly an hour passed, and the silence was broken only by the hum of servers and Amira’s quiet mutterings.

  Eventually, a triumphant sound escaped her lips. "Got it!"

  Nayeli moved closer to peer over Amira’s shoulder. The data revealed extensive biological reports and detailed analysis of strange, alien creatures. Neither Nayeli nor Amira could understand the details of the data, though. It was a bunch of military and medical mumbo-jumbo.

  "This is definitely something important," Nayeli concluded, impressed. "Let's get these servers back to the ship."

  Amira nodded and carefully powered down the servers. Together, they began disconnecting the racks and prepared them to be loaded onto the drone waiting outside.

  As Amira and Nayeli loaded the equipment and servers onto the drone, an unsettling screech echoed through the air from the warehouse they'd visited earlier. It was quickly followed by the crashing sound of objects being knocked over.

  "What the hell was that?" Amira asked with wide eyes.

  "No clue," Nayeli replied. "But let's not wait around to find out."

  Their movements became frantic, hastily stacking gear onto the drone. Then, the drone emitted a loud warning beep.

  "Weight limit reached," it announced in a mechanical voice.

  "Dammit," Nayeli cursed. "Return to the ship, unload cargo, and come back immediately."

  The drone acknowledged with another beep and ascended as it carried their cargo away.

  "We need to hurry," Amira urged, glancing nervously toward the warehouse.

  The noises had stopped momentarily, and an unpromising silence had replaced them.

  "Agreed," Nayeli said tersely while gripping her rifle tightly as they continued preparing the remaining equipment for quick loading.

  Suddenly, the warehouse door exploded outward, sending fragments of wood and metal flying as a large alien creature rolled and stumbled through the debris, screeching furiously. It struggled violently on its side, writhing and kicking up dust and debris before finally righting itself. The beast stood on four muscular legs and had a protective armored shell covering its upper body and the top of its head.

  Its piercing eyes locked onto Amira and Nayeli, who froze momentarily in shock. From its broad shoulders protruded sharp, spear-like limbs that twitched aggressively as the creature let out another bone-chilling screech.

  "Move!" Nayeli shouted urgently, breaking the spell as they both scrambled to grab their gear.

  They worked feverishly while casting frequent fearful glances toward the alien stalking closer with every passing moment.

  Nayeli immediately brought her rifle up and fired at the alien creature. Bullets ricocheted off its thick shell. The alien paused briefly, snorting and shaking its head irritably from the minor annoyance. It let out another guttural growl before charging directly at them.

  "Look out!" Amira shouted as she dove to the side.

  Nayeli rolled in the opposite direction. The creature narrowly missed, barreling past them and smashing through the door of the server building behind. The structure shuddered under the impact, leaving dust and debris to cascade down around them as the alien crashed violently inside.

  Scrambling back to their feet, Amira and Nayeli shared a quick, tense look before hastening to regroup. Taking advantage of the chaos inside the server building, they dashed toward another nearby structure, hoping to find temporary refuge. Once inside, they quickly assessed their options.

  "We need to get back to the ship," Nayeli said, gasping for air through the mask as she frantically scanned the area for the safest and quickest route back.

  Amira peered anxiously back toward the server building. "But that thing could burst out any second."

  "Exactly why we need to move now," Nayeli whispered.

  She gripped her rifle tightly. Both women stayed close to the doorway as they waited for the next explosive movement from their pursuer.

  After several tense moments of silence broken only by the muffled noises of the alien thrashing violently within the server building, Nayeli made a quick decision.

  She commanded the cargo drone remotely, "Return to the ship, unload immediately, and then get back to us as fast as you can."

  The drone acknowledged with a series of mechanical beeps, swiftly ascended and disappeared.

  Nayeli turned to Amira, "We have to move now. It's our best chance."

  With a shared nod, they bolted from their hiding place, sprinting toward the walls of the outpost, their breath heavy and rapid inside the rebreathers. Every muscle strained, pushing them forward, desperate to reach the Valkyrie.

  Then, with another explosive crash, the alien creature erupted from the server building. It landed heavy and kicked up dirt as it turned swiftly. With a deafening roar, it charged, cutting off their escape route and forcing them to skid to a halt.

  "This isn't good," Nayeli muttered while raising her rifle.

  In a moment of desperation, Amira raised her rifle and squeezed off a frantic shot. By sheer luck, the bullet struck true, penetrating the alien's eye. The creature emitted a pained screech, stumbled awkwardly, then collapsed heavily to the ground.

  A tense silence followed before Nayeli finally let out a shaky laugh.

  "Hell of a shot, Amira!"

  "Thanks," Amira said. "Let’s check it out quick."

  They cautiously approached the alien's lifeless body to inspect its armored plating and deadly limbs. As they were absorbed in their examination, the drone returned overhead, struggling to stabilize against sudden fierce gusts of wind. A strong gust slammed the drone violently into a nearby building, shattering two of its propellers.

  "Damn it!" Nayeli cursed, watching the drone wobble precariously before landing roughly nearby. "We'll have to fix that before we can leave."

  Amira sighed.

  "Let’s get moving, then. We don't have much time. There’s probably more than one of these things."

  “Shouldn’t you be fixing it? I mean, you are the mechanic.”

  “Who’s drone is it?”

  “Damn.”

  Nayeli opened the drone’s maintenance panel and pulled out the tools and two spare propellers from the onboard storage. Despite having the necessary parts at hand, swapping them out would take precious minutes they might not have. She moved as quick as she could, racing against the possibility of another unexpected threat.

  "Keep watch," Nayeli instructed.

  Amira nodded. She scanned their surroundings anxiously with the rifle gripped tight, ready for whatever might emerge from the shadows as Nayeli worked feverishly to make the drone flightworthy again.

  A sudden quake shook the ground beneath their feet, nearly causing Nayeli to drop her tools. Multiple chilling screeches echoed from the direction of the warehouse, rising from the depths of the dark tunnel inside.

  "They're coming."

  "Almost there," Nayeli said while working furiously to secure the replacement propellers. Despite her efforts, the intricate task was proving frustratingly difficult under pressure. "Come on, you stubborn piece of shit," she yelled.

  Another tremor rattled through the frozen earth beneath their feet, stronger this time, confirming the awakening of more of those creatures dangerous below. From the depths of the warehouse, multiple frantic screeches filled the air, growing louder by the second.

  "Hurry!" Amira shouted.

  Nayeli cursed under her breath as her hands worked the drone’s damaged propellers. "Patience is a virtue," she muttered.

  Before she could finish, another alien creature burst from the warehouse and charged straight toward them. Amira raised her rifle quickly, firing several shots. One bullet grazed its shoulder, causing it to shriek in rage but not slowing its advance.

  "Nayeli!" Amira yelled, continuing to fire to hold off the advancing alien.

  "Almost there!" Nayeli cried, finally snapping the last propeller into place.

  She rapidly secured the drone’s panel and activated its systems. The drone hummed weakly but steadily rose back into the air.

  "We're ready!" Nayeli shouted as she stood up and grabbed her rifle. "Let’s get out of here!"

  Without warning, the warehouse building exploded in a violent eruption of debris and dust. A sheet of metal debris fell with haste as it sliced the alien that was pressuring them into clean halves.

  Emerging from the shattered remains was a colossal alien creature, snake-like in form but armored and formidable. Its body was lined with razor-sharp spines, and its immense presence immediately blocked their escape route.

  The monstrous alien rose to its full, terrifying height, releasing a deep screech that reverberated through the frozen air and rattled their very bones.

  Amira and Nayeli stood momentarily frozen, staring in horror. Nayeli clenched her jaw tight and gripped her rifle firmly.

  "This just keeps getting worse," she murmured.

  Without hesitation, Nayeli and Amira opened fire. Their rifles barked a rapid beat. Bullets pinged uselessly off the armored scales, hardly even leaving scratches. The colossal creature seemed unfazed. Revealing its hood, the creature’s armored head flared wide in agitation.

  With terrifying speed, it raised its massive form higher into the air, poised to slam down upon them.

  "Move!" Nayeli shouted.

  They both dove away at the last possible second as the ground shook from the impact, sending shockwaves that rippled through the surrounding buildings.

  Desperate for shelter, they scrambled into a nearby building and quickly slammed the heavy metal door shut behind them. They pressed themselves against the interior wall, breathing heavily with hearts pounding as they listened to the enraged roars of the creature outside.

  Outside, the deafening roars continued, accompanied by violent slams and crashes. Then suddenly, everything went eerily silent.

  Just as they exchanged anxious glances, the ground beneath their feet quaked, stronger than before.

  "Time to go!" Nayeli shouted, sprinting for the far exit with Amira right on her heels.

  Seconds after they fled the building, the gigantic beast erupted from the ground, obliterating the structure in an explosive burst of debris. Dust and rubble rained down as Nayeli and Amira barely escaped.

  Seeing the drone still hovering anxiously overhead, Amira paused briefly, and her eyes narrowed with sudden clarity. "I have a plan," she shouted.

  “Well?!”

  “Make that prick eat the drone,” Amira said with condensation creeping up the rebreather.

  “Ah, fuck. Fine.”

  Nayeli's eyes narrowed with intense concentration as she calculated her next move. Timing would be everything. The monstrous alien reared its colossal form upward once more, towering menacingly above them. It began its deep, throaty roar that echoed through the outpost.

  “I’m sorry, little dude!” Nayeli shouted as she activated the drone controls and commanded it straight into the gaping mouth of the alien.

  The drone flew forward immediately and disappeared into the creature's open mouth. The alien writhed and lashed out pugnaciously, smashing into buildings and scattering debris in all directions. With a final, furious thrash, it slammed backward and burrowed back beneath the surface and vanished from sight.

  Amira stared, stunned, breathing heavily.

  Nayeli let out a shaky breath. "Let's get the hell out of here while we still can."

  The ground quaked beneath them again as Amira and Nayeli sprinted desperately toward the Valkyrie. Behind them, innumerable alien screams rose up, echoing from the tunnels created by the large creature. Breathless, they arrived at the ship, scrambled through the hatch, and quickly strapped themselves into the cockpit seats.

  "Hold on!" Nayeli shouted while flipping switches rapidly.

  The engines roared to life, and the ship rose swiftly from the surface.

  Amira stared anxiously through the viewport. Below, the massive snake-like alien surfaced once again. Instead of pursuing them, it reared back and opened its mouth, expelling several rounds of something projectile-like into the sky—like a living cannon, firing with terrifying precision.

  "What the hell is it doing?" Amira said, unable to tear her gaze away as Nayeli maneuvered the Valkyrie away from the planet.

  “From the looks of things, trying to shoot us down.”

  “The animals are shooting at us?! With what!?”

  “I think they might take issue with being called animals.”

  The Valkyrie burst into orbit, and its engines strained as Nayeli maneuvered the ship away from Centaurus. Behind them, objects fired from the alien streaked upward, and adjusted course to pursue them.

  “Well, small update.”

  “I don’t think it can get much worse.”

  "They're tracking us," Nayeli warned as she tried to evade.

  The Valkyrie twisted and turned through space, dodging desperately, but after several tense minutes, one projectile struck home. It slammed into the ship’s aft section, embedding itself deeply in a vulnerable panel.

  Alarms resounded through the cockpit, and red warnings flashed.

  "Hull integrity compromised," an automated voice announced.

  "We have a problem," Nayeli said tightly, struggling to keep the ship steady as Amira stared in dread at the damage readings.

  The projectile clung to the exterior hull, steadily causing structural damage as they raced to find a solution.

  “Oh, you don’t say, Nay?”

  “Look, it could be worse.”

  A horrifying screech reverberated from the cargo bay, causing Amira and Nayeli to freeze momentarily.

  “You fuckin’ bitch.”

  “My bad.”

  “I don’t think I remember you mentioning alien boarding parties on the risk list.”

  “Oh, trust me, it’ll be on there next time.”

  "I don’t mean to state the obvious, but we’ve been boarded," Nayeli growled, eyes narrowing in frustration. "I can't leave the controls—you have to handle it."

  “Can’t we flush the cargo?”

  “We can’t space the alien while we’re moving.”

  “Then stop?”

  Nayeli stared at her.

  “God damn it.”

  Amira's heart raced, but she nodded. Grabbing her rifle, she unbuckled herself swiftly from the seat. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

  “Oh, just a slight radiation risk she says,” she muttered to herself. “Keep me on my feet, I don’t want to be swimming in the back of the ship.”

  “Gotcha.” Nayeli threw a thumbs-up.

  Amira moved toward the back of the Valkyrie, rifle gripped tightly, and adrenaline surging through her veins. As she rounded the corner, she froze briefly. Staring directly at her, snarling aggressively, was one of those damned four-legged aliens. Without hesitation, she raised her rifle and fired. The shots echoed deafeningly through the bay.

  “Don’t put a hole in my ship!” Nayeli said over the speaker system.

  “Fuck you, Nay!”

  “I love you, too.”

  The alien lunged, forcing Amira to dodge and dive out of its path. Despite her efforts, the creature slammed her brutally into the wall, knocking the air from her lungs. Before she could react, one of its spear-like limbs pierced through her leg and pinned her against a metal crate.

  “Son of a bitch!” she screamed as she slammed the butt of the rifle against the alien’s face again and again.

  “Is now a good time?” Nayeli asked over the speakers.

  “No!”

  Pain surged through her, blurring her vision, but with desperate strength, she jammed her rifle directly into the alien’s snarling face and emptied the magazine. The alien convulsed violently before collapsing limp, its lifeless weight pressing her back against the crate.

  Then, she was thrown onto the opposite side of the bay and against a wooden crate as the ship jerked back and forth.

  “I don’t have a seatbelt back here,” Amira shouted.

  “I was trying to warn you.”

  Amira laid on the floor of the bay with the alien’s dead body over her legs. “I miss my shop,” she whispered.

  Then more pain flooded her. Amira gasped and breathed heavily through the pain as she gripped her wounded leg and fought to maintain consciousness while she struggled to push the heavy alien carcass away.

  Gritting her teeth against the pain, Amira finally managed to shove the lifeless alien off her. Winded, she limped her way back toward the cockpit, leaving a trail of blood behind. Nayeli glanced back with wide eyes at Amira's bloodied appearance but unable to leave the ship controls.

  Amira collapsed into her seat and hastily strapped herself in before she ripped a length of fabric from her shirt to bandage her wounded leg as best she could.

  “Sup.”

  "That’s gonna hurt like a mother fucker later. But hold tight," Nayeli said with a smirk, initiating the hermesium jump.

  “It hurts now, so, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  The ship thumped, then the universe outside warped and receded, turning into a surreal infinity of reflections as they departed Centaurus. They settled into the uneasy calm of the four-day journey back to Nephelos station.

  After four exhausting days, they finally arrived at Nephelos station, and Nayeli docked the Valkyrie. Over the next few days, they unloaded their hard-earned haul and carefully cataloged each item.

  They sorted through an array of salvaged ship parts, weapons, and advanced computers. Most intriguing was the encrypted data they had retrieved, which promised insights into the alien creatures they had encountered.

  “So, what are we gonna do about the data?” Nayeli asked as she leaned against the empty drone dock in the cargo bay.

  “Who would want it?”

  “Scientists?”

  Amira dragged the alien carcass toward the dock hatch. “The government? They got scientists and stuff. Maybe the military will want the info?”

  “Might be able to get a good chunk of credits for it…”

  “Fingers crossed,” Amira said as she tied some ropes around the dead alien so drones could easily carry it. “Reckon this little guy will be popular very soon.”

  “Oh, I’m sure.”

  Later, they approached the station's government, presenting detailed accounts of their experiences and encounters on Centaurus. Over the course of several days, they shared their findings and the decrypted biological data, negotiating terms and solidifying their standing as invaluable resources to the station authorities.

  Recognizing the significance of their discovery, the station government awarded Amira and Nayeli with a generous research grant. They were provided with ample resources, equipment, and personnel to further investigate the alien lifeforms.

  Amira handed the reins of her shop to Carson, and over the next several years, Amira and Nayeli threw themselves fully into their research. Their work provided critical insights and strategies for handling potential threats, both alien and human, bringing prosperity and heightened security to Nephelos.