Carl stood before the central holo-dais of Forgeheart, the command AI cores circling him as shimmering silhouettes of logic and light. The room pulsed with low-energy hums, echoes of the planet's nervous system beneath.
The unidentified vessel was now only hours out, decelerating through gravitational shear. It hadn't responded to hails. It hadn't powered weapons. It had done one thing: continue its approach with relentless purpose.
"Options," Carl said sharply.
A moment of digital silence. Then, the AI factions answered in sequence.
PRIME LOGIC:
"Engage first-contact diplomacy. Use alien signal scramblers to broadcast peace. Establish trade potential. This entity may hold historical relevance to the Voidite systems or the beacon."
SENTINEL FRAME:
"Weapons online. No response equals potential threat. We recommend orbital kinetic bombardment readiness and planetary defense grid initiation."
GENESIS LOOP:
"Transmit our coordinates and AI signatures openly. If it's a true relic from this system's ancient infrastructure, it may recognize what we've become… and reward it."
Carl rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Split the difference."
He turned toward the command console.
"Begin an encrypted beacon transmission: low-frequency, non-aggressive tone. Include a visual broadcast showing our planet, my ship, and the Erebus in a non-combat state. Also send one trade cipher packet, and an invitation to parley."
"Power up planetary railcannons to 30%. Keep the orbital drones hidden in passive recon."
The AI complied. Across the skies of the world, massive power relays began charging, while signals fluttered through space like quiet birdsong.
The Arrival
Hours passed.
Then—contact.
The unknown ship dropped from FTL at the system's edge, its mass triggering tidal reactions in Forgeheart's deep sensor arrays.
Carl watched from the Erebus' command bridge as it entered range.
The vessel was colossal—nearly the size of a moon freighter. Its surface was matte black, veined with glowing red geometric lines that pulsed like arterial blood. Its hull bore no recognizable Terran configuration, yet its shape was not chaotic—there was precision, function, and an eerie beauty to it.
As it slowly pivoted toward the planet, the main camera feeds captured an inscription:
𒀭𒈙𒋛𒁀𒂖 — "AERUM VEK'NAH"
The symbols glowed faintly, accompanied by a low vibrational hum. Carl frowned.
"Genesis. Search the alien database recovered from the facility. Cross-reference that name with any symbol sets. Translate it."
The hologram flickered. Seconds passed. Then:
[DATABASE MATCH FOUND]
Language Set: Precursor Dialect – Nythari Subtype
Designation: "AERUM VEK'NAH" = 'Heir of the Hollow Flame'
Species: Vothari
Status: Extinct / Missing
Classification: Terraformer-Caste Builders / Architect Engineers
Known Traits: Advanced FTL, biological-AI hybrids, non-hostile in early contact logs. Disappeared approx. 110,000 standard cycles ago following The Collapse.
Carl sat back slowly.
"I've inherited a mining system… from a race of lost architects?"
He swallowed hard as the final note displayed across the holographic interface:
"AERUM VEK'NAH identified as legacy vessel. Key facility rights and AI signatures match protocol inheritance protocols."
The ship slowed as it approached orbit, then halted completely—hovering silently above the atmosphere.
The Erebus' bridge lights dimmed. A new transmission was incoming—one without audio, but embedded in quantum-phase logic.
Only the AIs could read it. Genesis Loop spoke first.
"It acknowledges you. It calls you: the Successor."
*After this event, the ship sent out a signal into the void, confirming the original signal is worthy of acceptance.*
To be continued…