The hum of the ship was oddly comforting after all the chaos we’d just come through, but as we made our way toward the space station, the sense of unease that had been gnawing at me only grew stronger. The ship, Vrixibalt, and the crew had just about settled into a quiet rhythm, but I could feel the tension building in the air like static before a storm.

  We’d been talking for hours about what to do next—whether we should investigate the station or turn back and try to regroup. But the pull of mystery was too strong, and curiosity had won out. We were about to step into the unknown, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for whatever waited there. This place—this station—wasn’t just abandoned. It felt wrong. It felt... old.

  Vrixibalt had been unusually quiet during the journey, which wasn’t like him at all. His normally constant mutterings about technology and alien structures had tapered off into thoughtful silences. I could tell he was processing something, but I didn’t want to press him for answers. Not yet.

  “Okay, crew, let’s stay sharp,” I said, my voice sounding too loud in the cockpit. “No idea what we’re walking into, so everyone keep your wits about you. I’ll take point.”

  The others murmured their agreements. I noticed Anna glancing uneasily at Vrixibalt, her brow furrowing in concern. There was something about the way he carried himself that unnerved her—like he knew more than he let on.

  “I don’t like it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s something… off about this place.”

  “You’re not wrong,” I muttered, tightening my grip on the console. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  Vrixibalt turned his head, his glowing eyes narrowing in thought. “The station is unlike anything I’ve encountered before. The design is ancient. It doesn’t belong in this sector. If I had to guess… I’d say it’s not from any known civilization. This could be a relic of something far older.”

  I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that. Vrixibalt’s knowledge of alien tech was impressive, but this was a new level of mystery even for him. “Great,” I muttered. “A relic from a lost civilization. That’s just what we need.”

  Despite my attempt to make light of it, the knot in my stomach tightened. I’d seen enough to know that ancient, forgotten places like this weren’t always as empty as they seemed. There was something lurking in the shadows—something waiting to be uncovered. And sometimes, things weren’t meant to be uncovered.

  The space station loomed ahead on the view screen, a massive structure hanging motionless in the black void. Its once vibrant lights had long since dimmed, leaving only flickers of pale, sickly hues in its corridors. It was surrounded by a silence that spoke volumes. No radio signals, no life signs, no movement of any kind. The place was as dead as space itself.

  “Something doesn’t sit right with me,” Lucas muttered, his voice betraying the same unease that was gnawing at the rest of us.

  “We’re still going through with this, right?” Anna asked, her eyes wide and filled with uncertainty.

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  I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself. “Yeah, we’re going through with it. We need answers.”

  As we drew closer to the station, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a bad idea—one of those moments where curiosity might have just killed the cat. But there was no turning back now. We were committed.

  Vrixibalt’s voice cut through my thoughts, calm and measured. “I will remain in the ship’s cockpit. My presence would be of little use in the station’s interior, and I have already established a scan of the environment.” He paused, his strange eyes studying me. “But be careful. This station could hold more than just history.”

  I didn’t need any more warnings. We all knew the risks, but the fact that Vrixibalt had opted to stay behind—almost like he was avoiding something—added to my growing sense of unease.

  The ship docked smoothly with the space station, the airlock’s metallic clank reverberating through the quiet of the cockpit. I stood up, stretched my stiff muscles, and met Anna and Lucas’ worried gazes. “Let’s do this. Stay alert.”

  As the airlock doors hissed open, I felt an immediate drop in temperature. It wasn’t much—just a slight chill—but it sent a shiver down my spine. The corridor beyond the door stretched out before us, lit by dim, flickering lights that barely held back the dark. There were no signs of life, no obvious danger, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching us from the shadows.

  I stepped into the hallway first, leading the way with Anna and Lucas following closely behind. The station was massive, stretching out for what felt like miles. I could feel the weight of its history pressing down on me, its walls covered in alien symbols and strange markings. The air smelled stale, as though it hadn’t been breathed in decades, and I could hear my own footsteps echoing off the cold, metallic floor.

  "How long do you think it’s been empty?" Anna whispered, her voice barely audible in the stillness.

  "Too long," I answered, keeping my voice low. "This place shouldn’t even be here. It’s not just abandoned. It’s... forgotten."

  We moved deeper into the station, our flashlights casting weak beams of light onto the walls, illuminating dust and debris that had accumulated over the years. There were signs of a struggle, old scorch marks, and broken consoles scattered around. It looked like whoever had been here had left in a hurry—or had been forced to leave.

  “This doesn’t look like a normal evacuation,” Lucas said, his voice tight with nervousness. “Whatever happened here, it wasn’t good.”

  “I agree,” I said. My eyes scanned the walls for any signs of what might have caused this. Alien tech, old as it was, had a way of giving off an eerie energy, like it knew more than we did.

  We came upon a larger chamber, the ceiling stretching high above us, lost in shadow. The walls were lined with strange glyphs and symbols, some of them familiar to me from our earlier studies of the ship we had arrived on, others completely alien. The console at the far end of the room flickered to life as we approached, casting an unnatural glow over the space.

  Anna stepped forward cautiously, her curiosity driving her despite the growing tension. “Should we check it out?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at me.

  I gave her a nod. “We don’t have a choice. Let’s see what it says.”

  The console’s screen came to life, but instead of text, it displayed a series of distorted images—flashes of light, bursts of static, and distorted voices that crackled out in broken languages. I frowned, leaning closer to the screen, trying to make sense of it. The language didn’t match anything I’d seen before. It wasn’t Vrixibalt’s species’ language, and it wasn’t one I recognized from Earth either.

  “Something’s not right here,” I muttered. “This wasn’t meant to be seen.”

  Anna exchanged a glance with Lucas. “You’re telling me… we weren’t supposed to find this place?”

  “No,” I replied, the growing feeling of dread in my chest thickening. “I don’t think we were supposed to find anything in this place.”