I gasped for air.


    But there was none to breathe.


    No ground beneath me. No stars above. Just an endless void stretching in every direction. Cold. Suffocating. Weightless.


    I looked down.


    Black veins pulsed beneath my skin, glowing like circuits, threading through me like I wasn’t flesh and blood but something else entirely.


    Then, a voice.


    Not spoken. Not telepathic. Something older, transmitted straight into my soul.


    “You were severed from the source. You were made incomplete.”


    I stiffened. My breath hitched, but the void swallowed the sound.


    A presence stirred ahead. A feminine figure.


    She emerged from the darkness like light bleeding into the abyss. Tall, impossibly elegant, her form shifting between real and unreal. Pale skin like moondust. Eyes like frozen stars. A flowing robe that shimmered between blue and silver, like the cosmos itself had been stitched into the fabric.


    She sang.


    A single word, soft and aching, cutting through the silence like the edge of a blade.


    “Incomplete.”


    The void trembled. The veins in my arms burned.


    She reached out, and suddenly, I saw it.


    A monolith. Floating in the endless dark.


    Towering. Cold. Alive.


    Unreadable symbols pulsed across its surface, shifting, twisting, calling to me.


    Her gaze locked onto mine. A silent command.


    “Find the Eidolon Core.”


    She tried to say more, her lips parting, the shape of a word forming. But something tore her back.


    A shadow erupted from the void behind her, shifting wrongly, too many limbs, too many eyes, its form flickering like it wasn’t meant to exist in this reality.


    The woman’s body arched violently, her veins blackening beneath her skin, pulsing, twisting into jagged, unnatural patterns.


    Then, a new voice.


    It whispered from inside her, stretching the syllables like it had just learned how to speak.


    "You will never be whole.”


    I fell.


    Fell.


    Fell—


    I jolted awake, gasping.


    Sweat slicked my skin. My heart hammered against my ribs, my mind still tangled in the dream.


    My familiar room’s dim interior came into focus.


    For a second, the dream lingered, heavy, real.


    I looked down at my arms.


    Nothing. No black veins. No circuits.


    Just my hands.


    Shaking.


    Then, Ares'' voice cut through the silence.


    “Nightmare again, Commander?”


    I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, exhaling slowly. “Shut it. Status report.”


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    A brief pause, then the AI’s tone turned businesslike. "Zara and Nyx are outside, repairing the ship."


    I blinked. “…Together?”


    "Affirmative. They appear to be... cooperating. For now."


    I let out a tired chuckle, massaging my temples. “Huh. Guess miracles do happen.”


    "I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Commander. My calculations predict a 47% chance of homicide."


    I smirked. “That low?”


    "They are bonding over mutual disdain. Historically, this has led to property damage or organized crime in your crew."


    I frowned. “That was one time.”


    "Incorrect. That was five times. Two incidents classified as felonies. One involving explosives."


    I groaned. “Fantastic. Ares, the only AI in the galaxy programmed for sarcasm instead of actual assistance.”


    "Incorrect again. I am also programmed for ship diagnostics, tactical coordination, and lest we forget, preventing you from flushing yourself out of an airlock while drunk."


    I sighed, pushing myself upright. “Damage report?”


    "Nyx is handling the primary repairs. Zara is assisting. Forcibly.”


    "Forcibly?"


    "Nyx has enlisted the local ‘hangar rats’ to retrieve supplies. Zara is now supervising.”


    I snorted. "So she’s babysitting street thieves while Nyx cons her way through repairs? Yeah, sounds about right."


    "Affirmative. Currently, no signs of homicide. But I estimate a 63% chance of escalation if Nyx continues attempting to ‘charm’ Zara."


    I rubbed my face. “You know, for an AI, you really enjoy watching me suffer.”


    "Incorrect. I merely observe and document your suffering. Enjoyment is optional."


    I collapsed back onto the cot. "You keep an eye on them. I’m getting more sleep."


    "You are not going to supervise?"


    "Nah. If Zara tries to stab me, I’d rather not see it coming."


    "And if Nyx attempts to take advantage of your... vulnerable state?"


    "You know what, lock the door. I’m not in the mood for death or… seduction."


    "Acknowledged. Door secured. Sleep tight, Commander. If you hear screaming, ignore it."


    "Ares."


    "Yes, Commander?"


    "Read me a bedtime story."


    "Processing… I have selected a Terran classic. The Tragedy of Varkus the Unyielding: A Tale of Betrayal, Blood, and the Unforgiving Void."


    I sighed. "Ares, pick something that doesn’t sound like it ends with mass executions."


    "Adjusting parameters… Initiating Goodnight, Moonbase."


    I smirked, closing my eyes as Ares'' voice took on a deliberate, soothing monotone.


    "Goodnight, engines. Goodnight, thrusters. Goodnight, hull integrity, which currently sits at—"


    I faked a loud snore.


    Ares stopped. "You are not actually asleep."


    I snored louder.


    A long pause. Then:


    "…Enjoy your rest, Commander. And may your dreams be marginally less unsettling than usual."


    ***


    Zara POV


    Nyx was halfway through fitting a stolen power cell into the Valkyrion’s busted primary conduit when a deep, gravelly voice cut through the noise.


    “Hey!”


    Zara barely flinched. She recognized that tone. Someone looking for a fight.


    A burly alien, skin like sand-worn stone, stomped toward her. One of his four thick hands clutched a jagged metal rod, probably used as a pry bar, but right now, it looked more like a weapon.


    “You thieving bitch!”


    Zara arched an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip. “If you’re about to say I stole something, you might want to check your sources.”


    Nyx, still crouched by the ship, didn’t even glance up. Zara flicked her a sharp look.


    This is your mess.


    Nyx just smirked and adjusted a panel, fingers casually fitting the connectors in place.


    The alien didn’t care for subtlety. He took another step forward, broad chest heaving. “One of my crates is missing. Right after you and your ship-rat crew show up.” His gaze flicked to the Valkyrion. “I don’t need to be a genius to—”


    “Zat’s fortunate,” Nyx cut in smoothly, finally standing. She stretched, tail curling lazily behind her. “Because you are not.”


    His eyes snapped to her then swung.


    Or, at least, he tried.


    Before Zara could react, Nyx retaliated.


    Her tail lashed out.


    A flicker of movement, faster than should’ve been possible.


    The alien jerked. His breath hitched.


    A thin line of red opened across his throat.


    For a half-second, his face twisted into confusion, his body still catching up to what had just happened.


    Then his legs buckled.


    His mouth opened, maybe a scream, maybe just air trying to escape through the mess Nyx had made of his windpipe. But before he could hit the ground, Nyx’s tail curled around his ankle and yanked him backward.


    There was a quiet shunk as a floor panel slid open beneath him. Some hidden disposal chute Nyx had clearly used before.


    The body disappeared.


    The floor clicked shut.


    Gone.


    Zara slowly turned toward Nyx.


    Nyx grinned, flashing fanged teeth. “Oh, what is zhat look for?” She tilted her head innocently, brushing off imaginary dust.


    Zara just blinked. Then, very slowly, she said, “What. The fuck.”


    Nyx laughed, light and musical, like she’d just dropped a glass of wine, not a corpse. “Tch. Mon cher, if you let zhem push, zhey will take your whole ship.” She dusted off her hands. “I ‘ave standards.”


    Zara’s jaw worked. “You...” she pointed at the now very empty floor panel, then at Nyx. “You just...”


    Nyx tapped her lip, tail curling playfully behind her. “Hmmm? You want me to bring him back? I zhink zhat’s impossible, no?”


    Zara rubbed her temples. “You''re a—”


    “A treasure?” Nyx offered helpfully.


    “A fucking menace.”


    Nyx winked.


    Then she clapped her hands together. “Now, repairs are finished. Mostly.”


    Zara eyed her. “What do you mean mostly?”


    Nyx sighed dramatically. “We will not explode, if zhat’s what you are asking.”


    “That is not reassuring.”


    Nyx waved her off. “It will be fine. If zhere is an issue, we will find out quickly.”


    Zara muttered something about wanting to throttle her, but Nyx was already sauntering toward the ship’s boarding ramp.


    “Come now, mon cher,” she called over her shoulder. “Let’s go wake up our sleeping beauty.”


    Zara grimaced.


    She wasn’t exactly excited about seeing him again. Not after their last conversation.


    And yet...


    She found herself following Nyx up the ramp, muttering, “This is going to be a problem.”