Zed was awakened inside his pod, the familiar hum of its systems vibrating around him. The walls were soft and dark, the low light pulsing in a steady rhythm as the pod''s internal mechanisms began to activate. He felt disoriented, his body heavy from the deep sleep—or rather, it was more of a stasis.


    Ai? he called in his mind, the disorienting fog of slumber still clouding him. Zed, I need you to focus. Concentrate on the sound of my voice. the AI’s voice responded almost immediately, its tone calm and composed, a sharp contrast to the confusion swirling in Zed’s head. Zed shook his head, trying to clear the last vestiges of the dream. What happened? How did I get here?


    Your memory was... compromised, Zed. You were in a volatile state—some of your recollection has been wiped or corrupted. I’ve been attempting to restore it, but there’s a gap.


    Zed''s head throbbed as he tried to recall how they had ended up here, trying to grasp the fragments of his memory. The last thing he could clearly remember was the mission. Go to XR-3 and inspect the seeding project. Then, falling. No—crashing. The sensation of gravity pulling him down, harder and faster. His surroundings had blurred, but he remembered how the stars shrank, disappearing from his view as the world spun out of control. But did he arrive to XR-3? He couldn’t remember.


    "A gap? How long have I been out?" he voiced his query.


    Time is… difficult to measure in this state, Ai replied, her voice tinged with something almost like a caution. You’ve been in stasis for an extended period, Zed. Longer than we should have been. But it’s not the time to dwell on that. Right now, we need to focus on what’s ahead.


    Zed took a deep breath, not that he needs the air, but rather to steel himself from what unknown he is about to embark on. Slowly, he is getting his bearings.


    The pod smelled of the familiar scent of metal and coolant filling the air. The soft, low hum of machinery told him that it was still functional, but something in Ai’s tone told him that they had just crossed into dangerous territory. "What''s ahead?" Zed asked.


    Ai didn’t answer. The door of the pod suddenly opened with a low, mechanical hiss, and water rushed in, cold and unrelenting. Zed barely had time to react before the freezing torrent hit him, soaking him in an instant.


    “Where the heck are we?” Zed murmured aloud. He scrambled to pull himself up, but the water kept rising, flooding the pod and pushing him toward the exit. Nothing like a cold-water shower to wake the senses, Ai said, almost as if trying to lighten the moment with its usual dry humor, though Zed could hear the underlying tension in its tone.


    We need to get out, Ai said, the urgency clear in her voice. Zed didn’t need to be told twice. His instincts took over. In a fluid motion, he powered his shield module, feeling it hum to life within him. The nano-materials beneath his skin responded, expanding outward in a cascade of shimmering energy. The shield flickered into existence, its blue glow casting stark contrasts against the dimly lit interior of the pod.


    Zed directed the shield to expand forcefully, bracing for the impact. The shield collided with the pod’s surface, pushing the water aside in a violent wave. The pressure from the expansion built rapidly, the pod’s walls groaning under the strain —then, with a deafening crack, the pod’s structure failed.


    The violent explosion of metal sent a massive blast wave through the water, churning it into a frothing, violent storm. The cold, dark water around him exploded outward in all directions, creating a violent vortex. His shield, still activated, held strong against the pressure.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Activate your anti-gravity module. Let’s get to the surface. Zed did and instantly, a shimmering field enveloped his body. The force was immediate—an upward thrust that counteracted the crushing weight of the water. His body surged, propelled with speed and precision. The pressure around him seemed to melt away as he zoomed upward, his vision a blur of dark water and fleeting bubbles. The world above was now rapidly coming closer. The surface of the water broke in an explosive rush as Zed shot out like a missile. He soared into the open sky and for a moment, everything was weightless.


    The water cascaded off his spherical shield until he powered it off. The anti-gravity field stabilized him as he hovered above the water’s surface.


    The world around him came into focus. Jagged cliffs rose from the water’s edge, and the sky above was dark, filled with rolling clouds. The remnants of the pod floated below him, broken and torn apart by the blast.


    Zed glanced up at the overcast sky. "Ai, any chance you can triangulate which planet we''re on?" A moment later, Ai''s voice responded, "No, I don’t think I can."


    Zed surveyed his surroundings, his keen eyes sweeping over the landscape with precision. There in the distance—just beyond the horizon—Zed could see the faint outline of an unfamiliar land. He didn’t need Ai to do a scan—his eyes had already locked onto something. Smoke rose into the sky, curling from what appeared to be a town. A faint outline of buildings appeared on the horizon. Ai it seems we’re not alone, Zed realized. A sharp sense of urgency pricked at him. In an instant, he mentally commanded his anti-gravity module to power on in order for him to get there quickly.


    But just as he was about to push himself into the sky, something caught his eye down below. A figure—a person—stood at the edge of the lake, their silhouette framed by the dim light of the rising sun. Zed paused midair, his senses snapping to attention. A human, seemingly out of place in the stillness of the water''s edge.


    Zed nodded slightly to himself, considering his options. He could just leave, head toward that smoke in the distance where he could perhaps find answers. But he thought the person might know something about this strange place, or at least about the circumstances that had brought him here.


    He carefully directed his anti-gravity module downward, slowly lowering himself toward the person, the faint breeze spreading out beneath him. The air around him seemed colder as he drew closer to the figure, the oppressive silence deepening.


    As his feet finally touched the ground, he glanced at the figure more closely. It was a woman, her features that of an odd mix of calm and tension. She didn''t flinch at his approach, but as he drew closer, she stumbled, losing her balance and landing on her backside with a startled gasp.


    “You’re... you’re a Judge, aren’t you?” she asked, eyes wide with awe and fear. The term seemed to rang with weight, at least to the woman, but Zed had no idea why.


    “Judge?” he echoed, his voice calm but confused.


    The woman seemed to mistake his confusion for modesty, continuing without pause. “I’ve heard stories... Judges are sent by the Emperor to oversee matters of great importance. If you can fly, surely you must be one.”


    Zed felt the weight of his Ai''s voice in his mind, like a soft whisper in his ear: She''s likely not wrong. You do fit the description. Zed extended his hand to her, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it. She expected him to simply help her to her feet, but instead, a soft hum filled the air as his anti-gravity module activated. A shimmering field of particles enveloped her, and she gasped as her body lifted effortlessly off the ground. For a brief moment, she floated, weightless, her breath hitching in awe. Then, as gently as a falling leaf, she descended, her feet touching the earth once more.


    She looked up at Zed, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and uncertainty. “I... thank you” she said, offering a nervous smile. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression shifted.


    She took a step back, her gaze on the distant smoke. "If you follow me, you can meet my brother. He is the Governor of this town," she said, the urgency in her voice now unmistakable. "He can tell you what has been happening here. If you want answers that is.”


    Zed hesitated, glancing once more toward the distant town. With little to go on, and the sense that he might be able to find some answers in the town, Zed nodded. "I am not sure of what you''re referring to, but sure. Take me to your leader."


    Without another word, the woman turned and began to walk toward the uneven path ahead, her pace quickening. Zed followed closely behind, his mind racing with more questions than answers.