The lab hummed; a console sparked as it interfaced with the device, a shrill whine starting, slicing the sterile air. Hara winced, crouching at the workstation, nudging aside frayed cables, her gloved hands clipping a data bridge into place. Techs clustered near; the readout screen flickered, jagged lines of code stuttering onto the display—fragments of memory surfaces.


    "Scan output," Jansen said, voice low, tapping a console spilling broken text: coordinates, pulse logs, star-lane grids. His eyes flicked to Hara, gaze questioning.


    She leaned in, squinting at the fractured data. "Partial logs—tracking lane signals, maybe traffic. Those match coordinate formats." Mind flashed: Betelgeuse shockwave, frontier outposts wiped from maps. Could these point to abandoned settlements?


    A lone beep sounded. Heads lifted. Lab stilled. The screen flared dim, garbled text sharpening brief into a grainy holo—a partial star-lane map webbing mid-air, dotted with cryptic tags. Jansen zoomed on one pulsing dull red: Colony SC-13, supernova-era. The label hung, edges jittering.


    Silence settled, heavy. Nanduri exhaled, a soft hiss. "Retreat-era signifier—SC-13 isn''t in current Federation logs. Supernova storms buried entire sectors."


    Hara stared at the blinking tag. Recalled tales: scattered settlers, lost worlds. "If valid, that''s a last known position." She eyed the device''s crumbling frame. How does this hold supernova-era data? A search through its gutted shell revealed a glint—a translucent crystal wedged in a console slot, edges chipped.


    Jansen eased it free. Lab lights ignited prismatic flares across its surface. A faint hum pulsed from within. "Microcomputer core," he murmured, tilting it. "Design suggests supernova-era circuits, pre-retreat. But installed in this rig?"


    Hara swept her scanner over the crystal''s etched lines. "Salvaged component—integrated into a newer, non-Federation build." She nodded at the device''s shell—mismatched alloys, no markings, patchwork welds. "Pre-supernova data in a post-era frame."


    The team edged closer, glances exchanged. Ancient data jury-rigged into this device? Purposeful. Sparks spat from the memory port, sharp, brief.


    "Extract available data," Hara said, snapping the last link into place, voice clipped. "Could be lost outpost coordinates—or reveal more about activity in this corridor."


    Nanduri''s jaw tightened, eyes on the battered husk. "System integrity failing—imminent overload possible." Lab stilled again; the crystal glinted. Jansen gave a curt nod, triggering the data pull. For a brief pulse, star-lane fragments bloomed across screens—echoes of a lost era. Then a piercing whine ripped through. Sparks cascaded from the console''s innards.


    The air felt charged. Device side plating crackled. A panel popped loose—sizzle, puff of acrid smoke. Hara jolted back, yanking cables. "Overload—power cut!"


    Lights flickered. Jansen lunged for the cutoff. A blinding spark erupted from the core. Whine spiked, shrieked, ended in a sharp hiss. Device imploded, metal warping inward. Heat flared brief. A charred husk remained. Fumes stung the air, bitter, metallic.


    "Clear back!" Nanduri barked, shoving techs aside. Screens dissolved into static; star-lane ghosts vanished. Hara coughed, sidestepping the smoldering wreck. Pulse hammered against ribs.


    Haze thinned. A half-melted memory module jutted from the ruin, singed but attached. Jansen retrieved it with insulated tongs. Face grim. "Fused," he muttered. "Recovered fragmented lane data—minimal—before core meltdown."


    Hara''s gaze swept the charred fragments. "It''s data," she said, voice low, nodding at the faint star-lane overlay ghosting her screen. "Supernova-era coordinates—confirms lost outpost presence." Lab vent fans hummed, drawing out acrid smoke, leaving taut silence, loose ends.


    <hr>


    Captain Nathaniel Rourke stood in the Cataclysm''s briefing chamber. A holo-table cast twin glows: Vortus Prime''s pastel swirls—blues, pinks—and the supernova corridor''s coppery arcs. Lights dimmed, pooling shadows. Commander Laehy stood left, arms crossed. Hara and Jansen settled near the center.


    A flickering star-lane map hovered above the table—thin routes, cryptic tags: SC-13, Outpost K-7, Hab-dome 2E. Each pulsed faint. Rourke''s voice cut the stillness, steady, heavy. "Data fragments confirm pre-Betelgeuse settlement markers—likely damaged or destroyed by corridor storms." He paused.


    Laehy nodded, tone clipped. "Betelgeuse wiped expansions—Federation logs show gaps. Outposts like SC-13 vanished post-retreat." Her gaze flicked to Jansen''s console; coordinate strings blinked fitfully.


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    Jansen tapped a marker: Waypoint Cassini. "Archive notes indicate a mining hub—ore-rich, corridor fringe. Dark since storms hit. FNS Endeavor conducted recent scans nearby—salvage assessment potential."


    A faint halo circled Cassini''s holo location. Rourke leaned in, brow creasing. "Multiple settlements, resource-rich. Federation interest renewed. Who else operates out here?" His gaze pinned Hara and Jansen.


    Hara''s jaw tightened fractionally. "Standard pirate tactics focus on lane ambushes, small targets. This recovered device suggests higher organization."


    Laehy''s arms remained folded, voice cool. "Rich outposts attract organized groups—paramilitary capability possible."


    Chief Engineer Nanduri cleared his throat, eyes on scattered coordinates. "Vortus Prime remains immediate objective. Vortex Array installation complete—prepared to mitigate Veil interference, stabilize local lanes."


    Rourke''s fingers drummed the table edge. Eyes scanned taut faces. Holo glowed—supernova lanes arcing around Vortus Prime''s swirl. "Priority one," he said. "Stabilize this orbit, secure routes. Then pursue corridor leads." He glanced at Cassini''s marker. "Coordinate with Endeavor if they''re active—especially given potential pirate or unknown faction interest in relics."


    He nodded at Jansen. Vortex Array schematic appeared—ring studded with spires, glowing soft arcs. "Deploy in stable orbit," Jansen said, tracing the design. "Broadcast counter-frequencies matching Veil pulses."


    "Launch array," Rourke ordered, tone firm. "Monitor stabilization. Then assess external activity."


    Lights snapped back to full, crisp glow returning. Officers traded sharp nods, dispersed. Holo lingered—Vortus Prime framed by the corridor''s menace. New shadows stretched behind the Veil task: lost enclaves, unknown actors.


    In the Cataclysm''s main hangar, engineers moved around the Vortex Array—a ring bristling with antennae, its curves reflecting work lights. Thick insulation plates showed, designed for Vortus Prime''s near-space environment. At its core, spires shimmered with sensor nodes, ready to broadcast frequencies against the Veil''s electromagnetic interference. Antigrav lifters whined faint; tools clanked against metal.


    Hara and Jansen stood at a portable console, running final checks. Beyond the open hangar roof, Vortus Prime''s upper atmosphere swirled—pastel clouds of peach and violet moving in arcs, edges feathered gold, the corridor''s faint copper haze visible at the horizon. "Checks complete," Hara said, hitting the final key. A soft beep sounded. "Power output stable—no anomalies."


    Jansen exhaled, adjusting his position. "No active corridor storms reported. Prime''s atmospheric currents should remain predictable."


    A docking clamp hissed, hydraulics releasing as it lowered the Vortex Array onto a drone—a blocky silver platform with thrusters, its clamps securing the array with a metallic clank. Nanduri observed the fit, sharp eyes tracing joints, then gave the flight crew a curt nod. "Secure," he called, stepping clear, voice cutting the hangar hum.


    Rourke watched from the upper deck, Laehy beside him, her gaze flicking to corridor readouts—a restless copper swirl against the void. Their low voices carried tones of resolution: the array would stabilize Vortus Prime''s lanes, but the recovered device data remained a point of focus. "Launch," Laehy ordered into her wrist comm. Crew moved back. Drone engines flared—a deep roar. The Vortex Array rose, silhouette slicing through the open roof, piercing the planet''s pastel haze as it climbed.


    Beyond the hangar, atmospheric hues shifted from rose and lilac to muted cobalt as the drone ascended. Veil crystals glinted off the array''s spires, fleeting points of light scattering against blue, each conduction rod catching the star''s gold rays in brief flashes. The array dwarfed the drone; thrusters burned steady, carving an arc through thinning air. On Cataclysm screens, telemetry scrolled—altitude rising, power steady, EM interference nominal.


    "Geostationary orbit alignment in two minutes," the pilot''s voice sounded through overhead speakers, crisp against the hangar drone.


    Hara tapped her console, displaying a wide-angle feed. The array''s camera framed Vortus Prime below—a vast swirl of pastel ribbons, blues and pinks rippling under golden mist. At the horizon, the supernova corridor''s faint arcs etched a copper smear against black, dust glinting. Planet rings traced fragile lines overhead, icy shards shimmering pale against the void.


    Jansen adjusted his stance, a focused line showing between his brows. "Once locked, initiate stabilization sequence—my mark." He met Hara''s gaze. "Frequency offsets confirmed?"


    She nodded, gaze steady. "Verified. Adjustments ready based on Veil response."


    A sharp hiss from the comm signaled array positioning achieved. Hangar stilled; eyes lifted to monitors. Rourke and Laehy exchanged a single nod from the deck above. Jansen flicked the activation switch. Screens flared—array spires glowing dull blue, energy surging. Static spiked briefly, a jagged waveform as Veil pulses met counter-frequencies. Then, interference readings dropped, smoothing into steady lines. Star-lane signals sharpened on Hara''s console, resolving through the haze.


    A low ripple of sound moved through the hangar—techs nodding, crew exchanging brief, tight smiles. Jansen let out a sharp breath. "Synchronization achieved," he said, half to Hara. "Minimal resonance feedback—clean power integration."


    Rourke''s voice sounded from the loudspeaker, steady, clear. "Sensors confirm lane stabilization around Vortus Prime. Effective execution. Corridor remains monitored, but local orbital traffic clear."


    Hara exhaled, tension easing from her shoulders as screens held stable green indicators. Beyond the hangar roof, Vortus Prime''s atmosphere churned—pastel storms distant, streaks of peach and violet threading haze, edges glinting with the Veil''s faint shimmer under slanted starlight. The immediate task completed, lanes secured. But the recovered device data remained—supernova-era coordinates in a patchwork rig. Whose purpose?


    She glanced at Jansen; a shared question lingered, unspoken. If lost outposts were indeed active or exploited, Cataclysm''s mission profile might shift from atmospheric stabilization to corridor reconnaissance. For now, her console flashed a final update: Veil Interference: Mitigated. A tangible success against the background hum of unresolved inquiries.