The Constellation had never been truly silent.
Even in moments of peace, countless energy threads hummed softly between its sovereign nodes, carrying information, stability patterns, and emotional resonance across light-years of space. The network behaved like a living nervous system—constantly thinking, adapting, growing.
But tonight, something new appeared.
Something that did not belong.
Inside the Convergence Axis chamber, a low alarm tone echoed across the curved walls of luminous crystal.
Lysarra was the first to notice.
Her eyes narrowed as streams of data cascaded across the holographic displays in front of her.
"That's… impossible."
Ethan looked up from the central convergence seat.
"What is?"
Instead of answering immediately, Lysarra expanded the projection.
Across the Constellation network map, faint pulses appeared—tiny flashes of geometric light moving through the energy threads connecting the sovereign nodes.
But they weren't random.
They were structured.
