Welcome back, Ms. Nassa pt. 4

We close in on the exit point. Marcus begins the countdown. Everyone sits quietly, anxiously awaiting what's on the other side of the portal.

"Exiting Jump Space in five…four…three…two…one…"

Similar to how we enter, the ship shakes again with the same ferocity. The planets and moons finally came into focus, no longer stretched and in view. At the end of the portal, we are greeted with the most majestic view in the galaxy. The white dwarf that Dekara orbites lights up all of space around it, exceeding all expectations on the view. The rest of it though was...strange. Massive chunks of rock were floating endlessly in space.

"What's with all the asteroids?" I asked. 

"Probably part of the planet's ring, we did arrive a little close." said Marcus.

"Where is it, Marcus?" Phoenix said.

"Where's what?" Marcus responded.

"Dekara?"

"I don't know…it's like it just…disappeared. 

"It could be on the other side of the planet, you did say we arrived close."

"No Sir, not close to the planet, close to the moon, its last known position."

"What? Run a system scan."

Everyone stands and watches, waiting to see what would happen on the viewing screen, but it all turns to horror. The ship scans the entire system and starts pinging the location of all the planets. When it comes time for Dekara, the ping simply repeats, over and over and over again. The chunks of rock floating in space were registering as Dekara and there were hundreds, possibly thousands, everywhere. At the end of the destruction, a massive blue mist could be seen in the distance. Possibly the size of the entire ship three times over. Phoenix's jaw is closed shut at this point. The look of fear is written all over him. I stood next to him, failing to hold in my own shock, much like the rest of the crew. A ping went off on the far corner of the display. On closer inspection, it was discovered to be the distress beacon, dropped from a ship that had to be nearby the area. From the date that it ping, it was 10 years old. How is that possible? The destruction laid before us looks recent, yet judging by the mist that's left behind, a ship has jumped recently. Phoenix orders a scout ship to deploy and retrieve it. 

When it returns, the crew brings the beacon to Phoenix, who inspects it thoroughly before requesting it be played. The front display shows only static. We had no video, and the audio was choppy and distorted. 

"This is Lieutenant…of the RNS Bluford." It said, "We need immediate assistance! The captain is dead…engines are down, life support is…"

"This is going to sound…I need you to… The missing moon…it's here! It came out of nowhere…destroyed our defenses…" 

The video ends, cutting back to the main display of the planet's destruction. Everyone is left more confused than when we started. But I know. I know all too well. My heart starts to beat rapidly. I could feel it in my chest, in my hands, and upon my bare skin on my thigh where my hand sat still. That voice, I know that voice. It's impossible!

 Phoenix nudged me and whispered in my ear. "Okay." He said, "Let's go with your gut theory."

"No. Don't."

"Why?" he asks.

I could feel myself shaking as I stood there, staring into space.

"Because I know that name. Burk. It's Dad. He was here!"