Entering Kariki Star System

"Exiting Wormhole travel in five, four, three..."

Eva's voice rang through the cockpit, each number hammering down like a countdown to judgment day.

I tensed, gripping the controls like my life depended on it—because it did. The probability of an ambush was low, but low didn't mean zero. If our enemies had somehow surrounded our exit point beforehand, we'd be stepping into a perfectly laid trap.

"Leaving the white hole! Prepare for impact!"

A split second later, the ship's visor shields peeled away like curtains, unveiling a stage. For a brief, blinding moment, the universe was pure, searing white. Then—darkness.

The sheer, vast emptiness of space returned, the silence almost deafening after the chaos we'd just endured.

I wasted no time scanning the sensors and radar. They were updating annoyingly slowly, every second stretching into eternity. The tension made my fingers twitch over the controls. But finally—