Chapter 35: The Machine World

Khatia loomed ahead, vast and unyielding. It was not a planet that had grown naturally over eons, shaped by rivers, wind, or shifting tectonics. It had been built—constructed from machinery, layered in precise formations that stretched endlessly beneath an artificial sky. Towers of metal and circuits stood in perfect symmetry, each structure pulsing with mechanical order. It was a contradiction to everything Earth represented.

A fleet of K'tharr warships hovered in orbit, their silver hulls reflecting the distant starlight. They moved with eerie precision, their formations flawless. There was no hesitation in their patterns, no deviation. These were creatures of war, a civilization that did not make mistakes.

Inside the Arbor's command bridge, red warning lights flickered across the consoles, casting sharp glows across the faces of the crew. No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly. Patrol ships glided dangerously close, their movements smooth, predatory.

Gray worked in silence, fingers flying over the controls, every small adjustment carrying the weight of life or death. His usual confidence had been replaced with the razor-sharp focus of survival.

"Easy…" he murmured, barely audible. "Hold steady… keep just beneath their scanning threshold…"

Chloe's gaze darted to the viewport, catching the slight shift in trajectory of a K'tharr patrol vessel. It was moving toward them, subtle but undeniable.

"Gray…" Her voice was tight, her hand hovering near the weapon at her side.

"I know, I know—shut up," Gray snapped, never looking away from the console.

The scanner passed over their position, lingering.

No one moved.

Then, finally, the patrol ship adjusted its course and continued forward, finding nothing.

Markus exhaled, shaking his head. "Remind me to buy you a drink after this."

Gray leaned back, his smirk returning, though his exhaustion showed beneath it. "Make it two."

The moment passed, but the mission was far from over. Emma pulled up the holographic map, her fingers tracing potential landing zones. They had to find a place untouched by the empire's strongest defenses—somewhere they could land without immediate detection.

Ethan checked and rechecked their weapons, ensuring every setting was calibrated. Chloe remained focused on their descent vectors, refining every detail to make sure their approach was controlled and precise.

Markus stayed at the viewport, watching the metallic world below. His expression remained unreadable, but his posture spoke for him. There was no turning back.

Beyond Khatia's surface, unseen beneath layers of metal and circuitry, something stirred.

Magzorha knew they had arrived.

And soon, they would know him.