Starborn Reboot

The lift doors opened to the relic's lower level, revealing Zorak's flagship docked against the rune-lit hull. Kael Voss froze, his plasma rifle raised, as Aria's corrupted hologram stood beside Zorak, her red eyes glowing and rifle aimed at the team. The Architect enforcer's footsteps rumbled closer, its shadow stretching across the hangar. Kael's holo-device flashed: [System Override: Counter Corruption – Risk: Fragment Loss.] The decision weighed heavy—save Aria or risk losing her forever.

"Kael, we've got seconds!" Lena hissed, her hack device whirring as she scanned the flagship. Jax synced his rig, ready to breach, while Ryn and Torin flanked the lift, weapons drawn. Zorak's exosuit gleamed, his sneer cutting through the tension. "Surrender, Novice, or your precious fragment dies—permanently."

Aria's corrupted voice echoed, "Kael… stay away…" Her finger tightened on the trigger, but a flicker of violet broke through, her true self pleading. Kael's heart clenched—Lira's memory, Aria's trust, drove him forward. He tapped the override, and a surge of glitch energy pulsed from his holo-device, arcing toward Aria. Pain seared his mind as feedback hit, memories of the reactor and Lira's sketches blurring, but the energy enveloped her hologram.

The red glow faltered, Aria's form trembling as the corruption fought back. Zorak cursed, slamming a control panel. "No—reinforce the field!" The relic's runes flared, the containment field strengthening, but the glitch held. Aria's eyes shifted to violet, her voice soft. "Kael… I'm here…" The rifle dropped, and she collapsed into a fragmented light, the corruption breaking—but the fragment signal weakened.

"Yes!" Lena shouted, her device hitting 80%. But the enforcer burst into the hangar, its massive frame blocking the exit, turrets whirring. Kael's holo-device updated: [Hull Integrity at 0%. Evacuate Now?] The Rustfang was crippled, and the team was exposed.

"Fall back!" Kael ordered, ushering the team toward cover behind crates. The enforcer fired, plasma bolts scorching the deck. Ryn returned fire, her squad laying down suppressive blasts, while Jax hacked a side door, cursing as the lock resisted. Torin dragged a wounded pilot to safety, his med pack glowing with healing nanites.

Zorak laughed, retreating into the flagship. "You can't save her, Novice. She's mine!" The ship's engines hummed, preparing to warp. Kael aimed his rifle, but the enforcer's shadow loomed, forcing him to dive. His holo-device offered: [Debug Mode: Disable Enforcer – Cost: 1,000 StarCredits, Risk: System Crash.] He had 1,000 credits—his last reserve. He tapped it, and glitch energy fried the enforcer's circuits, its turrets sparking out. The cost dropped his credits to 0, and the holo-device glitched, locking briefly.

"Door's open!" Jax yelled, the team scrambling through. The corridor beyond was a maze of rune-lit walls, drones patrolling. Aria's fragment signal pinged faintly: [Fragment Trace: Weak, Source – Flagship Core.] Kael pushed forward, the chip's pulse guiding him, but a new alert blared: [Alert: Alliance Breach Detected.]

Lena frowned, scanning her device. "What the—someone's feeding our position to Zorak!" The drones zeroed in, their optics locking on. Kael's gut twisted—betrayal. He glanced at the team, suspicion narrowing to Torin, who'd been too quiet, his med pack suspiciously active.

"Torin, what's that signal?" Kael demanded, grabbing his arm. Torin's eyes widened, then hardened. "I had no choice. The Architects promised to free my family—Zorak's my contact." He activated a beacon, and the drones surged. Ryn tackled him, pinning him down, but the damage was done.

"Traitor!" Lena spat, her device jamming the beacon. The drones faltered, but the flagship's warp engines roared, lifting off. Kael sprinted toward it, firing at the thrusters, but the ship vanished in a flash of light, Aria's fragment signal cutting out.

"No!" Kael slammed a fist against the wall, guilt and rage warring. His holo-device rebooted: [Kael Voss – Rank #1. Credits: 0. Objective Partial: Fragment Location Lost.] The rank held, a hollow victory. Torin struggled under Ryn, his voice breaking. "They'll kill my family if I don't comply!"

Elara's voice crackled over the comms. "Kael, we saw the warp—Zorak's gone. The enforcer's down, but that betrayal… we're pulling back. Get out now!" The relic trembled, its containment field destabilizing, walls cracking.

Kael hauled Torin up, his voice cold. "You're coming with us. We'll find your family—without selling us out." Ryn bound Torin's hands, her scar twitching with anger. Jax secured the door, muttering, "Should've known he was too quiet." Lena scanned the relic, grimacing. "This place is collapsing—move!"

The team retraced their steps, dodging falling debris. Kael's holo-device sparked: [Debug Mode: Stabilize Relic – Risk: Energy Drain.] He tapped it, and glitch energy slowed the collapse, buying time. The hangar loomed ahead, the Rustfang a wrecked shell, but a resistance shuttle docked—Elara's backup.

They piled in, Torin under guard. The shuttle lifted off as the relic imploded, a shockwave rocking the craft. Kael stared out the viewport, the gas giant's storms swallowing the debris. Aria's signal was gone, her corrupted laugh replaced by silence. His holo-device pinged: [New Objective: Track Zorak, Free Aria and Torin's Family. Reward: 5,000 StarCredits, Alliance Trust.]

Elara piloted, her voice steady. "Kael, you handled that well—mostly. Torin's confession changes things. We'll interrogate him, but Zorak's got the upper hand now." She glanced at the bound medic, who slumped, shame etched on his face.

Lena adjusted her device, pulling up Zorak's warp trail. "He's heading deep into the nebula—probably a remnant hub. That betrayal gave him time to fortify." She shot Torin a glare, but Kael raised a hand.

"We'll deal with him," Kael said, his resolve hardening. "Torin, if your family's alive, we'll save them. But you're done playing both sides." Torin nodded weakly, tears in his eyes. The shuttle docked at the base, its hangar welcoming the weary team.

The base was a flurry of activity—pilots mourning lost comrades, engineers repairing ships. Jax and Ryn debriefed Elara, while Lena analyzed the warp data. Kael sat by the Rustfang's wreckage, the chip in hand, its pulse a faint hope. A crackle answered, Aria's voice broken. "Kael… trapped… help…" Her hologram flickered, a distorted shadow, then stabilized—violet eyes pleading before fading.

Lena approached, data pad in hand. "That signal spike—it's her. Zorak's hub is shielded, but I can triangulate if we get closer. Trouble is, that betrayal tipped him off. He'll be ready." She pointed to the map, a dense nebula sector marked with remnant activity.

Kael's holo-device updated: [Debug Mode: Enhance Tracking – Risk: Memory Fragmentation.] He tapped it, bracing for pain. Images of Lira's sketches and Aria's creation flooded his mind, a sharp jolt severing a memory—Lira's voice mid-laugh. The device locked onto the hub's coordinates, but the loss stung.

Elara joined them, her expression grim. "Kael, the alliance is shaken, but they're with you—barely. We'll need a full assault to breach that hub. Your glitch is our only shot." She handed him a repaired holo-device, its interface gleaming with new potential.

Kael stood, the chip's warmth grounding him. "For Aria. For Lira. We hit them hard." The base prepared for war—ships refueled, weapons loaded. But a new alarm blared, and the viewport darkened: [Alert: Unknown Signal Detected. Source: Nebula Hub.] A massive structure emerged, its runes pulsing with a power beyond Zorak's fleet.

Lena's eyes widened. "That's no hub—it's an Architect command nexus. Zorak's not just hiding; he's allied with something bigger." Kael's holo-device flashed: [System Alert: Nexus Activation Imminent. Time Remaining: 10 Minutes.] The stakes had skyrocketed, and Aria's fate hung in the balance.