Starfall Rebellion

Chapter 4: Ghosts of the Past

The Wraith drifted into a quieter section of the Wreck Zone, the jagged remnants of ancient battles thinning to a sprawling void. The reactor detonation had left its mark on the ship—systems flickered intermittently, and the engines hummed with an unsettling vibration. Kael knew they wouldn’t last much longer without repairs.

"We need to set down somewhere," he said, breaking the tense silence.

Aelina glanced up from the diagnostic panel, her brow furrowed. "And risk broadcasting our position to every scavenger and Dominion patrol in the sector?"

Kael leveled her with a glare. "Better that than dying out here when the engines give out."

She didn’t argue. Instead, she tapped into the star map, searching for potential safe havens. After a moment, her expression shifted.

"There’s a derelict station nearby," she said, pointing to a faint blip on the screen. "Old mining outpost. Abandoned decades ago."

Kael’s lips twisted into a wry smile. "Perfect. Nothing says 'safe' like a haunted station in the middle of nowhere."

Griv’s voice crackled over the comm. "Haunted? Please tell me he’s joking."

Kael ignored him, setting a course for the station.

The station came into view like a forgotten relic, its metal surface dulled by time and covered in a thin layer of frozen dust. Massive hangar bays yawned open, inviting but foreboding.

"Are we sure this place is abandoned?" Griv asked as the *Wraith* approached the docking ring.

"Only one way to find out," Kael replied, his voice flat.

The ship shuddered as it docked, the clamps locking into place with a metallic groan. Kael powered down the engines, leaving only minimal systems active.

"Griv, stay here and keep the ship ready," Kael ordered. "If anything moves, you call me."

"Gladly," Griv muttered.

Kael turned to Aelina, who was already securing a blaster to her hip. "You coming?"

"Wouldn’t miss it," she said, her tone sharp.

The airlock hissed open, revealing the station’s dim interior. Kael and Aelina stepped inside, their boots echoing against the metal floor. The corridors were narrow and dark, lit only by the occasional flicker of emergency lights.

Kael’s hand hovered near his sidearm as he moved cautiously forward. "You know, for an abandoned station, this place feels awfully...occupied."

Aelina scanned the area with a handheld device. "There’s residual energy here. Life support systems are barely operational, but something’s keeping the core running."

"Something, or someone?"

Aelina didn’t answer, but her grip on her blaster tightened.

They entered what appeared to be the main control room, its consoles covered in layers of dust. Kael brushed off a screen, squinting at the faintly glowing interface.

"Power’s low, but functional," he said. "Think you can get this working?"

Aelina knelt beside a terminal, her fingers flying across the cracked keyboard. After a moment, the screens flickered to life, displaying garbled data.

"This station was decommissioned after a mining collapse," she said, her voice distant as she read through the logs. "But the logs don’t explain why the core’s still active—or why the Dominion didn’t scrap this place entirely."

Kael frowned. "Because they didn’t want anyone poking around. What were they mining here?"

"Not ore," Aelina said, her tone grim. "Something else. The records are encrypted, but the keywords suggest experimental tech—maybe even bioweapons."

"Great," Kael muttered. "Just when I thought this day couldn’t get worse."

The terminal buzzed loudly, cutting through the stillness. Kael tensed, his hand flying to his blaster.

"What did you do?" he hissed.

"Nothing!" Aelina snapped, her eyes widening as the terminal began spewing lines of text in an unfamiliar script.

Before either of them could react, the room’s lights surged, casting everything in a harsh, sterile glow. A deep hum reverberated through the station, followed by the sound of heavy, metallic footsteps echoing in the distance.

Kael’s heart skipped a beat. "Tell me that’s not what I think it is."

Aelina paled. "Security droids. If the station’s defenses are still active..."

Her words trailed off as a hulking figure appeared in the doorway—a rusted but menacing droid, its red eyes glowing like embers.

"Unauthorized personnel detected," the droid intoned, its voice a cold monotone. "Initiating containment protocol."

"Move!" Kael shouted, pulling Aelina behind him as he fired.

The blast struck the droid’s torso, leaving a scorch mark but doing little else. It raised an arm, firing a pulse of energy that narrowly missed Kael as they dove behind a console.

"Any bright ideas?" he called over the din.

Aelina peeked out, assessing their attacker. "Aim for the joints! They’re old—probably brittle."

Kael didn’t argue. He popped up from cover, firing at the droid’s legs. This time, his shots found their mark, severing a joint with a shower of sparks. The droid collapsed, its movements jerky and disjointed.

"Got it!" Kael said, his voice triumphant.

"Don’t celebrate yet," Aelina warned, her eyes darting to the hallway. More footsteps echoed, growing louder.

They sprinted out of the control room, the sound of approaching droids driving them forward. Kael’s pulse pounded in his ears as they navigated the twisting corridors, dodging debris and flickering lights.

"This way!" Aelina shouted, leading him down a side passage.

"Where are we going?" Kael demanded, his breath ragged.

"The reactor core! If we can overload it, we can disable the droids and cover our escape."

Kael groaned. "Another explosion? You really have a thing for those, don’t you?"

Aelina smirked despite the tension. "They’re effective."

The reactor room was massive, its centerpiece a glowing sphere of unstable energy suspended in a tangle of cables and machinery. The hum of the core was deafening, its light casting eerie shadows across the walls.

"How long will this take?" Kael asked, scanning the room for incoming threats.

"Not long," Aelina replied, already working at the nearest console.

Kael positioned himself near the entrance, his blaster at the ready. The first droid appeared moments later, its red eyes cutting through the dim light.

"Here they come," Kael muttered, opening fire.

The droid fell, but another quickly took its place, followed by two more. Kael’s shots slowed them, but the tide was relentless.

"Aelina!" he called, his voice strained.

"Almost there!" she yelled back, her hands moving frantically.

The core began to pulse erratically, its glow intensifying.

"Done!" Aelina shouted, racing toward Kael. "Move!"

They bolted from the room as the core’s energy surged. The explosion came seconds later, a deafening roar that shook the station to its foundations.

Back on the *Wraith*, Kael slammed the airlock shut, breathing hard. "Griv, get us out of here!"

The engines roared to life, propelling the ship away from the station just as it collapsed in on itself, consumed by fire and debris.

In the cockpit, Aelina slumped into a chair, her face pale but determined.

"Still think this was a bad idea?" she asked, her tone teasing despite her exhaustion.

Kael shot her a sidelong glance. "I’m not sure yet."

As the *Wraith* slipped back into the relative safety of the Wreck Zone, Kael couldn’t shake the unease settling in his chest. Whatever secrets the station had held, they weren’t entirely buried—and he had a sinking feeling that their troubles were far from over.