Ash settled over the ruins, coating the ground in a gray veil. Twisted metal spires protruded from the earth, reaching toward a sky heavy with storm clouds.
The ground trembled. A low rumble broke the silence, stirring ash as cracks split the terrain.
From the fissure, something rose.
A figure of metal and wires.
The Construct.
Its frame glinted faintly, light bending off metal smoother than bone, darker than night. A tattered cloak hung from its shoulders, fluttering against the toxic wind, basking in the dim sunlight.
The Construct took a step forward.
The single sound of its foot rang sharp and loud through the ruins.
The shattered citadel seemed to breathe again, as if awakening to its visitor. Glass shards scattered light across the Construct's form. A rusted machine leaned and groaned, acknowledging the construct in silence. The wind tried to tug at the cloak, but found no hold.
A harsh screech tore through the haze.
Black-winged creatures burst from a crumbling dome, part machine, part carrion. Their eyes tracked the Construct, wary and wide. But it did not falter. It simply walked on, silent, steady and unstoppable.
Vines of gray metal shrank from its path. A pool of oily water rippled as it passed, briefly forming a warped reflection, almost human, before shattering apart. The ruins watched.
As the sun sank, the sky bled red and violet.
The Construct reached a wide plaza littered with broken statues, their faces worn smooth by time. A single monolith stood at the center, half-buried in ash, its glyphs flickering with dying light.
The Construct stopped. It sat before the stone, cloak folding around it like a shadow. The ash stilled. The wind held its breath. Stars broke through the clouds above, their cold light caught in its visor.
Something was coming.
And it knew.
.
.
.
High above the desolate planet, a golden cruiser drifted through the stars.
Inside its quiet heart, within a chamber bathed in pale light, droplets of water floated like tiny bubbles.
Lady Aurelia Valen drifted among them, her silver-blonde hair catching lavender glimmers under the soft glow. Her emerald eyes, etched faintly with circuitry, watched the water spin, lost in thought.
Aurelia was every inch a noble, yet she lived like a ghost. Fragile, quiet, endlessly melancholic. Her brilliance stayed locked behind hesitation and polite smiles.
The sound of the water was her only comfort.
Books floated in the air, creased, bookmarked, loved too much. Teacups drifted beside them, tiny globes of amber liquid catching the light.
Her maid, Lira, moved carefully around her, folding cloths with careful hands while two guards waited by the door, expressionless behind their helmets.
"My lady," Lira said softly, catching a floating droplet with her towel. "The water's done cycling. Shall I fetch your robe?"
"Not yet," Aurelia whispered. Her voice was gentle, almost brittle. "Just… a little longer."
Her gaze drifted to a worn book nearby, its cover carved with constellations. She reached for it, fingers brushing a floating page.
A light shimmered in the air, Elis, the lady's personal AI companion.
"Lady Valen," it said, calm and polite. "House Valen Airfield expects you in three hours."
Aurelia's shoulders sank. "Three hours…" she murmured. "That's too soon."
She caught the book and floated to a cushioned alcove, pulling her robe close. The shimmer of its fabric framed her like frost.
She muttered under her breath, as she read her books. "Can we slow down? I want to rest some more…" she whispered, lost in thought.
"My lady," said Thorne, her personal guard, his tone firm but worried. "If I may, we can't delay your return, your father would be worried sick."
Aurelia looked up, her eyes soft but distant.
"If he's even there," she said. "But that's unlikely."
Her voice faded back into the hum of the ship.
Thorne hesitated, then bowed his head. "I… Forgive me, my lady," he said, He stepped back, the air heavy with his misstep.
The stars outside gleamed, steady and uncaring. Screens floated around the ship, flickering with faint data and navigation pings.
Lira tidied quietly, her movements careful but uneasy.
Something in the air felt off.
Then—
Red lights flared.
A siren screamed, shattering the calm.
Jagged ships tore through the void. Their hulls were scarred and patchworked, engines trailing smoke. On the lead vessel's prow burned an insignia, a Black Vulture.
"Hostile ship detected!" Elis's voice snapped sharp through the chamber.
"Shields failing, thrusters compromised!"
The floor tilted. Crew shouted over each other.
"Shields!"
"Hull breach in deck four!"
The cruiser trembled as explosions echoed from below.
Aurelia lurched from her alcove, catching herself on a wall. Her robe fluttered in the artificial gravity.
Thorne called over the guards to protect the lady, as she grabbed a nearby ion pistol into her hands. "Lady Valen! We need to move, now!"
"What's going on?" she asked, voice small but firm.
"Breaches in the lower decks!" Elis replied. "Pirates are boarding!"
Smoke burst through the hall. The doors slammed open, and they came.
Pirates in scavenged armor, visors glowing red, weapons humming with high output energy.
The guards scattered as they fought off the pirates but Thorne tried to remain as close to the lady's side.
Aurelia ducked behind a console, her heart pounding.
The first pirate sneered, raising his rifle. "Drop it, brat!"
She didn't.
Her shot cracked through the smoke, searing his chest in blue light. He dropped instantly.
The second lunged. She fired again, the blast punching through his shoulder. The third rushed with a knife, she sidestepped, body moving on instinct she didn't know she had, and fired one final shot.
Silence.
Smoke.
Three bodies fell.
Aurelia trembled. "I… did it," she whispered, disbelief soft on her lips.
Thorne's shout snapped through the chaos.
"More are coming! Hold your positions!"
Aurelia moved beside him, firing without hesitation. Each shot was measured, until the blast door blew apart.
Flames surged inward.
From the smoke emerged a figure,
Captain Vorn, half man, half machine. His cybernetic arm shifted, unfolding into a glowing blade.
"A noble lady?" His voice was rough, half-mechanical. A grin tugged at his scarred mouth. "Now that's a rare prize."
"Get back, my lady!" Thorne shoved Aurelia behind him, sword raised. "Filthy pirate. You dare speak to her that way!"
Vorn chuckled, eyes glinting. "Oh, I plan to do more than just speak."
Thorne lunged.
The next instant, the pirate's blade cut him down effortlessly.
The guards broke soon after, one by one, swallowed by the onslaught.
"Thorne!" Aurelia screamed, firing desperately. Sparks flew as Vorn's blade batted the bolts aside like rain. He closed the distance, towering over her.
One swing sent her pistol flying, smashed into scrap. Fear rooted her in place.
Vorn's palm emitter opened, unleashing a surge of electricity. Aurelia collapsed, Lira's scream fading as darkness took her.
The pirate ship reeked of oil and sweat. The Crew shouted across the rusted bridge.
"Captain! They sent a distress signal!" a crewman yelled. "We can't outrun pursuers!"
Vorn's eye twitched. "Find us a hideout."
The navigator pointed to a dead planet on the chart. "Here, Captain. No life, no scanners. It's barren."
Vorn grinned. "Perfect. Set course."
The ship dove toward the wasteland below.
Ash churned as fire streaked across the sky.
Engines screamed. The monolith trembled.
The Construct looked up, visor catching the blaze as the ship descended like a falling star.
For the first time in centuries, its sensors pulsed faster.
Something within began to move, a spark answering the call of another.
And beneath the burning heavens, the construct rose.