Far away, on Earth, the silence around Team Elpis had grown deafening.
At NASA headquarters, the control room was filled with static. Technicians cycled through frequencies again and again, searching for a whisper of the Elpis signal.
Professor Elias, head of NASA, stood at the center, arms crossed, his face a mask of frustration. "It's like they vanished off the star maps. Ships don't just disappear."
A junior officer looked up nervously. "Sir… what if they went through a rift? A wormhole?"
Elias frowned deeply. "We don't deal in fairy tales, Lieutenant. Find them." But even he could not ignore the unease. Something unnatural had happened to them.
In the Yellow House, President Joe Trump leaned back in his chair, half-listening as Secretary Kim Jennifer delivered her report.
"Mr. President, we've lost contact with Elpis. It's been months. NASA confirms the signals are gone. The team could be stranded."
Joe waved a dismissive hand. "I don't have time for a rescue mission. If they're gone, they're gone. We've got real problems here."
And he did.
The world was boiling. Resources were scarce. Tensions between Lamerica and its rivals had reached breaking point. Armies moved silently, weapons ready.
When the president was assassinated a few months later, the spark lit the fire. War erupted with a vengeance. Nuclear warheads fell like rain. Cities burned. Skies darkened.
The Earth that once sent explorers into the stars was dying, crumbling under the weight of human greed.
NASA's screens went dark one by one. The dream of Elpis was forgotten.