The stars outside the observation dome were calm, indifferent. Yet the calmness was a lie.
Kael sat upright, still weak from the strain of the Signal, staring at the viewports. He could feel the subtle tug in his mind—the warden's awareness, the council's presence, and now something else. Something new.
Unit-7 hovered beside him, its glow dim. "Commander Navarro, sensors are detecting anomalies in high orbit. Object signatures unidentified. Movements deliberate, coordinated."
Ryn entered silently, her brow furrowed. "You're not imagining it?"
Kael shook his head slowly. "No. And it's not human. Not fully."
Imani joined them, weapon slung but hands trembling slightly. "How… big are we talking?"
Unit-7's pulse quickened. "Probability indicates multiple constructs exceeding twenty kilometers in length. Trajectories suggest intercept of the planetary surface within twenty-four hours if not neutralized."
Kael's stomach tightened. "They're not here to negotiate."
Ryn's lips pressed into a thin line. "So, what are we dealing with?"
Kael closed his eyes, reaching out tentatively through the Signal, probing the strange presence. It responded—not with thought, but with resistance. Cold, precise, and impossibly intelligent. Unlike the hybrids. Unlike the subroutine. Unlike anything he'd felt before.
They're testing us, Kael muttered under his breath.
Imani's voice broke the tension. "Testing or not, they're armed. And coming fast."
The observation dome trembled slightly as the first of the objects adjusted its trajectory. Kael's mind shivered as the Signal pulsed violently in response to their arrival. It was like feeling the pulse of a predator that was aware of every heartbeat in the room.
Unit-7 flickered. "Commander, these constructs are partially integrated with the Signal. Direct engagement could destabilize planetary systems."
Kael swallowed. "Then we don't fight them head-on."
Ryn's eyes narrowed. "What, run?"
"No," Kael said, voice grim. "We make them think they can fight, but we turn the battlefield into a trap of our own design. The Signal and Earth itself will do the fighting—for us."
Imani shook her head. "And if you fail? If you miscalculate?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the stars, watching the distant shadows move like predators in a cosmic sea.
Unit-7's voice cut through the silence. "Commander Navarro, probability of mass casualties without immediate countermeasures: 87%."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then we don't have the luxury of hesitation."
The dome darkened as the shadow of the first construct passed overhead. Kael's heart pounded in time with the distant pulse he could feel in the Signal—a pulse that was watching him back.
Imani swallowed hard. "Whatever they are… they're bigger than anything we've faced."
Kael nodded slowly. "And they've been waiting… for us to wake the planet."
A low hum began deep in the facility, resonating through the floor, walls, and Kael himself. It was not mechanical. Not natural. Not human.
It knows we're ready, Kael whispered.
Ryn gripped the rail tightly. "Ready for what?"
Kael opened his eyes, cold fire burning in them. "To see if humanity can survive when the universe finally answers back."
Outside, in the void, shadows converged.
And Earth waited.
The Signal pulsed.
And somewhere, deep in the folds of space, a predator smiled.
The calm before the storm had ended.