For the first time since his arrival, Daniel ordered a full orbital scan beyond Sector 01.
Mining drones had moved past the debris layer.
Sensor satellites activated.
Long-range arrays aligned.
Snow's voice echoed softly in the command chamber.
"Expanding system-wide scan radius."
The projection widened.
And widened.
And widened.
What appeared at first to be a scrap field—
Was not a field.
It was an entire orbital graveyard.
Metal debris stretched in a massive ring around a dim white star.
Broken capital ships the size of cities drifted silently.
Shattered orbital stations rotated slowly.
Fragments of planetary crust formed chaotic belts.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"…That's not a battle."
Snow responded:
"Correction: It was a system-level war."
The star at the center burned pale.
Not young.
Not dying.
But unstable.
Solar flare frequency higher than normal.
Magnetic turbulence irregular.
Lyra stepped forward.
"This system suffered catastrophic energy weapon discharge."
The projection zoomed further outward.
Snow marked celestial bodies.
▣ SYSTEM SCAN RESULTS
Central Star: White Main Sequence (Instability +12%)
Planetary Bodies Detected:
Planet I — Molten Core RemnantPlanet II — Gas Giant (Severely Stripped Atmosphere)Planet III — Fragmented (Terra Shard Origin)Planet IV — Ice World (Orbital Drift)Planet V — Debris Ring / Artificial Structure RemnantsPlanet VI — Rogue Fragment Belt
Total Identifiable Planetary Masses: 6
Functional, Stable Worlds: 0
Daniel stared at the projection.
"…Zero?"
Snow confirmed:
"No fully intact habitable planet remains."
Lyra zoomed into Planet III.
What once had been Terra.
Now shattered into:
• One large fragment (Haven's world)• 17 mid-sized crust shards• Thousands of smaller debris bodies
Aris spoke quietly.
"Someone destroyed a world."
Snow replied:
"Energy signature consistent with multi-vector bombardment."
Daniel's expression hardened slightly.
"…Not accident."
"No."
The scan continued.
Planet V appeared unusual.
Unlike the others.
Its debris formed a structured ring.
Snow highlighted it.
"Artificial lattice detected within debris field."
Lyra leaned forward.
"That is not natural orbital collapse."
Aris narrowed his eyes.
"A military installation?"
Snow paused briefly.
"Probability high."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"So we're not in a junkyard."
He looked at the star again.
"We're in the aftermath."
Mining drones relayed additional data.
Rare mineral density in asteroid clusters far beyond Sector 01.
Titanium-rich fragments.
Energy crystal signatures.
Dark-matter residue traces.
Snow displayed resource projections.
"If harvested efficiently, material reserves sufficient to construct fleet-level infrastructure."
Daniel let out a slow breath.
"…Good."
He zoomed back toward Sector 01.
Their domain looked small now.
Very small.
A glowing island in an ocean of wreckage.
Below it—
Haven's fragment rotated quietly.
Unaware of the system's true scale.
Aris spoke respectfully.
"System Lord, no active warp signatures detected within outer orbit."
Snow confirmed.
"External traffic: None."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"So we're isolated."
Lyra responded:
"Or avoided."
Silence.
The star flared briefly in the projection.
Radiation spikes fluctuated.
Snow's tone shifted slightly.
"Solar instability suggests prior superweapon discharge may have altered stellar core balance."
Daniel looked at the pale star.
"…So this entire system was erased."
Snow answered softly:
"Yes."
The image zoomed out one final time.
The Graveyard System.
Six broken planetary bodies.
One unstable star.
Millions of tons of war debris.
And in the center—
Stormhold Dominion was beginning to rise.
Daniel stood silently.
Then spoke calmly.
"This is not a small stage."
Aris nodded.
"No."
Lyra added:
"This was once a powerful civilization."
Daniel looked at Planet V's structured debris again.
"Which means…"
Snow completed the thought.
"Advanced relics likely remain."
He nodded once.
"Good."
He turned back toward the industrial zone display.
"Accelerate orbital mining."
"Begin deep-space sensor network."
"Prepare Corvette Assembly Bay."
Snow processed immediately.
"Orders confirmed."
Below, Haven watched a sky that shimmered.
Above, a Dominion looked upon a dead system—
And saw opportunity.