In the medical bay, the alien lay motionless on a slab, its metallic-grey skin dull beneath the harsh overhead lights. Tubes snaked from the life support system, feeding into its frail chest, each shallow breath measured against the flickering monitors that struggled to stabilize its failing body.
Maya hovered over the alien, her pragmatic hands adjusting the sensors, her voice clipped with control.
"Its physiology's unlike anything I've seen—advanced, but deteriorating fast."
Readings flashed erratically, each spike and drop a testament to how little time remained.
Emma knelt beside it, her fingers light against the console. "We've learned to work with WoodDust's energy, but we're only scratching the surface. Who are you?"
The alien's eyes fluttered open, a faint glow swimming in the dying light of its gaze.
Its voice was a whisper, each word an effort.
"You... the ones... who use the Seed... the WoodDust..."
A slow exhale, pained.
"The K'tharr... their leader... Vorlag... he seeks it... they will consume... everything... your world... Earth... it is... unique... the trees... the source..."
A neural interface sparked to life, sending pulses across the medical bay as holograms materialized—fragments of the alien's mind laid bare.
Massive gold-and-silver vessels, angular and cold, carved through planetary remains. Ruin spread in their wake, worlds reduced to nothing but ash.
And then—Earth.
Emma's breath hitched.
The planet flickered into view within the hologram, its forests pulsing with a vitality that the K'tharr coveted.
The images faded as the alien's strength ebbed, its hand falling limp.
"They… saw… Earth… in their… future… the Seed of Worlds…"
The last syllables dissolved into silence.
The glow in its eyes flickered once. Then vanished.
Emma stood slowly, her face grim, the weight of its words settling deep in her bones.
"The K'tharr are coming for us."
Maya glanced at her, concern tightening her expression. "If those images are real..."
Emma cut her off with a nod, her resolve already set.
"They are. And we're not ready."
---
The bridge hummed with tension, the entire crew gathered around the main console as Chloe pulled up data extracted from the alien's systems.
"It confirms the worst, Doc," she said, fingers flying over the controls. "The K'tharr are a galactic threat—bigger than the Zogarians ever were. And Earth's their target."
Her screen glowed with intercepted signals, displaying a map of destruction spanning systems Emma didn't even recognize.
Mark stepped forward, his posture steady. "We need to get back—warn Earth."
Emma shook her head, her jaw tightening.
"Not yet. We need their weaknesses first."
---
Maya tapped into a secondary display, pulling schematics from the alien's technology—weapon designs, communication networks, biological mappings.
"They were studying them." She gestured toward a detailed breakdown of K'tharr ship structures. "Preparing for this."
Emma leaned in, studying the data.
"They knew their end was coming. They tried to leave a legacy."
Her fingers traced a diagram of a K'tharr vessel, where its energy conduits glowed red—possible vulnerabilities, weak points hidden beneath layers of alien complexity.
A thread to unravel.
---
Liam hovered nearby, his enthusiasm muted, eyes lingering on the still form of the alien in the med bay.
"They didn't make it," he murmured. "What if we're just chasing ghosts?"
Emma met his gaze, steady, unwavering.
"Then we learn from their ghosts, Liam. We don't have the luxury of giving up."
The crew exchanged glances, an unspoken pact forming.
They had come too far to turn back blind.
And now, the next step was clear.