Eaglecraft 12110 Upd -

Jalen tethered a drone. It hummed closer and projected the buoy’s logs. The audio was grainy at first—static, an old song, a voice threading through the noise.

“Unscheduled approach,” Jalen said. “No traffic. Docking bay two lights offline.” eaglecraft 12110 upd

“We’re hauling supplies to UPD,” she said. “Our route takes us near it. If someone there’s in trouble—” Jalen tethered a drone

Mira squinted at the readout. “Send a hailing packet. Standard check.” “Unscheduled approach,” Jalen said

The bay door opened to reveal emptiness and a hush that felt older than the metal. The crew moved through corridors lined with frost and small scorch marks. A jellylike residue sat where instruments had once been. Their lights reflected in the dark like eyes.

“What does it want?” Mira asked.

The hull of the Eaglecraft 12110 sighed as it slipped free from dock—an old sound in a ship young enough to still carry the smell of fresh paint. Captain Mira Qadri watched the sun fracture over the asteroid belt ahead, a necklace of gray stones that glittered like mislaid coins. Sensors hummed in quiet cadence; the crew moved with practiced ease. Today’s manifest was simple: a routine supply run to Outpost UPD on the fringe of mapped space. Routine, Mira liked to tell herself, meant fewer surprises.