[Chapter 5: Through the Door]
The Door shimmered beneath the artificial light of the staging dome—its elliptical surface humming with unstable energy, a veil between worlds. Around it, the best of Kewaa's expeditionary forces prepared for the greatest venture in modern history. One month. That was all they had. After that, the Door would collapse, severing the link permanently.
Arron stood before it in his charcoal-grey command suit, silent as always. He watched as the final cargo crates hovered aboard transport sleds—hovering magnetic platforms powered by silent ion drives. Futuristic drones buzzed in careful patterns, scanning gear and testing atmospheric seals. This wasn't a war operation, but it looked like one.
Captain Riven Kael approached with a nod. "Last check. Everyone's in position. No signs of Door destabilization."
Arron only replied with a soft hum of approval.
The final team roster had been decided days before. Though many had volunteered, Arron was selective. Ruthlessly so. Only twenty-seven were chosen.
He had reasons.
Riven Kael: Combat veteran, natural leader, trusted by both soldiers and scientists. His ability to adapt made him essential.
Dr. Mira Vema: Xenobiologist with years studying alien genetic chains. Her calm demeanor and sharp intuition balanced Kael's intensity.
Assistant Lior: Young, brilliant, emotionally driven. Her data interpretation skills made her invaluable. She was hand-picked by Arron, despite protest.
Haren Vos: Field engineer. Loud, messy, but a miracle worker with broken tech.
Rul Shar: Silent, deeply analytical surveyor. Ex-miner turned expedition mapper. His intuition about terrain was borderline supernatural.
And others. Medics, scouts, linguists. Everyone had a role. Every life, a piece of a larger plan.
The planet on the other side had been classified as EXO-13A, but the team had taken to calling it Zarconis, after the first reading returned faint signs of organic tech. Myths began before first contact.
They stepped through the Door as one.
---
Day 1.
They emerged underwater.
Not drowning. Not dying. Floating.
A shimmering field generated by their suits and transport tech kept them alive—thin layers of breathable space. The water was crystal clear, lit from above by the soft, multicolored glow of starlight. No sunlight. Only stars.
High above, twin stars burned—one pale gold, the other violet. Three moons hovered just beyond: red, silver, and green. The sky beyond the ocean shimmered with slow-moving auroras. Floating crystals drifted like soft-glowing jellyfish far above. The entire sky seemed to pulse in tune with the planet, sometimes reflecting the shimmer of reefs below like a living mirror.
The team remained in awe as they drifted through the coral trenches, watching glowing Skelmar Shrubs sway in gentle currents. Strange shapes moved in the distance—large serpentine creatures with luminous fins. A Veloraunt passed overhead, its body trailing light like a comet.
Eventually, they surfaced.
They climbed out of a crystal-clear inlet and stepped onto Zarconis for the first time. The jungle around them breathed with light and life. Trees the size of towers reached into a lavender sky streaked with soft teal. Rivers shimmered like liquid sapphire.
They set up a perimeter near a shallow stream. Automated turrets unfolded silently. Drone tents pitched themselves. Scouting drones buzzed high.
Spirits soared. Laughter echoed in the dusk. They were the first to step foot on another world.
Arron walked among them, speaking little. Watching.
That night, under three moons and a sky swirling with glowing starfields and shifting auroras, two medics shared a flask by the fire.
"Can you believe this?" one whispered. "We're breathing air from another world."
"Feels like a dream," the other replied.
Then came the sound.
A crack.
A low, throaty growl from the jungle.
Nothing followed. But they didn't sleep well.
---
Day 2.
Kael divided the team into five units. Orders were clear: "Exploration, not conquest. Stay alert. Don't wander alone."
Each unit moved through the wilds accompanied by floating drones and digital maps projected from wristpads. They encountered wonders.
Alien flora that pulsed in rhythm with their footsteps. Giant, feathered lizards with intelligent eyes that watched from cliffs. Trees that exhaled fog in glowing bursts.
"Look at this guy!" Haren exclaimed, pointing at a small quadruped creature with translucent skin. "I vote we call it 'Snortbeast.'"
"No way," Lior shot back. "That's clearly a 'Glowtail.'"
"Glowtail is boring."
Arron walked past as they argued, silently tapping a log into his tablet: Quadruped-Variant 4: Exhibits no aggression. Herd behavior. Possible minor intelligence.
The argument continued, followed by laughter.
They named another plant "Grumpy Weed" after it squirted slime when touched. A tall, writhing vine earned the title "Waveroot." The world was alien, but oddly… playful.
---
Day 4.
Signs of past life emerged—metallic ruins etched with symbols. A massive stone arch half-sunken into the jungle. Holographic light still pulsed faintly in the stone.
"They weren't just beasts," Dr. Vema whispered. "Someone… something intelligent lived here. And recently."
Bones were discovered. Not dinosaur bones. Not quite alien either. Intelligent. Bipedal. Many had elongated skulls. Some still held tools.
"They evolved from predators," Kael muttered. "Dinosaurs… with sentience?"
Arron remained quiet, but his eyes lingered longer than usual.
---
Day 6.
A strange silence came over the jungle. Wildlife vanished. Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
That morning, a scout team—three members—ventured into a canyon to retrieve a drone. Only one returned.
Covered in blood. Speechless. Shaking.
Lior rushed to her side, trying to coax words out. She only kept repeating one thing:
"They were… watching. The tall ones. With the eyes."
Haren cursed. Rul grabbed his blade.
Kael called a meeting.
"Until further notice, no one goes out in groups smaller than five. We fortify the camp. We wait. We learn."
But it was too late.
The first body was found at dawn. One of the side engineers. Mauled beyond recognition.
Kael stood over the body in silence. Lior broke down sobbing.
"We're not alone," she whispered. "And they don't want us here."
Arron looked into the jungle, eyes cold, unreadable.
And beyond the trees, something blinked.
Watching.
Waiting.
To be continued in Chapter 6…