The blue light pulsed like a heartbeat, guiding Dr. Lena Martinez through the rift. The walls of the trench glowed with strange symbols—alien, ancient, alive. Her pressure suit groaned, but held.
The vessel was waiting, its hatch open, the pale figure inside.
"You came," it said.
"I need answers," Lena replied.
The figure gestured to a pedestal, where a crystal floated, pulsing with light.
"This is the artifact. It contains the memories of our species—our knowledge, our history, our warnings."
"Warnings about what?"
The figure's black eyes dimmed. "About the Swarm. They a