Chapter 3

I woke up from a sharp, burning pain in my temples. For the first few seconds, I thought it was just a migraine—a consequence of yesterday's conversation with Gena. But the pain didn't subside; it only grew, as if someone was screwing a red-hot nail into my head.

`Implant Activation: 87%.`

A voice. Clear, mechanical, sounding right inside my head. I jumped up from the bunk, clutching my temples.

`Implant Activation: 92%. Warning: Temporary cognitive impairment possible.`

– What the hell?! – I blurted out.

The room around me suddenly changed. The walls, which had been just metal panels, now glowed with bluish symbols—strange, angular, clearly non-human. I could see them through the wall, as if it had become semi-transparent.

`Activation Complete. Interface Connected.`

The door to the cabin swung open, and Gena appeared on the threshold. His eyes narrowed, studying my condition.

– Well, Petya, feeling it? – he asked, and there was something like… satisfaction in his voice?

– You… you put something in my head?! – I tried to stand up, but the world was swimming.

– Of course, I did, – Gena replied phlegmatically. – I told you, without the implant, you won't be able to do a damn thing here.

– But you didn't say it would talk in my head!

Gena laughed, his teeth grinding.

– Stop whining, human. It's temporary. You'll get used to it in a couple of hours.

I closed my eyes, trying to fight the nausea. When I opened them again, the strange symbols were still hanging in the air, but now they seemed… understandable. As if a part of my consciousness was translating them on its own.

`Ship Systems: Online. Navigation: Active. Weapons: Disabled. Cloaking: 98%.`

– This is… – I tried to touch one of the symbols, and it reacted, unfolding into a whole menu.

– Yes, – Gena nodded. – Now you see what I see. Well, almost.

I stared at him.

– You turned me into a cyborg.

– No, – Gena sighed. – I gave you a tool. Without it, you're just a piece of meat with bones here.

I wanted to protest, but at that moment the ship shuddered. A quiet but distinct hum ran through the hull. Gena's expression instantly changed. His eyes narrowed to slits, and his fingers clenched into fists.

– What was that? – I asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he sharply turned around and rushed towards the exit.

– Let's go. Quickly, Petya.

We ran to the ship's bridge. The holographic screen that took up the entire wall now showed not the emptiness of space, but something else. In the distance, among the asteroids, another ship was moving slowly. It was black, angular, with edges sharp like blades. And it was clearly looking for us.

– Who is that? – I whispered.

Gena didn't take his eyes off the screen. But he answered me.

– Archons.

– How?! You said our cloaking was at 100%! No one can see or find us.

– That means they have next-generation scanners, – Gena grumbled. – Or…

He fell silent.

– Or what?

– Or they already knew where we were.

The Archon ship turned, and its hull flashed with a blood-red light. Then it headed straight for us.

`Targeting system detected. Threat: High.` – the implant stated.

Gena jerked his head sharply towards me.

– Petya, listen carefully. If they find us—we're corpses.

– But you're a diplomat! Surely, they wouldn't…

– No, – he interrupted me. – They are breaking all agreements. If they are here—it means they need us to disappear.

The Archon ship made another turn, and now its scanners were clearly sweeping through the asteroid belt.

– What are we going to do? – I asked, feeling my pulse quicken.

Gena bared his teeth.

– What do you think? We run!

Gena started entering commands on the terminal with his claws. Then the ship's engines roared, and we were thrown forward.

`Cloaking disabled. Engines operating at: 100%. Shields: 45%.` – the implant informed me.

– Why aren't the shields at maximum?! – I shouted, gripping the chair.

– Because we're using the ship's energy for the jump, – Gena barked, piloting the ship. – If we jump now, we won't need the shields!

The Archon ship reacted to us instantly. It surged after us, and its hull flashed as something erupted from its bow.

`Energy charge detected. Impact: Inevitable.` – the implant said in a calm voice.

– Hold on! – Gena yelled.

The impact shook the ship. The lights went out abruptly. For a second, we were in complete darkness. Then the emergency lighting flashed red.

`Direct hit. Shields at: 12%. Engines: Damaged.` – the implant reported.

– Damn! – Gena punched the panel. – They shot to kill!

I looked at the screen. The Archon ship was approaching. And now there were no asteroids between us.

– Gena… – my throat was dry. – What are we going to do?

He turned to me. His eyes were burning.

– Do you trust me, Petya?

I nodded.

– Then close your eyes.

I didn't have time to ask what he meant. Because the next moment, my world exploded in a kaleidoscope of different realities. It was something between falling into an abyss and being hit by a hammer on the head. Everything around me stretched, as if space itself was tearing apart.

`Hyperjump activated. Exit point destination: Unknown.`

I tried to scream, but there was no sound.

Only darkness enveloped my mind. And Gena's voice, coming from somewhere far away:

– Welcome to real space and deep shit, Petya.

And then… Everything stopped. When I opened my eyes, the screen showed a completely different part of space. There were no stars here. Or rather, they were completely absent. No asteroids. No Archon ship. Only an endless black void and… In this black void, I made out a planet. Orange. With swirling brown storms. I turned to Gena.

– Where are we?

He slowly exhaled.

– I don't know.

– What?! – I exclaimed.

– The jump was emergency, – he said. – Coordinates weren't set. We could have ended up anywhere.

I stared at the planet.

– And now what?

Gena turned to me. There was something strange in his eyes.

– Now, Petya, we find out…

He pointed a claw at the screen.

– Ship. Whose planet is this?

The ship's voice responded instantly:

`Scanning… Error. Data absent. Planet not registered in Reptimens navigation databases.`

Gena frowned, his scaly brows drawing together.

– It can't be… – he muttered. – I know all inhabited and explored systems in this sector.

I stared intently at the orange planet. It looked dead—no signs of cities, lights, even the atmosphere looked poisonous, with swirling brown whirlwinds.

– Maybe it's just unexplored? – I suggested.

– No, – Gena answered sharply. – Planets like this don't exist. If it's not in the database—it means it was deliberately erased from the databases.

– What are we going to do? – I asked.

Gena thought for a moment, then sharply turned to the control panel.

– Since we're here… we're investigating this planet. – he tapped the terminal with his claw.

– Are you serious?! – I couldn't believe my ears. – We were almost just killed, the ship is damaged, and you want to land who knows where?

– We have no choice, – Gena snapped. – The engines are damaged, the hyperdrive is inoperable. If we try to go back, they'll catch and kill us. And here… – he pointed a claw at the screen, – here, no one is expecting us and no one will look for us. We'll have time.

I wanted to object, but at that moment the implant delivered a new message:

`Weak energy signals detected on the surface. Nature: Artificial.`

Gena bared his teeth.

– See? Someone is here.

– Or something, – I added grimly.

– In any case, we're going down.

Gena and I headed to the transition hangar. Then he grimaced and said, handing me a silver-colored jumpsuit:

– Yeah. Should fit you. Get dressed.

Gena took some kind of weapon. It looked more like a long staff. But in his hands, it shrunk in size, and he slung it over his back.

– Don't I get a weapon? – I asked sarcastically.

– Matches are not toys for children. And I don't have a lighter. So, you'll manage.

I got angry at him and hissed under my breath "Goddamn crocodile". For which I received a slap on the back of the head from Gena.

– Let's go, wannabe space marine.

We returned to the bridge. Gena began landing on the planet. The planet's atmosphere greeted us with turbulence. The ship shook, but Gena, gritting his teeth, held the course.

`External temperature: +280°C. Atmosphere: Unbreathable. Composition: Methane, hydrogen sulfide, traces of unknown compounds.`

– A real paradise, – I muttered, gripping the armrests of my chair.

Gena didn't answer. His attention was fixed on the screen, where outlines of… something began to emerge from the brown haze.

– Is that… – I squinted.

– Ruins, – Gena whispered.

Giant, half-destroyed structures, resembling either towers or crystals, stuck out of the sands. They were black, with a faint purple glow along the edges.

– Who built them? – I asked.

– I don't know, – Gena replied, but there was a strange tension in his voice.

We landed on the outskirts of the ruins. The ship's engines barely managed the landing, and when the landing gear touched the surface, a grinding sound was heard.

`Damage: Critical. Repairs required.`

– Great, – I sighed. – Now we're stuck here.

Gena was already putting on a spacesuit—or rather, something like a light exo-suit, and he handed me a similar one. I obediently took the suit from his claws and started pulling it on. To my surprise, it fit me perfectly. As if it was made for me.

– Get dressed. We're going to look.

– Are you crazy?! – I recoiled. – It's hellishly hot and the atmosphere is poisonous out there!

– The suit will protect you, – Gena threw back. – And if we find something useful in these ruins, we can fly away.

I wanted to refuse, but I understood—he was right. Without reconnaissance, we'll die here.

The planet's surface turned out to be even worse than I expected. The sand wasn't just hot—it hissed as if alive, and the wind, saturated with sulfur, whipped against us. The ruins loomed before us like tombstones of a forgotten civilization.

– Someone lived here, – Gena said, running a claw along a wall. – A very long time ago.

I looked at the strange symbols engraved on the surface. They resembled…

– This is Archon script! – I exclaimed.

Gena turned around sharply.

– How do you know?

– The implant… – I poked my temple. – It's translating.

Gena frowned.

– But that's impossible. Archons don't leave traces. They erase everything related to their presence.

– So, this was before they became like that? – I suggested.

Gena didn't answer. He stepped forward, deeper into the ruins. And then…

`Detected. Biological signature: Unknown life form.` – the implant reported.

I froze.

– Gena…

He already saw it. In the center of the ruins, among the debris, stood something.

– Is it human? – I asked.

– No.

A figure in a tight-fitting black suit, without a helmet. The face… too smooth. No mouth. No nose. Only two huge, completely black eyes. And it was breathing this fiery mixture. Gena slowly reached for his weapon.

– Petya… step back.

But it was too late. The creature sharply turned its head in our direction. And looked straight at me.

`Warning. Anomalous psi-activity detected. Threat: Maximum.`

– Run! – Gena roared.

But the creature spoke—right in my head.

`Pyotr… you have come.`

I was petrified.

– How… how do you know my name? – I said aloud.

The creature took a step forward.

`We have been waiting for you… For a very long time.`

Gena drew his staff and fired at the creature. An energy charge pierced right through it. But it didn't stop.

`They are coming for you. They are already close.`

– Who?! – I shouted.

The creature reached out its hand towards me. And at that moment, everything around changed. I saw walls, ruins, space. Thousands of ships. And the planet Earth—in flames. It was engulfed in red fire.

– What is this?! – I squeezed my eyes shut.

`The future… if you do not stop them. They will fulfill their design.`

Gena grabbed me by the arm.

– That's it, we're leaving!

At that moment, the creature disappeared. And in its place remained only… a small crystal. Purple. Pulsing. And the voice in my head whispered one last time:

`Take it with you. It will help you… now run.`

Without thinking, I grabbed the crystal. And at the same moment, my head exploded with colorful lines and hues. Then darkness. When I came to, we were already on the ship. Gena was furiously hitting the panels.

– Come on! Start, you beast!

– What… what was that?! – I clutched the crystal in my trembling fingers.

– I don't know, – Gena hissed. – But now I understand why this planet was erased from all databases.

– Why?

– Because it's not just a planet, Petya.

He turned to me, and horror burned in his eyes.

– It's a prison for minds. I've heard of it. My ancestor told a legend about a prison planet for higher minds. We called it The Darkness.

I squeezed the crystal in my hand, and it glowed, and at that moment the engines roared.

– Well now! – Gena exclaimed. – So, this crystal…

He didn't get to finish, as something black and angular began to rise from the ruins…

`Launch detected. Threat: Unknown.` – the implant informed me.

– What did they launch?! – I shouted.

Gena didn't answer. He silently pushed the throttle to full. When I looked at the screen, I saw on the terminal display a giant, black, void-like ship rising from the sands. And it was as if alive. Its entire hull was moving and shifting.

`Coordinates of unknown object determined. Destination: Earth.` – the implant stated matter-of-factly.

Gena turned to me.

– Now do you understand?

I nodded.

– We have to stop them.

And our ship shot into hyperspace. And I clutched the crystal in my hand…