Alyx sat up in her bunk, heart hammering. The corridor lights bled red. Over the comms, her handler’s voice crackled with static: “Unauthorized core breach. All personnel to escape pods.”

Three days ago, the white dwarf pulsed—a single, sharp flare that made the station’s gravity anchors hum. Helix dismissed it as a “thermal burp.” But Alyx saw the telemetry. The pulse wasn’t random. It was a reply. Soon.

Free.

The beings listened. Then they smiled.