Shanghai Station—a name the city had earned among its denizens in the 29th century, though its streets sprawled firmly on Earth's surface—hummed with life as the Lunar New Year Festival Parade swept through its vibrant core. The festival transformed Shanghai into a tapestry of light and tradition, where floating lanterns bobbed alongside holographic dragons weaving through the air, their scales shimmering with bursts of digital flame. Skyscrapers loomed above, their glass facades pulsing with neon blues and crimsons, while skybridges buzzed with pedestrians. Yet, it was the people—their voices, their laughter—that breathed soul into this futuristic expanse.
Hara stepped off the maglev train onto a crowded platform, her boots clicking against the polished alloy floor. The air carried the scent of jasmine from festival garlands and the savory tang of steaming dumplings from nearby vendors. The sky above was ablaze with dusk—orange and gold fading into gray clouds—where Federation ships traced faint arcs. A sleek frigate darted through the atmosphere, its blue thrusters flaring briefly, while the distant Cataclysm, a colossal dreadnought, hung like a shadow among the stars, too massive to descend closer, its pale blue thrusters a faint glow against the starfield several hundred kilometers above Earth's surface. But here, on the ground, the festival held sway.
The platform buzzed with activity. A group of locals in glowing circuit-laced bodysuits clustered near the edge, chattering as they pointed at the sky. "That frigate's tiny next to the Cataclysm—bet it's just a scout," one laughed, snapping a photo with a wrist-mounted holo-cam. "Scout or not, it's fast—probably racing to the parade," another replied, adjusting her scarf as a drone whizzed by, projecting festival maps. Nearby, a vendor waved a ladle over a steaming cart, calling out, "Fresh baozi! Festival specials—pork or lotus paste!" A line formed quickly, locals jostling good-naturedly. "Save me one, Uncle Chen!" a young woman teased, her voice bright as she balanced a toddler on her hip.
Hara slipped through the crowd, catching a child darting past with a holographic phoenix trailing sparks. "Mama, look—it's like Grandpa's stories!" he shouted, tugging at a woman in a silk cheongsam. "Careful, little one—don't chase it into the parade," she chuckled, pulling him close. The tenderness of the moment tugged at Hara, a fleeting warmth amid her mission's weight.
Outside, the festival unfolded in full splendor. The Huangpu River glittered nearby, its surface dotted with boats trailing paper lanterns and hovercraft skimming the water with blue energy wakes. Anti-gravity floats drifted above the streets—a jade emperor scattering holographic stars, a celestial maiden twirling on clouds of light—while performers in LED-lit exosuits leaped through the air, trailing ribbons of color. Lion dancers wove through the crowd, their holographic roars syncing with drumbeats, drawing cheers from onlookers. The city's towering skyline framed it all, its vertical gardens shimmering faintly, but the spectacle felt alive through the people.
A couple leaned against a skybridge railing, watching the parade. "Remember the lion dances when we were kids? Grandma swore they scared off bad luck," the man said, his arm around his partner. "She'd love this—holograms and all," she replied, smiling as she sipped a glowing tea. Nearby, a group of tech enthusiasts debated over a holo-display. "That destroyer up there's got pulse drives—saw it on the feeds," one said, pointing skyward. "Pulse drives or not, the Cataclysm's the real monster—heard it smashed an asteroid last month," another countered, his tone awed but casual. "All that tech, and I'm still late for dumplings," a third quipped, earning laughs.
A child's voice broke through the chatter, high and eager, as a larger battleship—the Indominable—appeared as a faint silhouette in the sky, its sleek, predatory form orbiting low above Earth, a graceful shadow against the dusk too distant to pierce the clouds. 'Mama, what is that ship? It's so cool!' the boy exclaimed, tugging at his mother's sleeve as he pointed skyward at the Indominable, its hull a gleaming speck amid the stars. 'That's a Federation ship, sweetie—the Indominable, I think,' she replied, her tone a mix of awe and pride. 'They keep us safe, just like the Cataclysm did for that colony far off.' The boy's eyes widened, and he clapped his hands, bouncing with excitement.
Hara pressed forward, the chatter fading as she neared a lantern-lit pagoda by the river—her rendezvous with Dr. Liang Wei. Pausing beneath its glow, she glanced upward, her sharp eyes catching a faint, bright star piercing through the dusk—Betelgeuse, looming overhead, its ruddy glow a stark reminder of the instability haunting the supernova corridor, the very reason for her mission. The ships overhead—the Indominable carving a slow arc, frigates flitting like fireflies—cast a subtle shadow, but the festival's joy held firm. A vendor's cry cut through: "Red envelopes! Luck for the new year!" An elderly man handed one to a child, who squealed, "Thank you, Grandpa!" as coins jingled inside.
Hara stood by the pagoda, the city pulsing with life around her—families, friends, strangers united in celebration beneath a sky of steel and stars. The mission loomed, but for a moment, she let the festival's warmth seep in—the laughter, the scents, the stories woven into every voice.
Dr. Liang Wei waited beneath the pagoda's lantern-lit glow, the holographic cherry blossoms above casting a soft pink light across his lined face. His expression betrayed a quiet urgency as Hara approached, offering a curt nod. The festival's drums pulsed in the distance, a rhythmic heartbeat beneath their words, while the chatter of the crowd—families laughing, vendors calling out—wove a vibrant backdrop.
"You've seen the ships," Liang said, his voice low, his eyes flicking to a frigate hovering above the Huangpu River, its blue thrusters casting an eerie glow over the water. "They're not just here for the festival. The Cataclysm—its recent mission—it's tied to Betelgeuse."
Hara's pulse quickened, her mind flashing to the ruddy star she'd glimpsed moments ago. "What about the supernova corridor?"
Liang nodded, his expression serious but measured. "Its instability isn't natural. The Cataclysm's lance tests—those energy pulses—they're tearing at subspace. The asteroid they shattered to save a colony? A cover. They're preparing for something bigger." He gestured faintly toward the dreadnought's silhouette, a hulking shadow against the stars. "And these ships descending now—the Indominable, the frigates—they're part of it."
"What's the endgame?" Hara pressed, her voice steady despite the unease stirring within her.
Liang slipped a data chip into her hand, his grip firm. "The corridor could be stabilized—or altered in ways we don't yet understand. This chip has the proof. You need to get it to your team on the Cataclysm. They're the only ones who can act." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Word is, they're headed there next—Betelgeuse's edge."
A child's laughter nearby broke the moment—a girl waving a glowing candy spiral as her father hoisted her onto his shoulders to see the parade. The festival's warmth felt grounding, a stark contrast to Liang's words. But a low hum rippled through the air, the frigate tightening its patrol, joined by a destroyer descending closer to the city, its shadow slipping over the parade floats. The crowd's murmurs shifted, a mix of curiosity and mild concern, and Hara's instincts sharpened. "We need to move."
The festival's rhythm faltered as a broadcast echoed through the streets, its tone firm but calm: "Attention, Shanghai Station citizens—this is a Federation security exercise. Remain in place and enjoy the festivities." Holo-dragons continued their dance, but a few flickered briefly, and drones swept the streets with red scanning beams, their mechanical hum blending with the drumbeats. The crowd's cheers softened into murmurs of mild confusion.
Hara took Liang's arm, guiding him into the throng as the city's vibrancy became a shield. "Stay close," she said, her Federation training keeping her focused. They slipped beneath a float of a celestial maiden, her holographic robes casting a soft glow as they moved through the crowd. Performers in LED-lit exosuits danced on, their ribbons of light weaving a chaotic distraction. Hara's heart beat steadily as a drone swept overhead, its beam passing over the crowd without locking on.
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A mother held her child—the same boy who'd marveled at the Indominable—pointing at the drones. "Mama, are they playing a game?" he asked, his voice more curious than scared. "Something like that, sweetheart," she replied with a reassuring smile, adjusting his festival hat. Nearby, a vendor chuckled to a customer, "Federation loves their drills—probably showing off for the parade." The customer nodded, popping a glowing candy into her mouth. "As long as they don't stop the lion dance, I'm fine," she said, her tone light.
Hara and Liang wove through the festival, its energy undimmed despite the drones. A lion dancer leaped nearby, his holographic roar drawing cheers, and a group of teenagers laughed. "They always do this during festivals—makes them look important," one said, snapping a holo-selfie with the float in the background. "My cousin on the Indominable says it's just routine," another added, scrolling through a holo-feed. The crowd's reactions—curiosity, amusement, mild annoyance—gave Hara cover as she led Liang toward a side alley.
They ducked behind a stall selling glowing teas, the vendor humming a festival tune as he poured a cup for a waiting customer. "This way," Hara whispered, her eyes scanning for an escape. The alley was narrow, its walls flickering with neon ads, but it led to a hidden maglev platform veiled by festival banners. The parade's roar softened to a distant hum, the drones' presence fading as they slipped out of sight.
They reached the maglev platform as the festival's hum softened behind them, the platform's schedule holo-display flickering with departure times. A few festival-goers milled about, clutching glowing souvenirs and red envelopes, their chatter light despite the Federation's presence. Hara glanced back—no drones in sight, the parade's glow still visible through the banners. Liang's hands steadied as he pressed the data chip into her palm again. "Get this to the Cataclysm. You're the only one I trust."
Hara nodded, slipping the chip into a hidden pocket of her jacket. "What about you?" she asked, her voice calm but firm.
"I'll take a civilian shuttle to a neutral colony—there's one leaving soon," Liang said, his eyes scanning the platform's schedule. "But you—your team needs to know what's coming. The corridor... it's a puzzle they need to solve." He offered a faint smile, the festival's warmth lingering in his expression. "Safe travels, Hara."
Hara gripped his shoulder, a silent promise, and guided him toward a civilian shuttle pulling into the platform. The doors hissed open, spilling out a handful of festival-goers—a family with a child waving a holographic dragon, an elderly couple sharing a glowing tea, their laughter soft. "Safe travels, Doctor," she whispered as Liang boarded, blending into the small crowd.
She turned to her own transport—a sleek Federation shuttle marked for orbital ascent. As she boarded, a final glance at the city showed the festival in full swing: lanterns glowing, floats drifting, the crowd's laughter rising over the hum of drones. The Indominable loomed away low orbit, its sleek form a distant sentinel against the dusk, while the Cataclysm remained a far-off silhouette in the sky, its energy shield a faint shimmer against the stars, its recent asteroid-shattering mission a whispered tale of Federation prowess among the festival-goers..
The shuttle's engines hummed to life, lifting off with a gentle lurch, its ascent carrying them beyond Earth's atmosphere toward the orbital fleet. Through the viewport, Hara watched Shanghai recede—the city's neon skyline shrinking into a patchwork of light on the planet's surface, the Huangpu River a shimmering ribbon against the dusk, framed by the curvature of Earth against the starfield. The festival's vibrancy dissolved into memory, replaced by the shuttle's quiet hum as it climbed toward a stop at the Sulawesi space elevator—a brief layover on her journey to the Cataclysm
She held the data chip, Liang's words echoing in her mind: The corridor... it's a puzzle they need to solve. Betelgeuse's ruddy glow lingered in her memory, a beacon of the unknown. The Cataclysm loomed larger in the viewport as the shuttle ascended, its massive form swallowing the stars, its energy shield shimmering faintly in the starlight—a glowing testament to the Federation's might and the challenges it faced.
Inside the shuttle's compact cabin, Corporal Hara sat at a small console, her posture shifting to the disciplined stance of a Federation operative. A notification chimed on her wrist-comm, signaling an incoming briefing. She tapped the device, and a translucent glassy pad materialized in her hand—a sleek tablet shimmering with embedded holo-circuits, its surface flickering to life with a secure Federation channel. The holo-feed connected, projecting a live view of a briefing chamber aboard the Cataclysm, its walls lined with holo-panels casting a soft lavender glow.
In the projection, Lieutenant Mark Jansen and Lieutenant Esteban Reyes stood in the chamber, their uniforms crisp despite the day's earlier chaos. Jansen leaned against a console, arms crossed, while Reyes stood near a viewport, gazing at the starfield beyond. Captain Nathaniel Rourke appeared in the center of the frame, his presence commanding as he held a matching glassy pad, its surface blooming with a holo-map of the Betelgeuse quadrant, star-lanes pulsing in amber and blue.
"Corporal Hara, good to see you joining us," Rourke said through the feed, his voice calm but carrying the weight of authority. "We've got our next assignment, and it's tied to the data you retrieved."
Hara nodded, her fingers brushing the data chip in her pocket as she responded through the glassy pad. "Dr. Liang's intel on Betelgeuse's instability, sir. He believes the Cataclysm's lance tests might be affecting the supernova corridor."
Rourke's brow furrowed as he tapped his glassy pad, integrating the chip's data into the holo-map—a process mirrored on Hara's device. Red markers flared near the corridor's edge—zones of subspace distortion. "We'll analyze this thoroughly once you're aboard," he said, his tone measured. "For now, our focus is on the Cataclysm's immediate task, which will pave the way for the Dawnseeker's mission to Sector A-103."
Jansen stepped forward in the holo-feed, his gaze sharp as he studied the map. "The Dawnseeker, along with three other shuttles, is tasked with detailed scans of the corridor's outer rim—mapping star-lane stability and analyzing residual dust for anomalies," he said, his voice steady. "Once the Cataclysm completes its solar scan at the K-type star system, they'll set off from the solar system to a remote sector in A-103, coordinating with us for real-time data."
Reyes tapped his pad, zooming in on the corridor's nebula, its tendrils swirling in ghostly hues of red and blue. "They're looking for gravitational eddies, radiation spikes—anything the nebula might be hiding," he added. "The Cataclysm's role is to secure nearby systems first, including assessing stellar flares near a penal colony to ensure safe passage for our fleet."
Rourke nodded, his fingers tracing a path on his glassy pad, highlighting the Cataclysm's position near a K-type star system. "We'll jump to the system first, orbit at a safe distance to conduct a solar scan and gather flare data for the colony—ensuring stability in that sector," he said. "Once we've completed the scan and signaled all-clear, the Dawnseeker and the three shuttles will depart from the solar system to A-103 sectors, scanning for lane stability and potential hazards."
Hara's eyes narrowed as she studied the holo-map on her glassy pad, her mind on the Dawnseeker's capabilities. "We'll maintain a quantum link with them, sir? In case they run into trouble?"
"Exactly," Rourke confirmed, his voice steady through the feed. "The Dawnseeker's quantum comm ensures instant contact, even across the corridor's interference. They'll be within ten thousand AU—a five-minute jump for us if they need backup." He paused, his gaze sweeping the room and meeting Hara's through the holo-feed. "This is a research mission, not a combat op, but the corridor's unpredictable. We stay sharp—flares, anomalies, anything could shift the game."
Jansen's lips quirked into a wry smile. "Routine scans near a supernova corridor—sounds like a quiet day," he said, his tone dry but his eyes alert. "I'll prep shuttle teams for close-range recon, just in case the star's output jams our sensors during the solar scan."
Reyes nodded, his expression focused. "I'll run diagnostics on our sensor arrays—make sure we're ready to parse whatever the Dawnseeker sends back once they're in A-103. That nebula's dust could hide anything."
Rourke tapped his glassy pad, the holo-map fading to a dim standby glow on both devices. "Good. We jump in six hours to begin the solar scan. Get your teams ready, and let's make this clean." He met Hara's gaze through the feed, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "That chip might be the key to understanding the corridor's quirks—well done, Corporal."
Hara saluted, her image crisp in the holo-feed, her resolve deepening. "Thank you, sir." As the briefing dispersed, she exchanged a quick nod with Jansen and Reyes through the projection, their shared focus a quiet promise of teamwork ahead. The holo-feed blinked out, the glassy pad dimming in her hand as the shuttle continued its ascent.
Hara leaned back in her seat, the Cataclysm's next destination confirmed: a K-type star system for the solar scan, a precursor to the broader mission at the supernova corridor, Betelgeuse's edge. For now, she'd stop at the Sulawesi space elevator—a brief layover to regroup before joining the Cataclysm for the mission ahead. Whatever lay ahead, she'd face it with clarity—Shanghai's warmth a cherished memory, the stars her next horizon
