Sofia Bennett and Daniel Estevez emerged from the space elevator terminal in Earth's capital city, stepping into a vibrant swirl of voices, neon guidance strips, and the faint tang of sea air drifting from the waterfront. Only days ago, they'd been on Titan, marveling at Betelgeuse's fading wave, and just yesterday, reports from Shanghai had confirmed the Cataclysm's next move toward the Betelgeuse corridor. Now that calm felt far away, replaced by the soaring towers, skyways, and the constant bustle of Federation travelers converging here.

  They followed corridors lined with translucent paneling, where engineered vines coiled overhead in carefully maintained hydroponic beds. Beyond the station's open arches, the surf pounded against floating platforms that supported much of this coastal metropolis. Above, personal flyers wove through the air, skimming past the immense space elevator spine that pierced the cloud-laced sky.

  At a junction near a security checkpoint, a Federation liaison waited in an immaculate uniform. "Welcome back, Ms. Bennett, Mr. Estevez," he said with a polite nod. "High Command is expecting you. Please follow me to the shuttle pad." Sofia and Daniel shared a quick, uncertain glance, then fell into step behind him, still savoring the warmth of Honolulu's midday sun.

  They boarded a compact orbital shuttle docked at an elevated pad. During the short hop to Earth's ring station, the liaison-a stern woman with a clipped voice-outlined the assignment: a deep-space survey near Betelgeuse involving the Dawnseeker. Recent subspace chatter suggested unusual activity in the corridor, possibly tied to its instability, prompting Commander Laehy, Captain Nathaniel Rourke, and Lieutenant Mark Jansen to pull together a fleet-the battleship Indomitable included-to secure the region. Something bigger than expected was at play.

  "Back to Betelgeuse already?" Daniel Estevez muttered, eyeing Earth's blue curve through the shuttle window. "We just got off Titan. I was hoping for a desk."

  Sofia Bennett shot him a half-smirk. "Keep dreaming. If a colony's hollering, we're in deep. The corridor's a mess-lanes shifting, flares spiking. We'll need all the intel we can get."

  The shuttle clamped into the ring station's concourse, a chaotic swirl of uniforms and drones. A digital board blinked directions to the command briefing; overhead screens showed the Cataclysm in orbit, its dreadnought frame dwarfing the Indomitable and smaller escorts, its energy shield shimmering faintly in the starlight. Sofia felt her pulse kick up-flashes of the Cataclysm facing threats far beyond their scope.

  In the briefing chamber, they wedged in with fresh crew around holographic displays: star charts, Betelgeuse's quadrant, and a K-type system pulsing with hazard icons. Commander Nanduri, a weathered officer from Cataclysm's staff, stood at the front, voice cutting through the room's hum like a blade.

  "Plans shifted," Nanduri said, smacking a panel. The hologram zoomed in on a K-type star, its surface churning with fire. "A penal colony-back online just last week to harvest rare isotopes from the star's radiation belts-orbits this mess. The star's flaring hard, and they're yelling for Federation help. The Indomitable's on its way, but it can't handle the corona. They need the Cataclysm."

  Daniel leaned toward Sofia. "Of course they'd send the monster to wrestle a star."

  Nanduri's gaze flicked over, unamused. "The Cataclysm's hull and shields can take ten thousand kilometers above the corona. It's jumping first to conduct a solar scan-assess the flares, secure the colony's orbit, and ensure stability in that sector for fleet operations. Once it's done, the Dawnseeker and three other shuttles will set off from the solar system to a remote sector away from the system to survey the supernova corridor."

  Sofia gave a sharp nod, the supernova's wreckage still etched in her head. "Got it."

  "It's more than babysitting," Nanduri said, waving at the corridor's tangled lanes on the display-some looked like frayed cables, pulsing with hazard icons for gravitational eddies and radiation spikes. "

  Those unstable lanes could snarl traffic with sudden gravitational shifts or radiation spikes. The Cataclysm hits the star first, gets us solid intel on flare impacts. Then the Dawnseeker and the other shuttles spread out, each jumping to a sector in A-103 for corridor recon. Your quantum comm on the Dawnseeker-a new lattice system that transmits instantly across light-years, bypassing the corridor's interference-keeps you tied to the Cataclysm for an instant call if trouble hits."

  He paused, scanning the room. Eyes were locked in, tense. "Stay alert. The Indomitable will secure nearby sectors, and the Cataclysm will linger at ten thousand AU after its solar scan, ready to jump back if we need it."

  Daniel's jaw clenched. Duty shoved nerves aside.

  Nanduri laid out the plan: "The Cataclysm jumps to the star now, parks above the corona, and wraps its job-solar scan and colony support-in 48 hours. Then the Dawnseeker and three other shuttles jump together from the solar system to a remote sector in A-103. Once the Cataclysm signals all-clear, you split: Dawnseeker to A-103-alpha, the others to their sectors. Scan for lane stability and potential hazards. Flares or anomalies-we can't get blindsided."

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He ended with a clipped, "Stay sharp. This counts."

  In the corridor outside, they stopped by a window, Earth's oceans shimmering below. The Twin Pillars spiked up from the equator, stark against the blue. Sofia let out a slow breath. "Here we go-Betelgeuse corridor, wild flares, the Cataclysm starting things off at the star."

  Daniel shrugged. "We've survived worse, but it's no breather. Good thing we've got Jansen, Laehy, the Indomitable, and that quantum link to the Cataclysm. That's real muscle."

  Nanduri's rundown stuck: the Cataclysm would jump first, complete its solar scan, then signal the scan group. The Dawnseeker and the other shuttles would follow, fanning out to A-103 once cleared. If trouble emerged, the Cataclysm could snap back via quantum comm in a heartbeat.

  A short while later, Sofia Bennett and Daniel Estevez stepped onto the Dawnseeker's hangar deck, weaving through a throng of technicians hefting crates and checking rosters. The air hummed with the quiet rhythm of routine maintenance-tools clinking softly against alloy, boots scuffing the grated floor, and the faint whine of diagnostic scanners humming over cargo pallets as the crew prepared for the upcoming mission.

  Overhead, amber hazard lights pulsed a steady rhythm, their glow casting sharp shadows across the deck's scuffed plating. Daniel paused near a stack of spare thruster coils, their matte surfaces glinting faintly, his mind drifting to Titan's frost-rimed quiet-a stark contrast to the focused energy around him.

  Sofia adjusted her duffel's strap, catching his far-off look. "Missing that ice shelf already?" she asked, a teasing lilt softening her tone.

  He flashed a tight grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wouldn't mind a breather after that last haul. But we'll roll with it-always do."

  They dodged a pallet of sensor gear, threading toward a console for cabin assignments. A wiry ensign, clipboard in hand, overheard Daniel mention the Cataclysm and perked up, eyes bright. "Heard it's diving sunward soon-science team's begging for a close scan at that K-type star. Bet it's a hell of a sight that near a star."

  Sofia raised an eyebrow, recalling scraps of chatter. "They say nothing stops it-with that energy shield, it's built to shrug off a meltdown. Did they really fire that cannon yet?"

  The ensign nodded quickly, enthusiasm spilling out. "Last week-turned a rock five klicks wide into dust. Took one shot. The Indomitable can't touch that kind of punch. Cataclysm's in a league of its own."

  Daniel tipped a nod at the kid, then glanced at Sofia, a half-smile tugging his lip. "Reminds me of that Pluto run right after its launch last year-test shot lit up the dark like a flare."

  Her brow arched, prodding him. "Pluto? Jog my memory-what'd that beam do exactly?"

  He leaned in, voice dropping as the memory sharpened. "They towed in a chunk-five kilometers of ice and rock, rigged it for a blast trial shortly after the Cataclysm rolled out of the Titan shipyards in '99. Cataclysm's cannon hit it dead-on-vaporized the whole thing in under ten seconds. Left a cloud of grit spinning out past Charon." A ripple of awe passed between them, tinged with unease at the raw force behind it.

  Daniel exhaled, folding his arms. "Good to know it's out there if trouble hits in A-103." He nodded toward a row of fresh-off-the-line scanners, their casings still gleaming. "Won't babysit us forever, though."

  Sofia tilted her head, scanning the bustling deck. "Betelgeuse is a mess-half the charts are guesswork, and those gravitational eddies can shift lanes without warning. Still, if any ship's got a shot at securing the corridor, it's that beast."

  Daniel's grin faded to a thoughtful squint. "Yeah-word is its shield took a multi-gigaton blast once, didn't even flicker. That's not just tech-it's a fortress. Started as a shield for planets, blocking asteroid strikes, but they beefed it up into the Federation's big stick out here. Ten antimatter cores keep it humming-magnetic fields that size need juice, plus cooling rigs to match. Thing's practically a flying station."

  He shrugged, a flicker of respect in his tone. "Brass knew a monster like that sends a message-no one messes with something that can crack moons. Other ships pack heat, but the Cataclysm's the one you don't test."

  Sofia's jaw tightened, her gaze drifting down the hangar's organized chaos-techs murmuring over equipment checks, crates humming on maglifts. "I'd steer clear of anything that heavy-handed too. But Betelgeuse? Storms, anomalies-plenty out there could still catch us off guard."

  Before Daniel could reply, a deck officer strode up, his boots ringing on the polished floor. "Bennett, Estevez-Captain Valera wants you at the briefing in two hours," he said, voice clipped. "The Cataclysm's starting its solar scan at the K-type star system. Once it's done in 48 hours, we'll set off for A-103 and link up along the corridor's edge. Might jump to that penal colony after if they need us."

  "Got it," Sofia said, locking eyes with Daniel for a split second-a flicker of shared resolve.

  The officer gave a sharp nod and moved off, swallowed by the steady hum of preparations-techs hauling gear, overhead lights strobing, air thick with the tang of coolant and alloy polish. Sofia and Daniel stood still for a beat, the Cataclysm's role looming in their thoughts alongside the Betelgeuse frontier's jagged unknowns.

  They drifted to an observation window, Earth's ring station filling the view-a lattice of silver arcs studded with docking bays and glowing hubs. Starships darted in tight orbits-some bound for Jupiter's moons, others arcing toward Saturn or frontier outposts, their thrusters flaring against the black. The Cataclysm hung higher, a massive wedge dwarfing the Indomitable and scattered frigates, its energy shield a faint shimmer under the station's lights, poised for its sunward task.

  Sofia's brow creased. "That penal colony-what's it called again?"

  Daniel shook his head, squinting out the window. "No name yet-just a number, maybe. Nanduri said it's barely a week old, no defenses up. They're yelling for scans on that K-type star-probably scared of flares frying what little they've got."

  Sofia drew a slow breath, the ring station's hum vibrating faintly through the deck. "Let's hope the Cataclysm's scan clears the way-no surprises," she said, her tone steady but edged with caution.

  They split to stash their gear, stealing a last scrap of calm before the mission's demands kicked in. In a couple of days, once the Cataclysm signaled all-clear, the Dawnseeker would break orbit with three other shuttles, heading for the supernova corridor's fringe, plunging deeper into Betelgeuse's half-mapped wilds where flares and anomalies waited in the dark.