Signals in Silence

[thisDerius]

A faint bluish glow illuminated the confined quarters of two ships—Luna and Bastion—each drifting somewhere between the stars. In these small sanctuaries, far from planetary surfaces and political upheaval, two figures faced one another through the soft shimmer of their holopads. Tia Stormclaw, slouched in her battered chair aboard Luna, looked every bit the war-torn nomad she had become, while John Derius Guerra sat upright and composed aboard Bastion, surrounded by sterile efficiency.

This was routine now. A moment of calm among chaos. A long-range transmission between two ghosts of war still breathing.

“I think I may have found it…” Derius’ voice broke the silence first, smooth but tinged with static. His metal-clad fingers tapped quickly across his console, swiping between files—images of a faintly glowing pendant flickering across the holographic display. The glow reflected in his dark cybernetic eyes.

Tia raised an eyebrow without looking at him directly. She lay back, arms folded, eyes scanning the ceiling of her cluttered quarters. Holotabs, dossiers, and faded photographs papered the walls in barely controlled chaos. “Found what?” she asked, as casually as if Derius had just offered her coffee.

“Another locator artifact,” Derius said, frowning as he zoomed in on a planetary scan. “There’s word of an auction going down on Crete. Corsair space.” He paused. “Shit.”

Tia finally turned toward the screen, uncrossing her legs and leaning in, elbows resting on the table. “Crete, huh? If the Maltese barely tolerated me, I doubt the Cretans will roll out a welcome mat. I can’t go in alone there. I’ll need backup… someone who doesn’t immediately trigger gunfire.”

“I know,” Derius replied, still tapping. “We’ll need a clean insertion. The item’s important. This isn’t just another trinket.”

“Which one is this? Fourth?” she asked, already trying to mentally account for their previous recoveries.

“Fifth,” he corrected. “We thought it was a pair at first. Turns out it’s a web—each one is part of a network. These artifacts don’t just point, they communicate. And they’re waiting for something. We need a vault to decipher the rest.”

He paused, one gloved finger hovering above a planetary readout. “Leeds,” he muttered. “Didn’t you say the Resistance mentioned a vault beneath the surface? Before… y’know…”

Tia winced. “Yeah. Old intel. Resistance had found something buried there before the glassing. Near an old university complex, if I remember right. But Leeds is half slag now. Scanners don’t work for shit and even walking on the surface could kill you if the suit tears.” She sighed. “But I remember where it should be.”

“Then we go old school.” Derius began pulling up archived survey data. “Topography, seismic records, pre-glassing scans. I’ll compile what we can use and build a pathfinding model. We’ll do it analog if we have to.”

Tia leaned back again, rubbing the bridge of her nose. It was all too familiar—another suicide mission that only they would be crazy enough to attempt. “Thanks…” she muttered. “You always bring the optimism.”

Derius gave a dry smirk. “So… anything interesting on your end?”

“Ran into an Oracle,” Tia said, as if talking about seeing an old acquaintance. “Diana Rivera. She’s different, not the usual cult-speak, no star-worshipping. Just… thoughtful. Grounded. We had a good conversation. Traveled through a few systems together. Oddly peaceful.”

Derius raised an eyebrow, half teasing. “Well well, look at you, finally going on a date. With an Oracle, no less.” He chuckled. “I actually spotted her in Delta a few days ago. She’s different, alright. Rejected most of the old ways. Curious girl.”

“Careful,” Tia said, grinning faintly. “You almost sounded like you liked someone.” Her tone softened after a second. “She’s been through a lot. Ex-slave, used by Outcasts. She’s still finding herself.”

Derius’s expression turned serious again. “Meanwhile, I’ve been making progress with Phoenix. They’re assisting on the cell project. Once we crack the encryption, we’ll have something powerful enough to defend against the Nomads—or whatever’s coming. I’m planning to get the Order on board too. It’s time we started building something together again. There’s no room left for fragmentation.”

Tia’s smile faded. She nodded, eyes drifting to a data map on the wall. “You’re not wrong. But it’s not just the Omicrons. Kusari’s… off. I don’t like how quiet it’s gotten. Someone’s pulling strings. Liberty’s wrapped in its own arrogance. Bretonia’s exhausted. Rheinland? No clue. The Taus are boiling again with IMG and BMM ready to claw each other’s throats. And the Core? Don’t even get me started.”

“Then we act fast,” Derius said. “One artifact at a time.”

“Agreed.” Tia stood up from her seat and started walking toward her cockpit. “I’ll hit Kusari next week. After that… maybe Tohoku. Depends on what I dig up. But artifact first. The rest can wait.”

“Tia—” Derius began, but before he could finish, the line cut out.

Back aboard the Luna, Tia collapsed back onto her bed, staring up at the dim ceiling of her ship. A chill passed through her—not from fear, not from cold, but from exhaustion.

There would be no rest.

But at least, in that moment, someone was still listening across the stars.