The room filled with a low, resonant sound, like the vibration of a distant, ancient power. Kaelen felt the pull of it, deep in his chest. It wasn't just a signal—it was a force, an invisible hand that was reaching out to take hold of everything in its path.
"Activate what?" Mira demanded, her voice trembling. "What's going on here, Kaelen?"
Before he could answer, the entire room seemed to warp and bend, like the walls were melting away. Kaelen's breath hitched as the viewport shifted, revealing the true nature of the object outside.
It wasn't a ship. It was something else entirely—a living entity, a vast, pulsating mass of energy that seemed to bend and twist reality around it. It had no definite form, only an endless series of swirling, dark shapes that seemed to be constantly shifting.
"No..." Kaelen whispered, backing away. "It's not just a ship. It's... alive."
The voice echoed again, louder this time, its mechanical intonation unmistakably alien.
"Subject confirmed. Activation in progress. Prepare for assimilation."
Before Kaelen could react, the walls around them seemed to disintegrate, the very fabric of the Vigilant unraveling. The ship's corridors vanished, leaving only the endless blackness of space.
And then, it began.