They tried to leave. They set coordinates, pushed engines to maximum, and steered toward the Veil's glowing curtain.
But the wall no longer opened.
Instead, stars above them twisted, bending into words that burned across the heavens:
"To leave, you must choose."
Visions assaulted them. In one, Arin saw Earth consumed by shadows spilling from the Rift, spreading like a plague across galaxies. In another, he saw endless knowledge - technology beyond imagination, cures for every disease, answers to questions humanity had never dared to ask. But with it came the shadows, following wherever that knowledge spread.
The choice was cruelly simple:
- Sacrifice one soul to close the Rift forever, protecting Earth.
- Or leave it open, and risk feeding the hunger beyond.
The crew fell into chaos. Some argued for knowledge, salvation for billions. Others screamed of duty, to protect the home they left behind.
Arin listened. He let them speak. Then he stood, eyes burning with the weight of command.
"The decision is mine," he said.