The Trap

The entrance to the Precursor Vault was a massive, circular archway carved directly into the side of a subterranean cavern. The stone was smooth, obsidian-black, and inscribed with flowing, luminescent glyphs that pulsed with ancient, dormant power.

Elara approached the console beside the massive stone doors. She pulled the decrypted data-drive from her jacket, connecting it to a makeshift splicing tool, and jammed it into a port that looked roughly compatible.

"The architecture is flawless," Kaelen noted, his tactical gaze sweeping the cavern. "Over a hundred thousand years old, and it looks as though it was built yesterday."

"Precursors didn't build to last; they built for eternity," Elara muttered, typing furiously on her holographic keyboard. "Just give me a minute to bypass the secondary biometric lock..."

A loud *click* echoed through the cavern. The ancient glyphs flared a brilliant, blinding white. The massive stone doors ground open with a deep, subsonic rumble that vibrated in their teeth.

Beyond the doors lay a sprawling, circular chamber. In the exact center, resting on a pedestal of floating, anti-gravity light, was the artifact. It was a sphere of pure, swirling energy encased in a lattice of indestructible metal.

Elara’s eyes went wide. "It’s beautiful. The energy output... it’s off the charts."

She stepped into the chamber, Kaelen close behind her. The air inside the vault was stale, tasting of ozone and metallic dust.

"Wait," Kaelen said sharply, his hand shooting out to grab her shoulder. "Something is wrong. My suit’s sensors are detecting a high-frequency broadcast."

Before Elara could process his words, a harsh, synthesized laugh echoed from the entrance of the vault.

"Well, well. I have to admit, Vance, you're a hell of a pathfinder."

Elara spun around. Standing at the entrance of the vault was Jax. His metal jaw was mangled from Kaelen’s earlier assault, but he was grinning, flanked by half a dozen heavily armed mercenaries.

"How?" Elara breathed, stepping back.

"You think we’re stupid enough to let you walk away?" Jax sneered. "We clamped a micro-tracker to the hull of the *Starling* while you were playing tough in the cantina. Followed your ion trail right down to the canopy."

Kaelen stepped in front of Elara, his plasma blade igniting. "You are outmatched, mercenary. Leave now, or you will not survive the encounter."

Jax laughed, a wet, ugly sound. "I don't need to outmatch you, Zendari. I just need to trap you."

Jax raised a heavy disruptor rifle and fired—not at Kaelen or Elara, but directly at the ancient, glowing console beside the vault doors.

The console exploded in a shower of sparks and alien circuitry.

Instantly, the entire vault shifted. The white light of the glyphs turned a violent, alarming crimson. A deafening klaxon, an alien sound that rattled the bones, began to blare. The massive stone doors slammed shut with terrifying speed, sealing Elara and Kaelen inside.

"No!" Elara yelled, rushing to the heavy stone doors and pounding her fists against them. "Jax, you bastard!"

Muffled laughter echoed from the other side. "Enjoy the tomb, Vance! We’ll be taking the ship and the artifact... eventually. Once the defense grid is done with you."

Elara spun back to the center of the room. The pedestal holding the artifact had sunk into the floor, replaced by a smooth, unbroken surface.

"Kaelen," Elara said, her voice tight with rising panic. "The air scrubbers on my suit just spiked. The atmospheric composition in here is changing."

Kaelen looked up toward the domed ceiling. Small, hexagonal vents were opening in the stone. A thick, sickly-green mist began to pour into the chamber, heavy and insidious, cascading down the walls like a waterfall.

"Neuro-toxin," Kaelen diagnosed grimly. "A containment protocol. If we do not breach those doors, we will be dead in less than five minutes."