Richard's vision, already choked with the impossible red light of the dying Sun, was suddenly dominated by the brilliant, blinding white panel of an unfamiliar system interface. It spoke with a cold, absolute authority:
[ Contingency Protocol XIR-102-ZT Detected. ]
[ Executing Temporary Containment Protocols ]
The declaration felt older than Richard's bloodline, older than the concept of Earth itself. This was not Lina's work; this was the legacy of the Inurak, the deep-core defenses of a planet weaponized millennia ago.
Before Richard could comprehend the threat, a colossal pulse of raw, crystalline energy erupted. It surged from the deep trenches of the Pacific and through the planet's mantle, instantly weaving itself into a shimmering cage of force that wrapped around Xa'Mharr.
