Ellara stood on the vast bridge of *The Nameless of Aegleum*, her fingers lightly tracing the ancient runes etched into the command console — symbols of the Holy Empire, glowing faintly in the dim light. Through the panoramic observation window, she watched as the fleet formed up neatly around the flagship. The *Steel Dove* floated gracefully in the starlight, its pearl-gray hull shimmering like polished moonstone. "Kirah," she called softly, "how's the warp drive prep coming along?" Her executive officer looked up from a stream of holographic data, adjusting his glasses. "The Saint Core AI has completed all calculations, but…" He hesitated slightly. "There's an anomaly in the core chamber readings. The exposed structural supports are showing a 0.3% energy fluctuation." Ellara frowned, walking toward the edge of the command tower. "That's not normal. When was the last maintenance check on *Nameless*?" "Three weeks ago." Kirah followed close behind, fingers swiftly scrolling through data panels. "In theory, there shouldn't be any issues. But…" His voice dropped lower. "We might only understand less than 60% of this Holy Empire technology." Ellara nodded thoughtfully, brushing her fingertips against the cool metal wall. She could feel the subtle vibrations of the ship — almost as if it were breathing. "Contact the *Steel Dove*," she said suddenly. "Tell them to reinforce their shield output. I have a feeling this jump might—" She never finished the sentence. A piercing alarm blared through the entire ship. "Captain!" Kirah's voice rose with rare urgency. "The warp field is experiencing dimensional interference! Energy levels are spiking rapidly!" Ellara rushed back to the command station. "All ships, abort warp immediately! Initiate emergency stabilization protocol!" But it was already too late. Through the observation window, she watched in horror as the *Steel Dove* was swallowed by a sudden spatial rift. "No!" Ellara shot to her feet. "Kirah, lock onto their position — now!" Kirah's fingers flew across the control panel, sweat beading on his forehead. "I can't get a lock… Communications are completely down. Worse still…" He looked up, eyes wide behind his lenses. "We're being pulled into some kind of spatial anomaly ourselves." When the shaking finally stopped, Ellara stared out at a completely unfamiliar sky. Fragments of shattered structures drifted silently through space, forming a ghostly graveyard. "What is this place…?" she whispered. "The **Elam System**," a mechanical voice suddenly spoke from the Saint Core AI. "Restricted Zone Seven of the Holy Empire. Warning: Dimensional distortion field detected." Kirah quickly pulled up data streams. "Captain, scans show the laws of physics here are highly unstable. Warp engines are nonfunctional. Conventional thrusters are operating at only 30% capacity." Ellara gripped the edge of the command console, her knuckles turning white. "What about the *Steel Dove*?" "There…" Kirah pointed at a corner of the display. In the distance, the *Steel Dove* floated silently, its hull wrapped in strange, glowing blue energy patterns. "Prepare a rescue operation," Ellara ordered immediately. "Captain," Kirah hesitated, "the Saint Core AI indicates those energy patterns are dimensional tears. If we get too close…" "That's my crew aboard that ship, Kirah." Ellara turned to face him directly. "*Nameless* is a relic of the Holy Empire, isn't it? Then let it prove its worth." They locked eyes for a moment. Finally, Kirah sighed and pushed his glasses up. "I'll reconfigure the shield frequencies to try matching those dimensional energies. But it requires your authorization to activate the Saint Core AI's deep protocol." Ellara nodded, placing her palm on the authentication panel embedded in the center of the command console. "Do it." As the authentication sequence initiated, the entire *Nameless* shuddered with a deep resonance. The exposed support structures flared with brilliant blue light. "This…" Kirah stared at the data streaming before him. "Captain, *Nameless* is autonomously reconfiguring its structure! It seems… it recognizes this place." Ellara felt the vibration beneath her feet and murmured, "Perhaps that's why we found it. Not by chance, but because…" "Fate?" Kirah offered, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Ellara returned the smile briefly, then hardened her gaze. "Enough. Focus on the rescue. Launch reconnaissance drones — I want life signs from the *Steel Dove*." "It's already underway." Kirah adjusted the holographic projection. "But Captain… you should see this." The image displayed a massive ancient ruin far off in the distance — unmistakably of Holy Empire origin. Its architecture bore striking resemblance to *The Nameless*. "So it seems," Ellara whispered, "we're not only here to save lives, but to uncover an ancient secret." Kirah pushed his glasses up again, the blue glow of the data reflecting in his lenses. "As you always say, Captain — nothing stops the Aegleum Fleet." "Not even twisted dimensions?" she asked, raising a brow. "Especially twisted dimensions." For once, Kirah allowed himself a small joke, though his hands never stopped inputting commands — preparing the ship for whatever unknown challenges lay ahead.
