Arborvoid

The WoodDust processing facility loomed ahead, sprawling across the jungle like a fortress of shimmering light and relentless machinery. Massive crystalline structures pulsed, feeding energy into the humming core of the operation. The air was thick—cloying with the scent of raw energy and processed wood, the taste settling harshly at the back of the throat.

Emma's gaze locked onto the central control panel, its surface alive with flickering data streams, adjusting, responding.

"That's it," she murmured, voice tight with focus. "If we overload the system, it'll trigger a chain reaction."

Around her, the squad moved swiftly, planting explosives with measured precision, their urgency mounting.

Adewale's voice cut through the comms. "Chloe, initiate the overload sequence."

Static. Then—Chloe's steady voice. "Initiating now. Brace for impact."

The facility shuddered.

Alarms screamed through the compound—a wounded animal's cry.

Zogarian guards materialized, their guttural clicks rising in sync, sensing the danger, advancing.

Adewale didn't hesitate. "Time to go!" he barked, leading the charge.

The battle erupted.

Disruptors flashed green, colliding with Zogarian energy pulses, the air warping with each impact. They fought—hard, desperate, unrelenting. Then, behind them—a blast ripped through the facility.

A fireball tore into the jungle, its shockwave flattening trees, scattering alien craft.

For a second, just a second, victory seemed possible.

Then—the air split apart.

Above them, a massive Zogarian command ship descended, its angular hull bristling with weapons, its presence swallowing the sky.

A searing blast struck the ground.

Adewale staggered, his body jerking as the energy tore through his side.

"General!" Emma screamed, dropping to his side, hands pressing against the wound.

Blood seeped through his uniform, but his eyes burned—not with pain, but with defiance.

"Go… get out of here. Finish this."

Emma shook her head, tears threatening. "No... I can't do this without you."

Adewale clenched his jaw, his breath ragged.

"Don't be silly... I know you can."

His grip tightened on his weapon. "For Earth."

With the last strength in his body, he pushed Emma away, turning to face the oncoming fire, shielding the others with his presence.

Emma and the survivors fled to a stolen Zogarian craft, scrambling inside as grief twisted into pure, consuming rage.

The ship lifted off, streaking into the night—just as Adewale's silhouette was swallowed in a blaze of light.

---

Zogarian Command Ship – Emperor Zar's Wrath

The holographic feed glowed violently, displaying the destruction of the WoodDust facility, the battle burning across the jungle like an open wound.

Emperor Zar's leathery face twisted, fury seething beneath every sharp breath.

His plans—fractured. His ambitions—wounded. His resource—lost.

"They have destroyed our supply," he hissed, voice trembling with barely controlled rage. "They will pay for this insolence."

Before he could react, a violent jolt shook the war chamber.

His commander's voice crackled through the chaos. "Emperor! We are under attack—our shields are collapsing!"

Zar whirled, eyes blazing.

Outside, bio-luminescent blasts ripped into the ship, rival alien forces tearing through Zogarian defenses like carrion descending upon a wounded beast.

"Retreat!" Zar's command roared through the bridge, anger laced with something dangerous—something rare.

Desperation.

The Zogarian fleet twisted into retreat, ships limping into the void.

And with that shift—The rival aliens sensed an opening.

The war peeled back, forces withdrawing, Earth eft in the ruins of battle, battered but standing.

---

Dawn Over a Scarred Earth

The morning sun rose, casting light over a broken world—forests torn, cities scarred, wreckage scattered like echoes of war.

In her silent lab, Emma worked without words, each movement carrying **the weight of survival and loss.

Beside her, Chloe sat—a quiet anchor, steady despite the storm.

"They're gone, Doc," Chloe murmured. "For now, at least."

Emma gazed out the window, past the ruins, past the horizon.

"They'll be back," she whispered. "The galaxy is vast. And the hunger for resources never stops."

Chloe's gaze flickered. "So what now?"

Emma turned, something new burning behind her grief—curiosity, determination, understanding.

"Continue my research."

Her fingers traced a vial of WoodDust, the energy pulsing faintly beneath the glass.

"It's not just a weapon. It's a key."

A key to something larger than war.*

A key to survival.

---

Beyond the Void – The War is Far From Over

Light-years away, a vast fleet moved through the stars, their hulls glinting with purpose, their path set toward new conquest.

Earth's wood had ignited something more than conflict.

It had awakened a cosmic hunger.