Alien Encounters

Echo
Captain Markov activated the final sample. The artificial gravity hummed quietly, holding them in orbit around the nameless planet. Forty-three days of research, and tomorrow—home.

Stellar Nomad
Captain Zara Okafor stood on the observation deck of the Stellar Nomad, watching the impossible planet rotate below. According to all stellar charts, this system should have been empty—just another void in the unmapped sector of the Cygnus Arm.