It was obvious that the station had been abandoned for some time. Its hull appeared to be covered in corrosion and some of the hull plates were visibly damaged or missing. The husk of a lifeboat floated in space nearby. Half of the craft was missing and its interior was open to the harsh and unforgiving vacuum of space.

Station 09 was a deep space research station that sat at the edge of the Tempest Nebula. Long ago, telescopes had imaged what appeared to be a wave-like behavior in the dusty clouds of the nebula. The station had been constructed in what was thought to be a safe zone, but now, it seems clear that this was not the case.

Without warning, wave after wave of cosmic dust and radiation had washed over the station. The corrosive gases ate away at the station’s hull and the seals that kept the crew’s precious air supply inside the station began to fail.

The order was given. Evacuate.

The station’s emergency beacon contained a message:

They came for us when we were at our weakest. They didn’t fire on the station, but they destroyed several of our lifeboats and captured the rest - the boats that held our children. I alone remained on board to send this message. Stay away! Don’t lead them home! SIGH - Their voices filled our channels, but they were unintelligible. There was no way to know what they were saying. No way to know what they wanted. There was one word they kept repeating. I can only assume it's what they call themselves: Xl’ti.

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There’s more to this nonlinear story. Check it out here:

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