The static on the screen sharpened. Everyone leaned closer.
The grainy feed resolved into something far more advanced than they expected—two figures seated in what appeared to be the cockpit of a highly advanced spacecraft. Both wore Advanced SE Suits—sleek, form-fitting armor laced with exo-support frames of cadmium alloy. Their helmets, reinforced with nano-composite plating, gleamed under the faint blue light of the cockpit.
Miniature cameras sat mounted on both helmet and suit, feeding dual perspectives to their HUDs, which flashed with data readouts—environment conditions, communication signals, vitals, ship diagnostics.
Their seats looked alien yet efficient, with softly glowing blue orbs mounted on either side of the armrests, pulsing faintly under their touch. As their hands shifted, the orbs responded—clearly some form of control interface. Before them, a curved holographic display projected navigation routes, ship status, external camera feeds, and dense streams of data in a language none of them recognized.
The two figures exchanged a glance.
Then the boy removed his helmet.
He looked young—a teenager, maybe seventeen. His hair was short, messy, blond with a slightly tousled, windswept look. His face was angular, sharp-cheekboned, his jaw strong, skin pale but unmarred by fatigue or scars. His eyes—a pale, piercing blue—held an intense yet eerily calm expression.
Next to him, the girl mirrored his action.
Her hair was long, straight, blonde, falling in soft waves like it had been caught in a storm and never quite settled. Her features were delicate, symmetrical, her skin smooth and fair. Her pale blue eyes carried the same sharpness, but with a different weight—piercing, but quietly desperate beneath the calm.
Their resemblance was undeniable. Brother and sister.
Behind them, the ship's systems hummed quietly. Both their hands rested on the glowing spheres, adjusting something as the holographic screens shifted subtly—mapping their course through deep space.
Finally, the boy spoke, voice steady but carrying a note of urgency."Loric 23678. If you can hear us, we are from Planet Centrae. We need your help. Please respond."
A pause. The girl leaned in, her gaze unwavering despite the tension beneath it.
"We are the only ones. My brother and I… we need your help."
The feed glitched once, but stabilized. The words hung in the room, heavy and strange.
Henri's face tightened. "Planet Centrae…I didn't think we would seem them here."
Sandor's fingers flew over the console. "It's definitely a legitimate code from Loric."
Six frowned. "If they're using Loric encryption, and if they know about us… why now?"
John's eyes stayed locked on the screen. "Doesn't matter. They're asking for help. That's reason enough."
Nine crossed his arms, skeptical but intrigued. "Or it's a trap."
Katrina after checking the codes spoke by the teens said."It's all clean, they are definitely from Centrae."
Sarah leaned forward, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Are they… another alien race?"
Henri nodded. "Yes. They're from a planet called Centrae—they're known as Centaurians. Long ago, they were our allies. Much like Lorien, their planet awakened and gifted its people with abilities. But their society evolved differently."
John (Four) frowned. "If they were our allies, why didn't they help us when the invasion happened?"
Before Henri could respond, Hilde stepped in.
"Because they had their own problems," she said calmly. "Unlike us, who were fortunate to have wise and unified Elders, the Centaurians lacked such central leadership. Their founders took a more controlled, societal approach. They formed five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a specific virtue. But every virtue carried a flaw."
She looked around as the others listened closely.
"Abnegation for the selfless,
Erudite for the intelligent,
Dauntless for the brave,
Amity for the peaceful,
and Candor for the honest.
At the age of sixteen, every Centaurian is required to choose one faction and devote their life to it."
The group grew intrigued.
Six crossed her arms. "So what went wrong?"
Henri answered, "The division created an imbalance. Erudite, founded by those who believed ignorance was society's downfall, slowly deviated from their principles. Their pursuit of knowledge twisted into a hunger for control. They allied with Dauntless, who controlled the military, and together they seized control of the ruling council."
Zophie added, "To strengthen their hold, they began mining Centrae's core for energy, accelerating their tech but at a terrible cost."
Griffin's eyes widened. "That's what Setrákus Ra did to Mogadore."
The Cepans all nodded solemnly.
Hilde spoke again. "Yes. The similarities are striking. The core mining gave them power, but destabilized the planet. Civil war followed. Abnegation, Candor, and Amity opposed them and sent envoys to Lorien, seeking aid. Our Elders had promised help… but the Mogadorian invasion happened before we could intervene. While there's a fragile truce now, Centrae is still dying."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Then someone noticed—
Alexander's eyes had turned completely white.
Everyone went quiet, watching as he stood motionless, his gaze lost in the river of time. They knew what this meant—he was looking into the past and future, searching for clarity.
When his eyes returned to normal, all eyes were on him.
Alexander exhaled slowly and spoke. "Abnegation, Amity, and Candor refused to support the destruction of any world with life. The two teens in the message—Sarah and Seth—are the children of Abnegation scientists. Their parents created a long-shot experiment here on Earth that could stabilize Centrae's core… but before they could complete it, Erudite and Dauntless arrested them."
He paused, letting it sink in.
"The experiment worked—but only the final data stored here on Earth can prove it. So the kids are coming to retrieve it. To save their world."
Nine shrugged. "Sounds simple enough."
Alexander shook his head. "It isn't. Dauntless and Erudite want to invade Earth. They see Earth as a backup in case Centrae collapses—and more importantly, they fear the success of Sarah and Seth's mission will undermine their power. That's why they shut the project down."
Marina (Seven) asked softly, "So… are we going to help them?"
Before anyone could answer, Freya spoke up."We probably don't have a choice. Earth's already crawling with Mogadorians, and governments are watching everything alien. If they land alone, they'll be caught—or worse."
Alexander nodded. "If we help Sarah and Seth, and they succeed, Abnegation, Amity, and Candor will rise in influence again. That gives us a powerful ally—and one that shares our values."
Everyone exchanged glances.
Then John took a breath and said what they were all thinking."Then we help them."
One by one, the others nodded.
A decision had been made.